Žabljak

What to see and do

• Black Lake (Crno jezero), 3 km south-west of town: two lakes joined by a strait, 0.52 km² and 49.1 m deep, at 1,418 m. The educational loop around it is about 3.6 km and takes an hour. Rowing boats cost €10 an hour, your own boat €5; a fishing permit is €20 a day, and fishing is allowed only from 14:00 to 19:00, never on Mondays.
• Zminje jezero, a small green lake in conifer forest at about 1,520 m, on the Barno-Zminje-Crno loop; and Vražje jezero, about 12 km south-west on the old Nikšić road at about 1,411 m and up to 11 m deep, with two stećci graveyards beside it.
• The Ćurevac viewpoint (1,625 m) above the Tara canyon, looking down on the village of Tepca: a 17.74 km loop from town with 340 m of climb. The road access is poorly signposted.
• Savin kuk (2,325 m), the classic Durmitor lookout over the Crno, Pošćensko, Vražje and Riblje lakes: 4.76 km one way with 815 m of climb, or the chairlift in summer to 2,213 m, below the paragliding take-off at 2,244 m.
• The Durmitor ring (Durmitorski prsten), the panoramic road around the massif, takes about four hours of driving and walking; the park runs van tours at €20 and jeep tours at €30 per person, entry included, and the bike version has its own page. From the Sedlo pass (1,907 m) the walk to Sedlena greda (2,227 m) takes 90 minutes, medium difficulty.
• Bobotov kuk, the highest peak of Durmitor: 2,522 m in the official survey, 2,523 m in the park's figures. From Žabljak, via Black Lake or via Korita and the Ice Cave, it is about 5 h 20 up and 4 h down with 1,073 m of climb; from Sedlo about 3 h up and 2 h 30 down with 616 m of climb; from Dobri do about 2 h 30 up and 2 h down with 801 m of climb. The season runs from June to October, depending on snow. More routes under hiking in Durmitor.
• The stećci, medieval tombstones at Grčko groblje and Bare Žugića, two of Montenegro's three components of the UNESCO property inscribed in 2016, and the Monument to Fallen Fighters in town.

Durmitor National Park from Žabljak

The park was declared on 20 August 1952 and covers 32,519 ha across five municipalities; with part of the Tara canyon it has been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1980. Inside are 18 glacial lakes, more than 48 peaks above 2,000 m and 25 marked trails totalling about 150 km. Tickets are sold online at ulaznice.nparkovi.me and at the checkpoints, among them Black Lake, Zminje jezero, Sedlo, Ćurevac and the Đurđevića Tara bridge; the visitor centre in Žabljak rents bikes and snowshoes.

Entry is free on 6 September, Durmitor Day, and on 22 April, 21, 22 and 24 May, the second Sunday of June, 13 July and 31 July. Camping is allowed only at the designated sites (Žugića luka, Radovan luka, Škrka, Sušica, Šarban and Lokvice) and fires only at designated places. The Škrka and Sušica huts open from mid or late June to the end of September (Sušica €10 per person a day); the Lokvice bivouac (1,800 m) and the Kalice shelter (2,020 m) stay open all year. Drones need permits from the Environmental Protection Agency, from the Civil Aviation Agency above 249 g, and from the park. July to mid-September is the busiest period, with Black Lake and the Tara the busiest zones.

Skiing

The Savin kuk ski centre, about 5 km from town, is run by the state company Turistički centar Durmitor: two two-seat chairlifts (Savin kuk I to 1,907 m, Savin kuk II to 2,213 m), three surface lifts, one of them floodlit for night skiing, a children's lift and 4.6 km of pistes (three blue, one red, one black). A beginner carpet and a tubing run were added for 2024/25 and the first two snow guns for 2025/26. In winter a marked snowshoe route runs 6.7 km from the ski centre to Black Lake, about 2 hours; snowshoes are rented at the visitor centre (€4 a day). Other centres are on the skiing hub.

After a fatal accident on the Savin kuk II chairlift on 20 December 2025, the surface lifts reopened after inspection, Savin kuk I reopened on 31 January 2026 and Savin kuk II did not run that season. The government has announced a complete replacement of the lift system, so check which lifts are running before you book a ski week.

Tara rafting from Žabljak

The Tara canyon is 1,333 m at its deepest and about 80 km long; the river itself runs 146.4 km. Rafting on the Žabljak side starts at Splavište: 14 km to Žugića luka (3-4 hours), 24 km to Radovan luka (5-6 hours) or 60 km to Šćepan Polje over two or three days; one-day trips from the Plužine side start at Brštanovica. The season runs from April to October, with the wildest water in April and May and the calmest, safest window from 1 July to 15 September; a day on the river costs around €70. By law nobody under 7 may board, under-18s need written parental consent, everyone wears a helmet, a neoprene suit and a life jacket, and only a certified raft leader may steer. Two zip lines of 1,050 m and 824 m cross the canyon at the Đurđevića Tara bridge, 365 m long, built 1937-1940 and rebuilt in 1946, about 150 m above the river.

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History in brief

The Durmitor partisan republic held the plateau from October 1941 to June 1942. The park was declared in 1952, inscribed by UNESCO in 1980 and extended in 2005 to match the park boundaries; the same year the government cancelled a dam that would have flooded part of the Tara canyon. The first recorded ascent of Bobotov kuk is linked to the Austrian geographer Oscar Baumann in 1883, and the stećci graveyards joined the UNESCO list in 2016.

Getting there and around

Three roads lead up: from Mojkovac and from Pljevlja over the Đurđevića Tara bridge, and from Nikšić either over the Jezerska plateau past Vražje jezero (the old road) or via Šavnik. There is no railway; the nearest airport is Podgorica. Buses run from Podgorica (124 km, about 2 h 20), Nikšić (74 km, about 1 h 20), Pljevlja (60 km, about 1 h 10) and Mojkovac (70 km, about 1 h 25), with tickets online at busticket4.me. Driving distances and free-flow times, without snow or traffic:

In town everything is within walking distance. Black Lake is 3 km on foot or by bike (2.7 km by road, about 6 min by car) and the Sedlo pass 14.3 km, about 17 min; bikes (€3 an hour, €8 a day) and snowshoes are rented at the visitor centre. Parking inside the park costs €1 an hour for a car.

When to visit

July and August are the months for the lakes and the peaks; the Škrka and Sušica huts are open from mid-June to the end of September and Bobotov kuk is climbed from June to October, depending on snow. July to mid-September is also the busiest period. The ski season depends on snow and opens in December. Fixed dates in the year:

• 21 May: Independence Day programme.
• Late August: Downhill Durmitor at Štuoc.
• September: Municipality Day concerts; 6 September is Durmitor Day, with free park entry.
• December: winter season opening and the New Year programme.

Nearby

• Pljevlja, across the Tara bridge, with the Husein-pasha mosque of 1569.
• Nikšić, down the old road past Vražje jezero and the Vučje ski centre.
• The Piva and the Piva canyon viewpoint at Babići, on the way to Šćepan Polje, where the Tara and the Piva form the Drina.
• Sinjajevina to the east, a 40 km plateau with Babin zub at 2,253 m.
• Biogradska gora National Park, reached via Mojkovac on the Kolašin road.

Questions

Is Black Lake walkable from town?

Yes: 3 km south-west of Žabljak, then a 3.6 km loop around the lake, about an hour. Entry is the €5 park ticket.

What does Durmitor National Park cost?

€5 per person per day, children under 15 free, €13.50 for a year in all five parks, free on 6 September and the other listed dates. A rowing boat on Black Lake is €10 an hour.

How high is Bobotov kuk?

2,522 m in the official survey, 2,523 m in the park's figures. It is the highest point of Durmitor and the highest peak lying entirely in Montenegro; Zla kolata in Prokletije is higher, at 2,534 m.

Is there a bus to Žabljak?

Yes, from Podgorica (about 2 h 20), Nikšić, Pljevlja and Mojkovac, with tickets online at busticket4.me. There is no railway to Žabljak.