Valdanos Beach

Pebble · 800 m · Ulcinj

Photo: Zlatomir Bacic (Back… · CC BY-SA 3.0

Length: 800 m
Type: Pebble
Water: Excellent

Valdanos is a pebble beach in a horseshoe bay 4 nautical miles north-west of Ulcinj, between the capes Mavrijan and Mendra. The bay is sheltered from north and south winds and served sailors as a storm refuge for centuries; behind the beach stands an olive grove of about 18,000 trees with an average age of about 800 years, under special state protection, and the bay itself is a declared Monument of Nature. It is reached by the main road from Ulcinj. Treat it as a natural beach: pebbles and clear water, and bring what you need.

A sheltered horseshoe bay between wooded capes, seen from a green hillside — The horseshoe bay of Valdanos from the hills abovePhoto: Zlatomir Bacic, CC BY-SA 3.0

Getting there and parking

By the main road from Ulcinj towards Bar; the turn-off for Valdanos leads down to the bay. From Ulcinj centre it is 6.5 km by road (about 12 minutes). In Ulcinj itself street parking is zoned, with zone I at €0.90 an hour in summer (1 June to 1 October) and a €9 day ticket. From Ulcinj the next beaches north-west are in Bar municipality: Veliki pijesak at Dobra Voda, about 11 km by road from Bar (about 17 minutes).

The beach

Pebbles from 1 to 20 cm across, with a pebble area of about 14,000 m². The beach is between 376 and 800 m long. Bathing shoes help on the stones.

Hillside covered with old olive trees above Valdanos bay — The olive grove above ValdanosPhoto: Zlatomir Bacic, CC BY-SA 3.0

The olive grove and the sea

The olive grove of Valdanos has about 18,000 trees, on average about 800 years old, and is under special state protection. In the bay grow meadows of Posidonia oceanica seagrass. The whole bay is a declared Monument of Nature.

History

Sheltered from both the north and the south wind, Valdanos was for centuries the bay where ships waited out storms. A quarantine station stood here; in 1833 a ship from Alexandria was held for 40 days.

Rules and season

Every public bathing area on the coast must keep half of its length free of loungers and umbrellas, with a free strip along the water, and post lifeguards through the season, May to October, when the bathing water is also tested. No bathing area at Valdanos has held the Blue Flag.