Durmitor
5
Day Itinerary •
Montenegro
Five days in Durmitor National Park gives you the complete extraordinary range of Montenegro's finest mountain wilderness, from the Black Lake at dawn and the full Tara Canyon rafting experience to the Bobotov Kuk summit, the hidden glacial lakes of the high plateau, the extraordinary Piva Canyon and monastery, and the wild Prokletije mountains on the Albanian border. This route covers the full Durmitor and its surrounding wilderness. The Black Lake circuit, Curevac canyon viewpoint, full-day Tara rafting, the Bobotov Kuk summit ascent, the extraordinary Skrcko and Zminje glacial lakes, the Piva monastery submerged by a dam, the Piva Canyon drive and the Biogradska Gora old-growth forest, with the finest mountain lamb and smoked cheese throughout.
Best Time To Visit
June to September
Getting There
Fly into Podgorica (TGD), drive 2.5 hours to Zabljak
Getting Around
Rental car essential throughout
Budget Per Day
Approx 50 to 100 euros per person per day
Difficulity
Moderate to challenging, mountain hiking
DAY 1
BLACK LAKE AND RING ROAD
MORNING
BLACK LAKE AT DAWN, THE MOST EXTRAORDINARY SCENE IN DURMITOR
The Black Lake is the finest glacial lake in Montenegro, a deep tarn below the extraordinary Bobotov Kuk massif that gives Durmitor its iconic image. Arrive before 7am for the still water reflection of the peaks. The 3.6km circuit through ancient black pine forest takes 90 minutes and gives extraordinary views from every angle. The lake is at its most extraordinary in July and August when the surrounding peaks still carry snow on their highest faces. National park entry approx 5 euros. Drive: 20 min drive
MIDDAY
CUREVAC VIEWPOINT, THE CANYON FROM ABOVE
The Curevac viewpoint at 1,625 metres looks directly down into the Tara Canyon 1,300 metres below, the finest elevated view of the deepest canyon in Europe. The drive from Zabljak takes 20 minutes on a mountain road and the walk to the viewpoint edge takes 15 minutes. The scale of the canyon from directly above, with the emerald ribbon of the Tara river visible at the bottom, is one of the most extraordinary natural sights in the Balkans. Free. Drive: 20 min drive
AFTERNOON
DURMITOR RING ROAD AND THE SMALLER LAKES
The Durmitor ring road circles the massif through extraordinary mountain scenery passing several of the park's 18 glacial lakes. Zminje Jezero, the Snake Lake, and Barno Jezero are the finest of the smaller lakes, each with extraordinary reflections of the surrounding peaks and almost no visitors. The afternoon light on the Durmitor massif from the ring road is extraordinary. The road is entirely driveable in a standard car in summer. Park entry included in morning ticket.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The Durmitor National Park contains 18 glacial lakes known collectively as the Mountain Eyes, each in an extraordinary high alpine setting. The Black Lake is the largest and most visited but the smaller lakes reached on foot are often entirely deserted even at the height of summer. The park map from the visitor centre shows all 18 with trail distances.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Cafe in Zabljak Early coffee before the 6am drive to Black Lake. The town wakes before dawn for mountain people. | Lunch: Restaurant at Black Lake Local lamb, smoked cheese and mountain honey after the morning circuit. | Dinner: Restaurant Soa, Zabljak The finest restaurant in Zabljak. Local trout, mountain lamb and excellent Montenegrin wine.
DAY 2
TARA CANYON RAFTING
MORNING
TARA CANYON RAFTING DEPARTURE, EUROPE'S DEEPEST CANYON
The full-day Tara Canyon rafting trip is the finest adventure experience in Montenegro, 18km of white water through the deepest river canyon in Europe. The canyon walls rise 1,300 metres on both sides and the Tara river is rated among the cleanest in Europe. The rafting runs through extraordinary Grade 3 to 4 rapids between sheer limestone walls. Groups depart from Brstanovica at 9am and reach Scepan Polje by mid-afternoon. Book the day before with any Zabljak operator. Approx 50 to 70 euros all-inclusive. Drive: Canyon floor
MIDDAY
RIVER BANK LUNCH IN THE CANYON
The full-day rafting trip includes lunch on the extraordinary river bank at the halfway point, typically roasted lamb or pork with local bread and cheese. The lunch beach is on a gravel bar below the extraordinary limestone canyon walls with the cold turquoise Tara flowing past. The guides provide cold drinks and local rakija. The scale of the canyon walls visible from the river bank, rising sheer on both sides, gives a completely different perspective from the viewpoint above. Drive: Continuing canyon
AFTERNOON
DJURDJEVICA TARA BRIDGE AND RETURN
The Djurdjevica Tara bridge at 172 metres above the river is the most extraordinary bridge in Montenegro, a five-arch concrete viaduct completed in 1940 and used as a bungee jumping platform in summer. The view from the bridge down into the canyon is extraordinary. The drive back from the rafting endpoint at Scepan Polje to Zabljak takes one hour through extraordinary mountain scenery. The evening in Zabljak after the canyon day is the finest in the trip.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The upper Tara Canyon section above the rafting route is accessible on foot from the Curevac viewpoint road and contains the extraordinary Nevidio canyon, a narrow slot gorge through the limestone that is the most technically challenging canyon walk in Montenegro. Guided canyoning tours available from Zabljak operators. Approx 40 euros per person.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Guesthouse in Zabljak Hearty mountain breakfast before the 9am rafting departure. The operators provide water. | Lunch: River bank, canyon floor Included in rafting package. Roasted local meat and cheese on the extraordinary canyon floor. | Dinner: Konoba Durmitor, Zabljak Local lamb, smoked cheese and cold Niksicko beer after the finest day in Durmitor.
DAY 3
BOBOTOV KUK SUMMIT
MORNING
BOBOTOV KUK SUMMIT, THE ROOF OF MONTENEGRO
Bobotov Kuk at 2,523 metres is the highest peak in Durmitor and the finest summit in Montenegro. The ascent from the Sedlo pass at 1,907 metres takes 2.5 hours each way through extraordinary high alpine terrain, past several glacial lakes and across the extraordinary karst plateau to the summit ridge. The panorama from the top covers the entire Durmitor massif, the Tara Canyon, the mountains of Bosnia and Herzegovina and on the clearest days the Adriatic coast. A local guide is recommended. Park entry approx 5 euros. Drive: On descent
MIDDAY
SKRCKO JEZERO, THE HIDDEN SUMMIT LAKE
Skrcko Jezero at 1,686 metres is the finest of the hidden glacial lakes in Durmitor, a deep blue tarn below the extraordinary Stit peak reached on the descent from Bobotov Kuk. The lake is almost always completely deserted. The swimming in the extraordinarily cold and clear water after the summit ascent is extraordinary. The reflection of the Stit peak in the still surface of the lake in the late afternoon is one of the finest mountain images in Montenegro. Drive: 30 min drive back
AFTERNOON
RECOVERY AND ZABLJAK EVENING
The afternoon after the Bobotov Kuk summit is best spent recovering in Zabljak with a cold beer and local food. The town has excellent craft shops selling local smoked cheese, mountain honey and dried mushrooms from the black pine forest. The Durmitor park visitor centre has a small exhibition on the extraordinary wildlife of the massif including brown bear, wolf, lynx and golden eagle, all present in the park. Entry to exhibition free.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The Durmitor brown bear population is one of the healthiest in the Balkans. Bears are regularly seen at dawn and dusk on the pastures above Zabljak and near the mountain huts. The local shepherds and their large Sarplaninac sheepdogs coexist with the bears and can tell you where recent sightings have been. The encounter is extraordinary but keep distance.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Guesthouse in Zabljak Early substantial breakfast before the Sedlo drive. Pack | Lunch: and water for the summit. LUNCH Picnic on the mountain Packed lunch from Zabljak eaten on the extraordinary summit ridge with the panorama. | Dinner: Restaurant Soa, Zabljak Finest dinner of the trip after the summit. Local mountain trout and the best Vranac.
DAY 4
PIVA CANYON AND MONASTERY
MORNING
PIVA MONASTERY, THE FRESCOES THAT SURVIVED THE FLOOD
The Piva Monastery is the most extraordinary religious site in the Durmitor region, a 16th-century monastery dismantled stone by stone and rebuilt above the waterline when the Piva dam flooded the valley in 1975. The extraordinary frescoes in the main church, painted between 1604 and 1628, survived the move and are now considered the finest late Byzantine fresco cycle in Montenegro. The monastery sits at the edge of the Piva Lake reservoir in a extraordinary setting. Free to enter. Drive: 1 hour drive
MIDDAY
PIVA CANYON DRIVE, ONE OF THE FINEST IN THE BALKANS
The Piva Canyon road from the monastery to Scepan Polje is one of the finest canyon drives in the Balkans, carved into the sheer limestone cliff face above the Piva river for 25km. The road alternates between extraordinary tunnels cut through the rock and open cliff-edge sections with extraordinary views down into the canyon. The canyon walls reach 1,200 metres in places. The drive takes 45 minutes at a reasonable pace and is entirely free. Drive: 1 hour drive back
AFTERNOON
PIVA LAKE AND THE DAM
The Piva dam and reservoir created in 1975 is the largest in Montenegro, an extraordinary 220-metre concrete arch dam that flooded the entire Piva Canyon valley. The reservoir behind is 54km long and one of the finest kayaking locations in Montenegro. Boat trips on the reservoir from the dam area give extraordinary views up into the canyon walls and past the submerged sites that disappeared when the valley was flooded. The water colour is an extraordinary deep blue-green.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The village of Pluzine on the Piva Lake is the most extraordinary village in the region, its houses built on a peninsula jutting into the reservoir with the canyon walls rising directly behind. The drive from Pluzine along the reservoir shore gives the finest views of the Piva Canyon from water level. Free to explore.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Cafe in Zabljak Early coffee before the drive to Piva. The monastery is best in the morning light. | Lunch: Restaurant by Piva Lake Local fish from the Piva reservoir and local lamb on the extraordinary canyon edge. | Dinner: Konoba in Zabljak Final Zabljak dinner. Local lamb, smoked cheese and the finest mountain honey dessert.
DAY 5
BIOGRADSKA GORA
MORNING
BIOGRADSKA GORA, ONE OF THE LAST PRIMEVAL FORESTS IN EUROPE
Biogradska Gora National Park 90 minutes from Zabljak contains one of the last three primeval temperate rainforests in Europe, an extraordinary old-growth forest of beech, spruce and fir with trees up to 500 years old. The walk around the extraordinary Biogradsko Lake through the primeval forest takes 3.5km and 90 minutes. The trees in the heart of the forest, some over 50 metres tall, are extraordinary in scale. The forest has never been logged. Park entry approx 5 euros. Drive: 1.5 hour drive
MIDDAY
KOLASIN, THE MOUNTAIN TOWN GATEWAY
Kolasin is the finest mountain town in central Montenegro, a compact ski resort and hiking base with excellent restaurants and a relaxed atmosphere. The old town church and the small market selling local honey, cheese and wild berries are worth 30 minutes before the drive south to Podgorica. The views from Kolasin over the surrounding mountains are extraordinary and the town is significantly cheaper than the Adriatic coast. Drive: 1 hour drive south
AFTERNOON
MORACA CANYON AND PODGORICA ARRIVAL
The drive from Kolasin to Podgorica descends through the extraordinary Moraca Canyon, 30km of road carved into a limestone cliff face above the emerald Moraca river. The canyon is the finest single drive in Montenegro and the views from the cliff road are extraordinary. Podgorica itself is the least remarkable capital in the Balkans but the old Ribnica neighbourhood and the extraordinary Millennium Bridge over the Moraca are worth a final hour before the flight.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The Moraca Monastery in the canyon below Kolasin is one of the finest medieval monasteries in Montenegro, founded in 1252 with extraordinary 13th and 16th-century frescoes in both churches. The monastery is visible from the canyon road and takes 20 minutes to visit. A perfect final stop before Podgorica. Free to enter.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Guesthouse near Kolasin Final mountain breakfast before Biogradska Gora. The forest is best in the morning light. | Lunch: Restaurant in Kolasin Mountain lunch before the Podgorica drive. Local lamb, cheese and Niksicko beer. | Dinner: Restaurant in Podgorica Final dinner in the capital. The Stara Varos old quarter has the finest local restaurants.
Where To Stay
Zabljak, Nights 1 to 4 Hotel Durmitor or Autokamp Mlinski Potok. Approx 50 to 100 euros per night. Mountain hut, Night 3 Dom na Lokvama near Bobotov Kuk approach. Approx 15 to 25 euros per person. Biogradska area, Night 5 Guesthouses near Kolasin for the final night. Approx 40 to 70 euros.
Top Tips
1. Hire a local guide for Bobotov Kuk. The summit trail is straightforward but a guide adds extraordinary knowledge of the massif geology and fauna.
2. The Black Lake at 6am on a still morning is one of the finest mountain experiences in the Balkans. Bring a tripod for the extraordinary peak reflection.
3. Piva Monastery was dismantled stone by stone and rebuilt above the waterline when the Piva dam flooded the valley in
1975. The 16th-century frescoes survived extraordinary.
4. Durmitor has some of the darkest night skies in Europe. The Milky Way from the Black Lake on a clear summer night is extraordinary and worth staying up for.
5. The local Niksicko beer from the Niksic brewery is the finest in Montenegro and cheap throughout the region. Order it cold with grilled lamb or local cheese.
6. Biogradska Gora contains one of the last three primeval forests in Europe. The old-growth trees in the centre of the park are 500 years old and extraordinary.
Total Budget
50 to 100 euros/day