Durmitor national park is a part of the Dinaric Alps shaped by glaciers. With 18 glacier lakes, the largest river canyon in Europe, forests and several mountain peaks higher than 2,000, it was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1980. It is a unique place, and this is something you should definitely visit in Montenegro. In summer, you can relax and rest from the seaside heat here and enjoy hiking. During the winter months, it works as a ski resort. Durmitor national park is often considered to be the most interesting and worth visiting in Montenegro and regularly appears in the lists of the best and most beautiful national parks of Europe.
The highest peak of Durmitor is Bobotov Kuk with its height of 2,523 meters. For a long time, it was considered the highest mountain in Montenegro, but recently it was discovered that three peaks on the Albanian border are a little bit higher. If you want to climb this mountain, you should be well prepared (this is definitely not for beginners). The way from Black Lake takes about 6.5 hours, and the way from the Sedlo Pass to Bobotov Kuk takes about 2.5 hours.
Usually, you can go to Durmitor national park by car, bus, or with an organized excursion. If it is not a one-day excursion, the most convenient place to stay is Žabljak, a small town near Durmitor. It is full of nice cottages where you can live as well as cafes and restaurants. Just 15-20 minutes of walking from centre of Žabljak, and you will get to the main entrance to Durmitor national park, which leads you directly to Black Lake (Crno Jezero in Montenegrin), the largest of glacier lakes in Durmitor. Here you can enjoy awesome views of nearby mountains, and during the hot summer months, it is possible to swim in refreshing water. There is a simple educational trail that goes around the lake and takes about 1 hour.
Currently, there are 25 marked hiking trails in Durmitor national park with very different difficulty levels. The easiest trails are just walking in the forest near Black Lake, while the hardest ones include climbing to the highest mountains like Savin Kuk or Bobotov Kuk. While hiking, you have a great opportunity to watch wildlife or to eat berries straight in the forest (for example, there are nice wild strawberries, small but very sweet).
There are dense forests in Durmitor national park, mostly pine forests, including rare and endemic species.
One of the recommended easy hiking trails goes from Black Lake to Snake Lake and takes about 1-1.5 hours. On your pathway, you’ll see interesting remains of several old mills, and at the end, there is a small, picturesque lake.
Savin Kuk (2,313 meters peak) is one of the most visited peaks in Durmitor because in winter it works as a ski resort, and during summer you can go up using the chair lift to see the magnificent views of the high Durmitor peaks around.
If you drive a car during the summer months, it is a great idea to enjoy an awesome route from Žabljak to the Sedlo Pass, discovering a new fantastic view with each new turn of the road. During the winter months, the road is closed due to a large amount of snow. Here, from the Sedlo Pass, the recommended climbing route to Bobotov Kuk starts, but it is quite demanding. Anyway, even if you don’t plan to climb Bobotov Kuk, the Sedlo Pass is worth visiting. Further on this road, you can get to Piva Lake and Plužine. It can be a great 1-day adventure when staying in Durmitor.
The Đurđevića Tara Bridge is probably the most famous bridge in Montenegro, and it is very close to Durmitor National Park, so it is convenient to visit while staying in Durmitor. This is a concrete arch bridge built in 1937-1940. When World War II began, Yugoslav partisans destroyed one of the arches. Since the bridge was the only roadway in this region, it halted the Italian army. The bridge was rebuilt in 1946, and several books and films describe the events that have occurred on the Đurđevića Tara Bridge.
From the Đurđevića Tara Bridge, you’ll have fantastic views of the Tara River Canyon, one of the deepest canyons and the largest canyon in Europe. Its depth reaches 1,300 meters, and its length is 82 km.
The main entertaining attractions of the Tara River Canyon are rafting and a zipline that goes across the canyon. If you want to get a thrill, this place is right for you!