AN OFF-ROAD TOUR THROUGH THE KUČKA KRAJINA MOUNTAINS

It has always been my dream to make an off-road jeep tour through the Kučka Krajina Mountains and to visit Rikavačko Lake. This Lake is situated at a distance of only 50 km from Podgorica, but it is accessible for mountain bikers and hikers only – and, of course, also for those who dispose of a good 4×4 vehicle.

I don’t know why I am so fond of Kučka Krajina. Is it the extraordinary karst landscape? The immense space of rocky pastures, situated against a backdrop of high mountains? Or is it just the feeling to be far away from the crowds, enjoying nature and life in its purest form?

We discovered this area several years ago, when local shepherds were the only inhabitants of Kučka Krajina. I wrote several blogposts about it, fully aware of the fact that this wild and untouched landscape with its authentic Katuns (summer mountain settlements) and vast plateaus could be a paradise for tourists and nature lovers. It is hard to understand that many inhabitants of Podgorica have never been here. Sometimes they don’t even know that Bukumirsko and Rikavačko Lake are part of Podgorica Capital City!

Brief description

Situated north-east of Podgorica, close to the Albanian border, Kučka Krajina – also called Žijovo – is a perfect destination for a day trip. The panoramic road ‘Circuit around Korita’ has already gained publicity and is visited by many tourists (although a part of the route is still under construction).

How do the Kučka Krajina Mountains look like? Hard to describe, as this area is a mix of barren rocks, wild karst and glacial structures. Katuns, small clusters of shepherds’ mountain huts, can be found all over the area, although their number is (unfortunately) decreasing.

There are more than 15 mountain peaks in Kučka Krajina above 2000m.

The two most important lakes in Kučka Krajina are Bukumirsko Lake and Rikavačko Lake. In earlier blogposts I have already described the beauty of Bukumirsko Lake and its immediate surroundings.

Rikavačko Lake is the largest lake of Kučka Krajina: it is 525m long, 230m wide and almost 14m deep. This glacial lake is situated at an altitude of 1313m above sea level, between the Širokar mountain plateau (1,785m) and Mount Vila (2,930m), close to Rikavac Katun and just a few hundred meters away from the Albanian border.

The 4×4 tour

Exploring the mountains of Kučka Krajina with a 4×4 vehicle? That was not so simple for us, as we don’t have a jeep. But we hired a good, strong vehicle and it goes without saying that we were glad to get the opportunity to make a real off-road round tour through the most untouched, pristine, remote and quiet parts of this region.

 We followed the ‘Circuit around Korita’ through Medun and Ubli, and then turned left, following the signposts to Bukumirsko Jezero (50 km from Podgorica). The winding narrow asphalt road passed through Bezjova and Stravče, through magnificent forests with breathtaking panoramas.

At a drinking place along the road, we saw a herd of beautiful wild horses. Flocks of sheep crossed the road in front of us, heading towards the green pastures. Small group of huts could be seen around, some of them with a garden surrounded by dry stone walls.

This time we did not visit Bukumirsko Lake, but continued to the village of Mokra (another 10 km). That is where the paved road ended. One trail leads to Mokra, another one to Veruša and the third one appeared to be a macadam road – only accessible for 4×4 vehicles – to Rikavačko Jezero.

The tour along Katun Lakovića (1708m) offered great views. Enjoying the diverse landscapes, we passed the unpaved serpentines to Širokar pass (1765m) and descended to Rikavačko Lake. In the meantime, the weather was getting worse.

Fog and clouds impaired the view of the Lake, which made it impossible to take photos.

What a pity! We could hardly see Rikavac Katun. However, it became clear that the number of weekend houses is increasing, although there is no electricity and no cellphone network here.

Continuing our tour, we had to pass the Velika Ćafa pass (1865m). The dense fog made it impossible to see anything but the winding trail. We still had to pass 15 km to Kučka Korita, on an extremely bad gravel road, first ascending 500 m to the pass. The road was very steep and covered with stones, gravel, rocks, sand…

And down again… we saw nothing but stones. The endless monotonous landscape – one stone hill after another – had not changed through the centuries, except for the trail we followed. Nothing but rocks and stones. No people, no animals, no trees, no cars, just nothing. A stone desert in the mist, spooky and mysterious.

At a certain moment, we encountered an Israeli group with 5 jeeps. One of the guides warned us that we had a flat tyre: and indeed, standing next to the wheel, we heard the tyre losing some air. We only had to go another 5 km to Kučka Korita and we decided to continue our drive; the road appeared to be somewhat better. Once back in the inhabited village of Kučka Korita, it was easy enough to change the tyre. From there, we had another 35 km on a good asphalt road to Podgorica. The tour had come to an end.

In my memories, the last part of our tour – from Rikavac Katun to Kučka Korita – seemed to be unrealistic, like a dream. I want to go back, on a bright day. I want to see how these mysterious stone hills look like in the sun, I want to see the view from the mountain…  and I am sure, I will return next year!

Conclusion

Despite the cloudy weather, we had a fantastic adventure in the mountains of Kučka Krajina. It is hard to understand that this region has not been proclaimed a nature park so far.

Kucka Krajina deserves to be protected!