Most scenic places and national parks in Albania, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Montenegro?
 

Which national parks that are scenic, do you recommend in the Balkans? We want to visit several, does anyone have an itinerary they can share? We've been to Plitvice in Croatia. What about Bulgaria, Albania, Montenegro, Bosnia? also are there any other 'must sees' in these countries?

We included some time in Bosnia (1N in Mostar) and Montenegro (2N in Kotor) when visiting Croatia in 2019.
Bosnia : We loved Mostar, and also enjoyed visiting Kravice Waterfalls, Blagaj and Pocitelj nearby. No idea about the parks.
Montenegro : We enjoyed driving the Bay of Kotor and visiting Sveti Stefan and Budva. With more time, I'd have liked to include some parks - notably Mount Lovcen (close to Kotor) and Lake Skadar (much further away) which were highly recommended.

In Montenegro, definitely Lovćen, also Durmitor. I will believe it when I see it, but soon there will be a cable car from close to Kotor, to Lovćen.
https://www.gov.me/en/article/openin...vcen-cable-car

Lake Skadar is beautiful, and BIG. You can visit the Montenegro side, and the Albanian side.

In Bulgaria, Rila National Park (and make sure to visit the monastery of the same name.)

thanks. Any scenic places and national parks to recommend in Albania?

When are you going? So far my only experience is in Tirana, but in June next year I am going to be exploring the entire country. I do know a super cool driver/guide that posts amazing nature photos on facebook - if you are interested in hiring someone like that, send me a PM.. I have only used him as a driver but next year I am going to hire him as a guide too.

hoping to go in the summer.

Summer is not the best time to visit the coastal areas of Montenegro. But the parks will be beautiful. Expect long lines at the borders.

why is summer not the best time?

Crowds, traffic jams, high prices… but I’m talking about the coast and the Bay of Kotor.

Rila National Park is a must see in Bulgaria. If you like hiking you can get to the seven Rila Lakes. Best time to go is summer time.

How much of a problem is unexploded landmines in rural areas on these countries? I've read that a small percentage of the countryside still has landmines but I don't know how much of an issue this is likely to be for visitors to rural areas and national parks (it's not always possible to stick strictly to paths). I've considered visiting, travelling from Greece to Slovenia but this issue has made me have second thoughts. I don't wish to make an issue of this where none exists but genuinely don't know how much to believe of what I've read.

I suggest you visit Jajce waterfalls in Bosnia, and also Janja maybe. Manjača mountain is beautiful, and lake Balkana.

When it comes to Albania it depends on how many days are you staying here.
Up on the North you got: Tamara, Theth, Lake Koman, Valbona etc
Going down you got: Rana e Hedhun, Tirana (the grand park of tirana), Osumi Canyons, Karavasta Lagoon
Going South you got: The Blue Eye, Llogara National Park, Butrint National Park, Gjipe Beach

To be honest the list goes on but i don't think there are enough days for a tourist to visit all these places.
Even if you have enough time, you still need a car to go from one place to another.
I'd recommend renting a car from cria.al as you can find here competitive prices.

Trave Safe and Have Fun.