Many brochures and internet sites offer a description of hiking tours in the mountains of Montenegro. Most of them are meant for mountain hikers in good physical shape who can hike one or two days, climbing 1000 m or more, without getting tired. But I know that there are a lot of tourists in older age groups, who are interested in shorter and easier hiking trips.
The following hikes are meant for those who want to spend a morning or an afternoon in Montenegro’s mountains. For those who want to make a beautiful one or two-hour walk, enjoying the stillness of untouched nature, dense forests, transparent lakes and breathtaking panoramas. Four of them can be made in Montenegro’s National Parks, while the fifth hike is part of the Panoramic Road “Circuit around Korita”.
1. Crno Jezero (Black Lake) – Durmitor National Park
Crno Jezero (in English: Black Lake) is a glacial lake, situated at a distance of 3 km from the town of Žabljak among high mountain peaks and deep forests. There is a marked walking track around the Lake that is about 3.5 km long and takes less than an hour. The short walk from the National Park entrance gate (fee € 3.00 per person) to the Lake will take you another 10-15 minutes.
Crno Jezero is stunning. You would expect that the waters are black, but, on the contrary, they take a variety of different colours during the day – from light blue to dark green. I would recommend you to make this easy tour early in the morning, before the crowds arrive. At that time, the water is as flat as a mirror and the light is perfect for photographers.
2. Poseljani – Skadar Lake National Park
Poseljani is an authentic village in Skadar Lake National Park, situated in the narrow gorge of the Seljani stream that goes down to the Lake.
You can reach Poseljani from two directions. Driving along the old caravan road from Virpazar to Rijeka Crnojevića, there is a yellow signpost to Poseljani on the right side of the road after about 15 km. Coming from Rijeka Crnojevića you can park your car after about 9 km, behind the turn towards the village of Čukovići, and follow the footpath on the left side of the road downhill. The yellow signpost indicates that the walking tour to Poseljani would take 30 minutes and another 10 minutes to the banks of Skadar Lake, but I think that one hour is more realistic.
The first part of the trail leads you along the transparent Seljani river, through lush vegetation. After spotting the first mill – once there were fourteen of them – you will enter Poseljani with its characteristic stone houses, mills and bridges. In the ‘centre’ of the village you should keep right and continue your walk over a stone dam through fields and wetlands to the lake shore. You can go back by the same footpath. No need to say that this is one of my favourite places in Montenegro!
3. Biogradsko Jezero (Biograd Lake) – Biogradska Gora National Park
Along the road from Kolašin to Mojkovac, about 20 km from Kolašin, you will see the signpost to Biogradska Gora National Park. A narrow asphalt road will lead you uphill through virgin forests and soon you will arrive at the amazing Biograd Lake, one of five glacial lakes in this National Park. This is where you can park your car, drink a cup of coffee and make a nice, easy walk around the Lake, which takes about one hour (3.4 km). The entrance fee to the Park is € 3.00.
The trail is well-marked and maintained. It goes through shaded beech forests, thick bush and wild garlic fields. You will pass over wooden decks and bridges and admire the incredible blue-green water of the Lake. Visit the Lake on a bright sunny day in spring or autumn, when the colours of the forests are brilliant!
4. Lovćen Mausoleum – Lovćen National Park
In Lovćen National Park (entrance fee € 3.00), 20 km from Cetinje, you can visit the famous Mausoleum of Prince-Bishop Petar II Petrović Njegoš on the top of Jezerski Vrh (1657 m). Follow the signposts from Ivanova Korita and park your car at the parking lot. Here you can drink coffee at the restaurant and enjoy a perfect view of Cetinje.
Now you have to climb the 461 chunky concrete steps lining the tunnel that runs through the mountain, up to the mausoleum where two granite giantesses guard the tomb of Montenegro’s greatest writer (entrance fee € 2.00). A path at the rear leads to a dramatic circular viewing platform. On a bright sunny day you can see the whole of Montenegro: from Boka Kotorska to Skadar Lake and, far away, the mountain ranges in the northern part of Montenegro: Durmitor, Komovi and Prokletije.
Podgorica is the starting point for the amazing Panoramic Road “Circuit around Korita”. Once arrived in Kučka Korita (around 35 km), you can park your car near a small pub called “Dubirog”, from where a well-marked path leads towards the edge of the Cijevna Canyon. In the days of Tito’s Yugoslavia, this used to be the patrol path of the border police.
It takes you about 30 minutes – through pastures, interrupted by weird karst formations and forests – to arrive at one of the most impressive viewpoints in Montenegro, called Grlo Sokolovo (in translation: “Falcon’s Throat”). At an altitude of 1386 m, this rest place offers a breathtaking view of the Cijevna Canyon and the mighty Prokletije mountains, in Albania called “Albanian Alps”.
From here, the path leads further along the Canyon, through dense forests and over a rather steep hill, and finally you will get back to the plateau. For the complete hiking tour you will need around 1.5-2 hours. It is nice and cool here during the summer, but you can also make this tour in early spring when the pastures are full of flowers, or in October when the colours of the forests are splendid.
I have made all these tours several times; and each time they offer a different experience. If you want to discover the hinterland of Montenegro without making much of a physical effort, go for a walk and enjoy the untouched nature of the mountains!