Hidraj Thermal Springs

Hidraj is a natural geothermal site on the slopes of Banja mountain, in the Tregan river valley about 1.5 km southeast of the Qendër Llixhë spa village near Elbasan. Rather than a single spring, it comprises seven groups of vents strung along a roughly 500-meter thermomineral belt, the largest known locally as the Nosi spring and the Horse Spring, emerging at 46-58°C - too hot for direct bathing, so visitors soak in cooler run-off pools where the water mixes with the Tregan stream. The water carries calcium, potassium, iron, magnesium, and sulphur, and has traditionally been used for rheumatic and musculoskeletal complaints since Roman times. There are no facilities beyond a handful of family-run guesthouses nearby; the site remains a free, wild bathing spot popular with local visitors, especially on summer weekends.