Hiking in Montenegro

Where to hike

Durmitor

The park's 25 marked trails start from Žabljak and the Black Lake, 3 km from town. The easiest walk is the loop around the lake, about 3.6 km and 1 h; the park's graded easy trail is the 6.2 km Jezera loop past the Suva lokva, Modro, Srablje and Valovito lakes, about 3 h. From the Sedlo pass (1,907 m) the climb to Sedlena greda (2,227 m) is graded medium and takes about 1 h 30; the same pass is the usual start for Bobotov kuk, 12.72 km return with 722 m of climb, about 3 h up and 2 h 30 down. Two classics with their own figures: the Ćurevac loop above the Tara canyon, 17.74 km with 340 m of climb, and Savin kuk, 4.76 km one way with 815 m of climb. The Ice Cave below Obla glava is a 6.55 km trail from Black Lake via the Lokvice katun. The huts at Škrka (mid-June to the end of September) and Sušica (late June to the end of September) are the park's summer overnight points; the shelters at Lokvice (1,800 m) and Kalice (2,020 m) are open all year. Prutaš and the overview of hiking in Durmitor have their own pages; in winter the lake-to-Savin kuk ground becomes the snowshoe trail.

Prokletije

The park's 13 marked trails, about 200 km in all, are all graded demanding; the two shorter walks below are easier. From Babino polje on the Plav side the walk to Hridsko jezero is 3.1 km, graded easy, about 1 h. From the Grebaje valley above Gusinje the Grebaje-Volušnica-Popadija loop is 10.2 km and about 5 h 30, past a prehistoric rock carving and a waterfall. The park charges €3 per day. The Peaks of the Balkans trail crosses the range into Albania and Kosovo and needs a border-police notice before you set off. Snow can lie here even in summer.

Komovi and Bjelasica

The Komovi are climbed from the Štavna katun (1,764 m): Vasojevićki Kom is 4.3 km and about 2 h, moderate; Kom Kučki 7 km and about 3 h with an exposed ridge; the circuit of the Koms 18.8 km and about 6 h 30. On Bjelasica, Biogradska gora has six marked trails: the loop around Biogradsko jezero, 3.3 km and about 40 min; the 2.5 km Ljeto u katunu (summer in the katun) trail, about 1 h; and from the Vranjak katun (1,800 m) the climbs to Zekova glava, 3.7 km and 1 h 20, and Crna glava, 7 km and 2 h 15. Entry is €4 per day. Kolašin is the town for both massifs, and Bjelasica and Sinjajevina walk from May to October.

Lovćen

Five trails follow old Austro-Hungarian roads. Staza vuka (the Wolf trail) is 6.8 km, easy, about 1 h 30; the loop to Kuk 14 km, about 4 h; Treštenički vrh to Babina glava 13 km, about 3 h; and the walk from the visitor centre at Ivanova korita to the Njegoš Mausoleum on Jezerski vrh 4.8 km, medium, about 2 h. A 140 m barefoot trail sits next to the visitor centre. Entry is €3 per day. The Kotor-Lovćen cable car lifts you from the bay side to the Kuk station inside the park, and Cetinje lies at the foot of the mountain on the other side.

Skadar Lake

Nine marked trails run through the hills of Skadar Lake National Park. The old caravan road from Komarno to Rijeka Crnojevića is 10.1 km and about 6 h; Zabes to the Godinje viewpoint above Virpazar is 4.5 km and about 2 h, both medium. The park's day ticket is €5.

The coast: Orjen, Vrmac and Rumija

Around Kotor the trails climb the Lovćen and Orjen massifs and the Vrmac ridge. Above Bar the routes are graded: Gornja Briska to Rumija, 5.1 km, medium; Dobri do to Rumija, 4 km, difficult; the coastal walk through the olive groves of Krajina, 7.7 km, easy; and Sutomore to the Haj Nehaj fortress, 2.7 km, easy. These are the walks for spring and autumn, when the high mountains are still under snow or already back under it.

Month by month

The coast and the coastal mountains walk from mid-April to the end of October, the high massifs from June to the end of October, Bjelasica and Sinjajevina from May to October, and Durmitor is at its best from July to September. Snow is possible in Prokletije even in summer. October is therefore still a hiking month in every region, and April and May belong to the coast. From December to March the same ground is used for snowshoeing and ski touring, mainly around Bjelasica; see skiing in Montenegro and the snowshoe trail above Black Lake.

Easy, medium, hard

Trails are graded easy, medium or hard by the Mountaineering Association of Montenegro (Planinarski savez Crne Gore), and the law on mountain trails requires the grade to appear on maps and trail boards.

Long-distance routes

Four long routes run through the country: the Via Dinarica white trail; the Peaks of the Balkans circuit through Prokletije, Albania and Kosovo, which requires a border-police notice before you set off; the Orjen-Lovćen-Rumija coastal transversal above the sea; and CT-1, Planinama Crne Gore, which crosses Biogradska gora and the Komovi. The Durmitor huts at Škrka and Sušica (summer) and the all-year shelters at Lokvice and Kalice are the park's own overnight points.

Rules, fees and guides

• Walkers go at their own risk and must not damage trail markings, plants or animals; the same law counts cables and ladders on a trail as trail infrastructure.
• Park entry per person per day: Durmitor €5, Biogradska gora €4, Lovćen €3, Skadar Lake €5, Prokletije €3; the full price lists and exemptions are on the national parks page.
• A park guide costs €40 for 4 h or €80 for 8 h; camping is allowed only at designated places, a tent pitch €3 a day.
• A licensed mountain guide is recommended and solo tours are discouraged; the Mountaineering Association publishes the list of certified guides.
• Peaks of the Balkans: border-police notice required.

Safety

112 is the emergency number and covers mountain rescue, free of charge; the numbers for each municipality are on the emergency page. Trail grades on boards and maps are official. Prokletije can have snow in summer, and the huts on Durmitor close at the end of September; outside those months only the shelters at Lokvice and Kalice stay open.