The largest lake in the Balkans — 370 square kilometres at full pool, two-thirds in Montenegro and one-third in Albania. The Albanian side runs from the village of Shiroka on the southern shore up to the Montenegro border, with the Lake Shkodër Nature Reserve protecting a strip of marsh, reed bed, and mixed forest along the shoreline.
Birdwatching is the main draw: more than 280 species recorded, including Dalmatian pelican, pygmy cormorant, ferruginous duck, and large numbers of migratory waterfowl in spring and autumn. Local boatmen run trips from Shiroka in summer for a modest fee. A signed cycle path runs the length of the Albanian shore from Shkodër out to the border and is the best way to see the lake without a boat.