Plav

Key facts

Setting

Plav lies between the Prokletije ranges, the upper Lim and the Pećka Bistrica, with Berane to the north, Andrijevica to the north-west, Gusinje to the south-west, Albania to the south and south-east and Kosovo to the east. The town sits in the north-east of the Plav-Gusinje basin, the deepest and largest glacial landform of Prokletije, about 25 km long and 5 km wide and running north to south. The municipality has 14 settlements, with Plav as the main centre and Murino as the secondary one.

What to see

Five sights stand in and around the town:

• The Holy Trinity monastery (Sv. Trojica) at Brezojevice, 13th century.
• Redžepagić tower (Redžepagića kula), 15th century, in Ribare, 0.8 km by road from the centre.
• The Old Mosque (Stara džamija), also 15th century, about 200 m from the tower in Ribare.
• The Sultanija mosque.
• The Velemun botanical garden.

From the town the views take in Plav Lake, Visitor and Prokletije. Plav Lake itself, the largest glacial lake in Montenegro at 1.99 km², lies directly below the town.

Hiking and the national park

Plav is the quiet town where most Prokletije tours begin. The hiking season runs from June to the end of October, snow is possible even in summer, and the high routes call for a licensed guide. Prokletije National Park, declared in 2009 and lying in the municipalities of Plav and Gusinje, covers the mountains above the basin; entry is €3 per person per day, free under 15, and a park guide costs €40 for 4 hours or €80 for 8.

The walk on the Plav side is to Hridsko jezero, a glacial lake at 1,970 m inside a special nature reserve: 3.1 km on a linear trail, graded easy, about an hour. The stretch from Babino polje to the lake counts among the park's easy walks; Babino polje is 12.8 km, about 23 minutes by car from Plav. Three of the park's five mountain-bike routes are round trips from Plav, one each to Kofiljača, Memina planina and Hridsko jezero; the five routes together run 141 km. The Grebaje valley above Gusinje, the park's most visited part and the main starting point for mountaineering and climbing, is 19.6 km away. The Peaks of the Balkans trail has its own page.

Fishing and winter

The Plav fishing zone covers the Ljuča, Plav Lake and the first 4 km of the Lim, with grayling, brown trout, huchen, lake trout, pike, chub and nase. Plav Lake is closed to fishing from 1 October to 1 April, and huchen and pike are under a closed season in all waters until 1 April 2029. Winter brings snowshoeing on the Osmica trail near the town and skiing on open terrain; Plav has no lift-served ski centre.

Events

Plav's calendar has the Lim Regatta, Blueberry Days, Behar Days and bicycle races; the dates are set each year.

Gusinje and Ali Pasha's Springs

Gusinje, 13.5 km and about 20 minutes south-west by the R-9, is the other town of the basin and a municipality in its own right again since February 2014, restored after a consultative referendum; it had been abolished in 1953. The settlement had 1,877 residents in 2023 and the municipality 3,933, on 157 km². Its landmarks are the Vizier's mosque (17th century), the Orthodox church of St George and, in Dolja 1 km from the town, the Catholic church of St Anthony. The summer festival, Gusinjsko ljeto, ran from 13 July to 5 August in 2025.

Ali Pasha's Springs (Ali-pašini izvori) belong to Gusinje municipality, not Plav: a group of karst springs at 925 m at the foot of Vezirova brada, described as the largest permanent karst spring in Montenegro. The water is very cold, the flow is strongest in spring, and it drains into the Vruja, which joins the Ljuča and reaches Plav Lake. From Gusinje it is 2.2 km by road, about 4 minutes; from Plav 15.4 km, about 25 minutes. Local belief holds that the water keeps you young and that marriages made here last; vows are often taken at the springs, once 30 weddings in a single day, and thousands gather here at the end of August. Other springs lie nearby, Savino oko, Bajrovića vrelo and Dragija, as does the 15 m Skakavica waterfall at the entrance to the Grlja canyon. The Grebaje valley is 7.2 km from Gusinje.

Where to stay

Private guesthouses and seasonal eco-katuns are mainly in the Grebaje valley, which also has two of the park's three mountain huts, Branko Kotlajić and Karanfil; the third, Hrid, is at Babino polje. Camping inside the national park is allowed only at designated paid pitches: €3 a day for a tent pitch, €20 for a serviced space.

Getting there

The road in is the M-9 from Kolašin via Andrijevica to Murino, then on to Plav; the R-9 continues from Murino to Gusinje. From Podgorica it is 131 km, about 2 h 30, on the Smokovac-Mateševo motorway and then through Kolašin and Andrijevica. Berane is 41 km, Andrijevica 25 km and Gusinje 13.5 km. The railway at Bijelo Polje is 73 km away and the Port of Bar 232 km. Drive times ignore road works, snow and border queues.

Nearby

• Plav Lake, directly below the town.
• Hridsko jezero: Babino polje, where the easy walk starts, is 12.8 km, about 23 minutes by car.
• Gusinje, 13.5 km, about 20 minutes; Ali Pasha's Springs, 15.4 km, about 25 minutes.
• Grebaje valley, 19.6 km, about 35 minutes.
• Prokletije National Park and the Prokletije range above the basin; Visitor on the north side.
• Andrijevica, 25 km, about 35 minutes; Berane, 41 km, about 55 minutes; Kolašin, 73 km, about 1 h 30.

When to visit

Visits to the park run from May to October, with August the busiest month. The hiking season is June to the end of October, with snow possible in summer; the fishing season opens between 1 April and 15 May, depending on the snowmelt.

Questions

Plav or Gusinje as a base?

Plav is where most tours begin and is the start for Hridsko jezero and the park's bike routes; Gusinje is 13.5 km away and closer to Ali Pasha's Springs (2.2 km) and the Grebaje valley (7.2 km).

How long is the drive from Podgorica?

131 km, about 2 h 30, via the motorway to Mateševo, then Kolašin, Andrijevica and Murino.

How far is Plav from Podgorica Airport?

141 km by road, about 2 h 45, via Kolašin and Andrijevica.