Montenegro - Walking in the Balkans

The wild, mountainous interior of Montenegro contains a network of National Parks offering inspiring upland walking and ideal habitat for birds of prey and wildflowers, especially orchids in early summer.

Surprisingly good hotels of some character provide comfortable bases from which to discover eminently drinkable red wine to accompany the distinctive Balkan cuisine; Byzantine frescoes in rural Orthodox monasteries; Venetian architecture along the Adriatic littoral; and forts and museums which help shed some light on the enormously complex history of this small, newly independent, Balkan state.

TRIP ITINERARY

DAY 1

D included

After meeting at Dubrovnik airport in the early afternoon, a short road transfer into the mountains brings us to the frontier with Herzegovina. We visit the ancient monastery of Tvdros and see the still functioning water wheels on the river, then walk through the old Ottoman quarter of Trebinje. Our comfortable 3 star hotel overlooks the plane tree-filled square and has a good restaurant - typical Balkan dishes such as grilled red peppers with lamb, garlic and rice.

DAY 2

B, L, D included

A scenic road takes us up into the mountains and over a pass into Montenegro. We have a short walk to see a 4C Roman bridge and have lunch in a rustic restaurant with wooden terraces set above a small river, before reaching a broad upland plateau. A 2 hour walk brings views of the Durmitor mountains to the west, flocks of sheep with attendant shepherds, 13C Bogomil carvings and Montagu’s harriers hunting the grasslands. In Zabljak, a small mountaineering and ski centre, our modern 3 star hotel (for 3 nights) has well-equipped rooms with mountain views.

DAY 3

B, L, D included

A short drive through pine and birch forest brings us to the start of a walk to the edge of the spectacular Tara canyon, the longest and deepest in Europe (at certain points the drop is a sheer 1,300 metres). Griffon vultures, crossbills, nutcrackers and red squirrels may be seen as we walk through mixed forest and meadows en route to a picnic. We circumnavigate glacial Crno Jezero, the Black lake, in the afternoon and find wild strawberries and blueberries amongst the gentians, saxifrages and wild thyme.

DAY 4

B, L, D included

A narrow track road takes us up into the heart of the Durmitor National Park, a magnificent mountain wilderness with 27 peaks over 2,200 metres and healthy populations of (rarely seen) brown bears, wolves and lynx. On foot, we cross a pass where snow finches and alpine choughs are often seen and search for high altitude flowers, particularly gentians and crocuses as we gradually descend a wild valley with superb views of the surrounding peaks.

DAY 5

B, L, D included

Heading east, we pause to see the Tara bridge, bravely detonated by a Partisan engineer in 1942, and follow the Tara canyon down to the isolated Dobrilovina monastery, where the nuns unlock the heavy wooden door to allow us to see the 17C frescoes. We have a circular walk round a lake in the Biogradska National park and lunch overlooking the water. After visiting the interesting botanical gardens in Kolasin we check into our 4 star hotel, strikingly designed in wood and stone.

DAY 6

B, L, D included

4WDs take us up to 1,790 metres for a full day’s walk crossing the mountain range of Bjelasica, characterised by rounded volcanic tops, valleys filled with primeval beech and hornbeam forest and upland meadows with cornelian lily, gentians and vanilla orchids. We watch for soaring golden and booted eagles and have lunch with a family of shepherds at their katun (wooden summer shelter) before continuing up and over two small, steepish passes and gradually down to a mountain tarn. Dinner this evening is in a typical old tavern with Montenegrin music.

DAY 7

B, L, D included

Our route south follows beside the Moraca river and we visit the 13C monastery, with outstanding Byzantine frescoes, before reaching the eastern end of Lake Skadar, on the Albanian border, to look for rare Dalmatian pelicans (and smugglers!) from an observation tower. A local guide takes us on a boat trip on Lake Skadar, one of the largest lakes in southern Europe and a Ramsar protected site. Our 3 star village hotel has a restaurant well known for fish dishes flavoured with mountain herbs collected by the owner.

DAY 8

B, L, D included

After visiting the National Park information centre, a little-used mountain road takes us north, via the triple-arched mediaeval bridge at Rijeka Crnojevica, to Cetinje, the former Royal capital of Montenegro, with an important monastery and a museum with a representative collection of Yugoslavian and Montenegrin art. A narrow winding road takes us up into the Lovcen National Park where we stay in a 4 star hotel (new, but in traditional stone and wood). An afternoon walk on the limestone is excellent for orchids - lesser butterfly, fragrant, green-winged, Bertolini, woodcock, bug and pyramidal - and birds (hoopoe, red-backed shrike, peregrine, honey buzzard and wheatears).

DAY 9

B, L, D included

We walk again after breakfast, then make our way slowly down the incredible hairpin road which descends into the beautiful Bay of Kotor, Europe’s most southerly true fjord. We have lunch in a famous old restaurant, then settle into our 4 star hotel in the centre of the walled mediaeval town of Kotor (a UNESCO World Heritage site). The afternoon is free for exploring Kotor’s heritage of Venetian architecture, including St. Tryphon’s Cathedral (completed in 1166) and numerous Renaissance palaces built by wealthy patricians, merchants and sea captains. There is an optional steep walk on the 15C walls up to the Fortress and St. Ivan’s castle in the cooler early evening.

DAY 10

B, L, D included

We see some fine 3C and 4C mosaics at the Roman Villa Urbana before driving up onto the top of the massif which dominates the Bay of Kotor for a spectacular walk following the old Austro-Hungarian packhorse route. After a rest and a snack, enjoying the stupendous views, we descend to the charming village of Perast, with its Venetian Gothic palaces and small museum recalling its illustrious nautical past - in the 18C Perast had a fleet of 1,000 ships and Peter the Great sent his officers to learn marine engineering and cartography here. We take a small boat over to Our Lady of the Rock island to see the votive church there and return to Kotor for our farewell dinner in the best seafood restaurant on the harbour.

DAY 11

B included

We drive along the coast to cross the border into Croatia and have an early light lunch by the sea before going to Dubrovnik airport for flights home, or on to Dubrovnik on an optional extension.

Price includes:

All accommodation for Days 1 through 11 on a double shared basis

All meals with wine at lunches and dinners, other than those excepted in the daily notation

All land transportation in a private air-conditioned vehicle as described except during free periods

All entrance and sightseeing fees except during free periods

4WD transfers on Day 4 as described

Boat trips on Lake Skadar and in the Bay of Kotor as described

Gratuities for hotel and restaurant staff

Visa and Health Requirements

Visitors from the EU and the US currently require a valid passport, but not a visa, for entry to Montenegro. If you are a national of any other country, please check visa regulations with your nearest Embassy of Montenegro.

At present there are no specific and compulsory health requirements for entry to Montenegro but we recommend that you also check the advice given to travellers by the Department of Health and the FCO.

Insurance

It is essential, and a condition of booking, that you protect yourself with a suitable travel insurance policy as soon as you book a trip. Follow this link for a quote for a policy available to UK residents.

If you are already insured or a non-UK resident, please inform us of your policy at the time of booking.