Dajti Mountain National Park (Albanian: Parku Kombëtar "Mali i Dajtit") is a national park created in 1966 in central Albania. It covers an area of 293.84 square kilometers (113.45 square miles) since 2006. The park is located 40 kilometers (25 miles) east of the Adriatic Sea and 26 kilometers (16 miles) east of Tirana. The area is managed by both the Albanian Agency of Protected Areas (AKZM) and the Tirana Municipality Parks and Recreation Agency (APR). It is next to Shtamë Pass Nature Park to the northwest, Kraste-Verjon Protected Landscape to the west, and Mali me Gropa-Bizë-Martanesh Protected Landscape to the east. The park has broken and rocky landforms that support many different ecosystems and a wide variety of plants and animals.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has classified the park as Category II. The park is also recognized as an Important Plant Area of international importance by Plantlife.

In 2019, a new Dajti Mt National Park tourist information center was opened. It is near the TV and radio towers on SH47 road in Fushe Dajt.

The area is known for the Dajti Ekspres Cable Car and Adventure Park. It also has traditional restaurants that serve local dishes according to the slow food tradition.

Geology

The Dajti massif, a mountain range that reaches an elevation of 1,613 m (5,292 ft), includes Dajti, Priska to the south, Tujani in the center, and Brari to the north. People who climb the mountain can see the city of Tirana below and the surrounding mountains. Because of the wide view, this area is called the Balcony of Tirana. One of Tirana’s main water sources, Lake Bovilla, is located to the northeast of Brari, near steep cliffs and a canyon. At the opposite end of the park, along the Erzen River, is the prehistoric Pellumbas Cave, found in the Skorana Gorge. The cave was formed by the river’s movement. Another natural feature is the Shëngjini Waterfalls, which are near the Shëngjergj village.

Flora and fauna

Dajti's different types of rocks and land shapes have created a wide range of plants and animals. The area has forests and mountain landscapes with many wild flowers. Many mammals live here and are protected. These include wild boar, Eurasian wolf, red fox, European hare, brown bear, squirrel, and European wildcat. In the lower parts of the mountains, the plants are mostly scrubby areas, heath, myrtle, and fragaria. Oak trees are most common between 600 and 1,000 meters above sea level, with beech and maple trees nearby. Above 1,000 meters, some conifer trees grow. The rocky top of the mountain has very little plant life.

In the 2010s, cutting down trees became a big problem on the mountain. In the summer of 2012 and spring of 2019, forest fires burned 10 hectares of forest near the Priska summit. In 2017, part of Dajti was also burned. Authorities used helicopters to put out the fires. The damage was severe at the mountain's highest points and can be seen clearly from Tirana.

Forest fires are happening more often each year. However, the people responsible for starting the fires are not being punished.