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Most visitors to Montenegro never leave the coast, which leaves the mountains almost empty. Durmitor national park has eighteen glacial lakes, fifty peaks above two thousand metres and the deepest river canyon in Europe, about two hours inland from the Bay of Kotor.
The lake at the centre, hikes from easy to serious, the canyon and its bridge, rafting on the Tara, and what Zabljak is actually like.
Why Durmitor national park
The park covers about 390 square kilometres of limestone massif in the north of Montenegro. It has almost fifty peaks over 2,000 metres, the highest being Bobotov Kuk at 2,523, and eighteen glacial lakes that locals call gorske oci, mountain eyes.
It is on the UNESCO list, it is two hours from the coast, and in July, when Budva is unwalkable, you will share the trails with almost nobody.
The Black Lake
Crno jezero, the Black Lake, sits at 1,416 metres about twenty minutes walk from Zabljak. It is two lakes joined by a channel, and in dry late summer the channel disappears and they separate.
The circuit around it is 3.5 kilometres, flat, and takes about an hour. It is the one thing everyone does, and it is worth doing early, before the day visitors arrive.
Hikes for every level
- The Black Lake circuit: 3.5 km, flat, one hour, suitable for anyone.
- Curevac viewpoint: about two hours return, and the classic view down into the Tara canyon.
- Jablan Lake and Zminje Lake: easy forest walks of one to two hours from Zabljak.
- Prutas: four to five hours return, and the best ridge view in the park.
- Bobotov Kuk: seven to nine hours, exposed sections, a serious mountain day.
- The Ice Cave on Obla Glava: a full day, with snow inside the cave all year.
The Tara canyon and the bridge
The Tara river has cut a canyon roughly 1,300 metres deep and 80 kilometres long, which makes it the deepest in Europe and the second deepest in the world after the Grand Canyon.
The Djurdjevica Tara bridge crosses it on five arches, 365 metres long and 172 metres above the water. It was built in 1940, partly destroyed in 1942 by the engineer who designed it to slow the Italian advance, and rebuilt after the war. There is a zip line across the gorge beside it.
Rafting on the Tara
The classic half day section runs about eighteen kilometres from Brstanovica with more than twenty rapids, and it is suitable for beginners with no experience. The full two day trip covers the wilder upper section and involves a night in a camp.
The water is drinkable, which the guides demonstrate, and clear enough that the boat appears to be floating above the riverbed. Season runs roughly from May to October, with the highest water in May and June.
Zabljak and practical advice
Zabljak is the highest town in the Balkans at about 1,450 metres and it is not attractive. It is a functional mountain town with guesthouses, a supermarket, several restaurants and a couple of ski lifts, and it is where you sleep.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| From Kotor | about 3 hours by car, on mountain roads |
| From Podgorica | about 2 hours, via the Moraca canyon |
| Park entry | a small daily fee, paid at the Black Lake |
| Best months | June to September for hiking, January to March for skiing |
| Accommodation | guesthouses in Zabljak, cheap by European standards |
| The Durmitor ring | about 70 km of hairpins, worth a full afternoon |
The road in from the coast is slow and spectacular, and the Durmitor ring road that loops the massif is worth an afternoon on its own. Background is on Wikipedia and the listing at UNESCO.
Frequently asked questions (FAQ)
Conclusion
Durmitor is the Montenegro that almost nobody photographs: glacial lakes, limestone peaks and a canyon that is the deepest in Europe, two hours from a coast that is full.
Give it three days, sleep in Zabljak, walk the lake at dawn, drive the ring road and put half a day on the Tara.
