Half the confusion about Theth starts before you even arrive: older write-ups still insist you need a 4x4 to get in. National route SH21 was fully paved in late 2021, and a standard rental car can reach the village center from June through October. What those same write-ups don’t say is that paved isn’t the same as relaxed: the final 12 km down from Qafa e Thorës has 27 hairpin turns, 15 to 18 percent grades, and no guardrails, with weather at the summit that can turn in minutes.