Durmitor is the largest mountain massif of Montenegro and lies in the north west of the country. Mountain peaks of incredible shapes, wide mountains, beautiful lakes, emerald color of Tara, typical mountain huts, livestock grazing over green meadows and breathtaking views … All this is the Durmitor National Park, which with its diversity offers countless opportunities to spend active holidays. Durmitor covers the entire national park Durmitor, Piva Lake, Grabovica canyons and the Tara River … The area has been proclaimed as a national park in 1952. Durmitor is a paradise for hikers and nature lovers with more than 50 peaks above 2000 meters, including the highest peak Bobotov Kuk.
Žabljak
Is the center of the Durmitor National Park and it is the highest located town in the Balkan. Žabljak is a small, economic and cultural center of Durmitor. The city is surrounded by numerous mountain peaks, the Tara River canyon, glacial lakes, ski resorts and represents an excellent starting point for active activities in nature. Among them are hiking, skiing and rafting. Žabljak is also the largest winter center of Montenegro.
What to do in Durmitor?
Skiing
Žabljak is the most famous ski center in Montenegro. Ski resorts are located in the soroundings of Žabljak. Among the ski slopes, it is worth mentioning ski resort Durmitor, Savin Kuk and Bjelasica, which also has 6 chair-lift.
Zip line
Experience the Tara canyon on a unique, and especially adrenaline way. Red Rock Zipline is located next to the famous Đurđevic bridge, only 23 kilometers from Žabljak. For the zip line you will deduct 10 eur per person.
Red Rock zipline nad kanjonom reke Tare
Đurđevica Bridge
The concrete bridge Đurđevica above Tara is one of the main attractions of Durmitor National Park. The bridge is located at the intersection between Mojkovec, Žabljak and the town of Plevlja. The bridge is built of five bows, 365 meters long, and it rises 172 meters high above Tara.
Black Lake
The Black Lake is the largest and most visited among the eighteen lakes located in the Durmitor National Park. The lake is 3 kilometers from the center of Žabljak, so you can also walk there. If you arrive by car, you will have to pay a parking fee of 2€. Around the lake is a beautifully marked hiking trail which is 3.5 km long. To enter the park you will be charged 3 eur per person.
Viewpoint Čurevac
Čurevac is an easily accessible viewpoint above the Tara canyon, which with its elevation of 1625 m raises above the canyon. From Žabljak, you can take the footpath to Čurevac (8 km) or go there with by car. In order to find the route easier, you can enter the coordinates for the starting point S43 10.847 ‘and V019 07.580’ into GPS. From Čurevac there is a beautiful view of the Tara canyon and mountain village Tepca. The path is not difficult (250 m altitude difference), however, the route requires suitable shoes (sneakers).
Rafting
Rafting on Tara is one of the things you should not miss. You can book your rafting trip in Žabljak in one of many agencies. Prices are around 40 €.
Hike to Bobotov Kuk
Bobotov Kuk with its 2523 meters is the highest peak of Montenegro. You can get to it from Žabljak, and the journey will take you 10 to 12 hours of walking. You can also head to the top after a short journey from Sedla, from where you will win the top in 2-3 hours. We wanted to conquer Bobotov Kuk, but in the end we decided that we were not exactly in the best condition, so we left the ascent for the next time.
Panoramic road through the National Park Durmitor
If you are not a fan of hiking, but you still want to admire the beauty of Durmitor, you can do it by car. Turn a few kilometers from Žabljak to the Sedlo pass (1907 m) and after a few kilometers of climb, you will have a wonderful view of the peaks of Durmitor.
Where to sleep?
In Žabljak you can find everything from hotels, rooms, campsites, to wooden mountain huts. Our original plan was to camp, but we did not have the best weather forecast, so we decided to search for an apartment. We found the accommodation located in the center of the city in the “Center apartments”. The apartment was clean, nicely furnished, and we had everything we needed in it. We paid 25 eur per night.
If you have a desire for wild camping, we accidentally turned of the road and found a wonderful place, not far from the city center, where you can probably camp without any problems. You can find a great place on: S43 10.843 ‘and V019 07.552’. Here you will find green meadows, where it’s easy to find a place to camp and hide from curious eyes.
