Kayaking and SUP in Montenegro

Sea: the Bay of Kotor and the coast

Sea kayaking is possible along the whole coast and in the Bay of Kotor. A guided three-hour paddle starts at the beach opposite the hospital in Kotor and ends at a beach in Prčanj. The bay is calm water with islands and caves; starting points are Kotor, Dobrota and Prčanj, and paddlers go on to Perast, Herceg Novi, Morinj and Kumbor. Perast and the bay's islands, Our Lady of the Rocks and St. George among them, are destinations for boards too, and the bay has a speed limit for motor boats.

Skadar Lake and Rijeka Crnojevića

The national park rents kayaks itself and hands paddlers maps of its water trails. The water is calm enough to watch birds, fish, amphibians and dragonflies from the boat; the lake is a national park (1983), a Ramsar wetland (1995) and an Important Bird Area with about 280 bird species, among them the Dalmatian pelican. SUP routes start at Dodoši or Rijeka Crnojevića. The park's entry ticket is €5 per person per day and includes the Vranjina and Virpazar visitor centres. Ask for the water-trail map at the visitor centre. The Skadar Lake kayaking page has the detail.

Rivers

Near Podgorica, there is a summer trip on the Zeta of about 4 km and about two hours, and kayaking in the Morača canyon at Bioče, about 15 km from the city centre; the Morača and the Cijevna are the calmer rivers of the area. On the Tara, Durmitor National Park grades its sections:

In summer the water can drop enough that kayaks need carrying about 15 m at Strugovi. An international kayak festival is held on the Tara, Piva and Komarnica in September. Rafts use the same Tara; see rafting in Montenegro.

Mountain lakes

Nature Park Piva rents kayaks, with helmets and life jackets, on Piva lake in Plužine. Durmitor National Park has kayaks and wooden rowing boats on Black Lake, and Biogradska gora the same on Biogradsko Lake.

SUP: stand-up paddleboarding

Stand-up paddleboards use the same waters. In the Bay of Kotor the starting points are Kotor, Dobrota and Prčanj, and paddlers go on to Perast, Herceg Novi, Morinj and Kumbor; on Skadar Lake routes start at Dodoši or Rijeka Crnojevića. Day tours go to sea caves such as the Blue Cave, up the Crnojević river, to fishing villages such as Bigova and to the islands, where scenes of the film Papillon were shot. Vražje jezero on Durmitor is paddled too, but boards cannot be rented in Žabljak, so bring your own. Beginners need about two to three hours of practice; boards can be hired by the hour on most beaches, and clubs give training and lead tours. The season is spring and summer.

Season

Rivers have the best water in April, May and June; the Tara is also run in summer, when it can drop low enough for the carry at Strugovi. SUP is a spring and summer activity; the lakes and the sea have no set season.

Rules, fees and rentals

• Recreational kayaking needs no licence; the rafting law covers rafts, not kayaks.
• Skadar Lake National Park entry: €5 per person per day.
• Rentals from the parks: Skadar Lake, Piva (with helmets and life jackets), Durmitor at Black Lake, Biogradska gora at Biogradsko Lake. Boards by the hour on most beaches; none in Žabljak.