From the sea to Durmitor
- Day 1
Days 1–2: Kotor and Perast
Driving: 28 km · 50 minOvernight inKotor, two nightsDay one is for Kotor's Old Town and the climb up the walls to St John's Fortress (about 1,350 steps, 45 minutes). On day two drive 25 minutes to Perast, take a boat to Our Lady of the Rocks, and in the afternoon ride the cable car from Dub station up to Lovćen or stay by the sea.
- Day 3
Lovćen, Cetinje and Lake Skadar
Driving: 100 km · 2 hr 30 minOvernight inVirpazar or the nearby villages of CrmnicaUp the hairpins to Njeguši (half an hour), then to Njegoš's Mausoleum (15 minutes) and Cetinje (35 minutes). After lunch carry on via Rijeka Crnojevića to Virpazar, about an hour and ten minutes on a narrow road along the lake. In all, about 100 km and two and a half hours of driving.
Take a boat on Lake Skadar in the early evening or the next morning, before you head north.
Stops
- Day 4
Ostrog and Piva to Žabljak
Driving: 200 km · 4 hr 30 minOvernight inŽabljak, two nightsThis is the longest day: about 200 km and four and a half hours of driving without stops. From Virpazar to Podgorica is 35 minutes, and from there about an hour to Ostrog Monastery, built into a cliff. Continue via Nikšić to Plužine and Lake Piva (about an hour and a half), then over the Piva plateau to Žabljak (another hour).
If that is too much, skip Ostrog or spend the night in Plužine.
- Day 5
Durmitor
In the morning walk around the Black Lake, a few kilometres from Žabljak. If you are fit, the trail over Bobotov kuk is about 12 km and takes around seven hours. The easier option is the Durmitor Ring, 76 km through the Sušica canyon and over the Sedlo pass at 1,907 metres. The road is mostly closed in winter, and its season runs from May to October.
- Day 6
The Tara bridge and Biogradska Gora
Overnight inKolašinFrom Žabljak to Đurđevića Tara is about half an hour. The bridge, finished in 1940, has a main arch spanning 116 metres, and in summer people come here for rafting and the zipline. Follow the Tara valley to Mojkovac (an hour and ten minutes), then to Biogradska Gora, a national park with a primeval forest and a lake, about 8 km from Mojkovac. An easy trail of about an hour runs around the lake.
- Day 7
The Morača Canyon to Podgorica
From Kolašin to the 13th-century Morača Monastery is about 40 minutes, and the road continues through the Morača Canyon to Podgorica. Podgorica airport is about 70 minutes from Kolašin on the motorway; to Budva and Tivat airport allow two and a half hours or more.
Stops
Without a car
This loop is hard without a car, but you can shorten it: three nights in Kotor (with trips to Perast and Lovćen), then the direct Kotor–Žabljak bus (about three and a half to four hours, a few departures a day) and two nights on Durmitor. From Žabljak take the bus to Podgorica (about two and a half hours), and reach Kolašin by train or bus (about an hour and a half). For the Tara bridge and Biogradska Gora you need a taxi or an organised trip.
Don't miss
Kotor and the bay
The Old Town and walls, Perast and the island of Our Lady of the Rocks in the first two days.
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Lake Skadar
A night in Virpazar and a boat trip on the lake before heading north.
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The Black Lake
A walk around the lake below Durmitor, a few kilometres from Žabljak.
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The Tara Canyon
The Đurđevića Tara bridge and summer rafting, on the way from Žabljak towards Kolašin.
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Did you know?
The Đurđevića Tara bridge was finished in 1940. It has five arches, and the main arch spans 116 metres.
Good to know
Good to know
June to September, when the Durmitor roads are open and the sea is warm. May and October are quieter, but there can be snow on the higher roads in the north.
Tip
Fuel and cash
Petrol stations and cash machines are fewer in the north than on the coast. Fill up in Nikšić or Podgorica.
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Narrow roads
The roads around Piva, Durmitor and the Tara are narrow and winding, with tunnels and rockfall. Allow more time than your sat-nav says.
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Clothing
Žabljak is cool in the evening even in summer. Bring a jacket and mountain shoes.
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Ostrog
Dress modestly to enter the monastery: shoulders and knees covered. It can be very busy at weekends and on holidays.
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Rafting
Book Tara rafting with an established operator; the season runs from spring to autumn, depending on the water level.
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Reverse direction
You can drive the loop the other way round, flying into Podgorica and out of Tivat.
