Category Archives: Photographs: Kosovo

Gorge, River, and Forest

Gorge, River, and Forest
A river flows through a narrow moutain gorge past forest near Peja, Kosovo.

Gorge, River, and Forest. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

A river flows through a narrow moutain gorge past forest near Peja, Kosovo.

We spent four nights in Kosovo, where we were lucky to stay in the home of a local, the father of a member of our extended family. Because of our relative’s close relationship to the country — he was brought up there — we saw and experienced things that you might miss on a traditional tourist itinerary. For one thing, on several occasions he steered us to some remarkable mountain terrain, landscapes that rival “my” Sierra Nevada. On this day I made this photography he promised us steep canyons and gorges. We were not disappointed.

Trying to explain exactly where I made this photograph is a bit complicated. From the town of Peja (like many Kosovo towns it also has other names.) we headed into the nearby Albanian mountains, which rise from the edge of town. Here we headed into a very narrow mountain gorge, so narrow that in a few places the driving became rather “interesting.” I persuaded the group (of mostly non-photographers) to make a brief stop so that I could photograph. Here the river flows past impressively, the valley walls are covered in vegetation, slopes rise to much higher ridges, and the canyon becomes very steep and narrow.


G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist. His book, “California’s Fall Color: A Photographer’s Guide to Autumn in the Sierra” is available from Heyday Books, Amazon, and directly from G Dan Mitchell.

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Kosovo Forest

Kosovo Forest
Dense forest scene in Kosovo woods near the White Drin waterfall.

Kosovo Forest. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

Dense forest scene in Kosovo woods near the White Drin waterfall.

Although much of our 2023 summer travel was to relatively popular areas of Southern Europe, we had the good fortune to break able to venture off that track a bit. A highlight was four days in Kosovo, a place I probably would not have thought to visit — except that someone in the extended family was brought up there and has family living in the country. So during the final two weeks of our trip, a time devoted to getting together with relatives, we spent four days in Kosovo, staying in the home of our family member, who took us to a bunch of fascinating places that we otherwise wouldn’t have known about. This photograph comes from one such place, along the river leading to the “White Drin Waterfall.”

I did not have many opportunities to do landscape photography on this trip — we mostly visited cities, I was carrying equipment intended for street and travel photography, and I couldn’t impose on my traveling partners in the ways that landscape photographers usually do. But I did have a few opportunities, including this one. Behind me was a very busy trail, crowded with people walking to the waterfall and the “Sleeping Beauty Cave.” But I pointed the camera the other way and photographed the lovely, soft light in this dense forest.


G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist. His book, “California’s Fall Color: A Photographer’s Guide to Autumn in the Sierra” is available from Heyday Books, Amazon, and directly from G Dan Mitchell.

Blog | About | Twitter | Flickr | FacebookEmail

Links to Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Information.

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All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others as indicated. Any use requires advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.