Bukumirsko jezero (Bukumir Lake)

The lake in figures

The lake

The lake lies north of the Surdup massif, in a hollow fed only by rain and melting snow, so its level rises and falls by about a metre with the seasons. About 15% of the surface is covered by water plants, and that cover is spreading. A second, smaller lake lies 500 m to the south and about 100 m lower, at 1,332 m.

The Montenegrin alpine newt

The lake is home to the Montenegrin alpine newt (Triturus alpestris montenegrinus), an endemic subspecies described in 1951. Repeated stocking of the lake with fish nearly wiped it out.

Getting there

From Podgorica the lake is 55.4 km by road, about 1 h 10 by car, through Kuči. It is a side trip from the Korita panoramic circuit over Kučka korita, one of the national panoramic roads: the detour is 25 km each way, mostly paved but partly very narrow, with the last kilometre or so unpaved. Rikavačko jezero, the other glacial lake of Kuči, can be joined with it as a loop of about 50 km, but that leg is an unpaved mountain road for SUVs or 4x4 only. There are no petrol stations on the circuit, it is unsuitable for campers 7 m or longer, and the season is May to October.

Hiking: the Žijovo trail

The marked Žijovo trail starts at the lake and runs 8.5 km to the viewpoints on Surdup (2,184 m) and Štitan, the highest peaks of the range. The Žijovo page covers the range and the hiking hub the rest of the country.

Nearby

• Žijovo, the range the lake sits under, with Surdup and Štitan.
• Kučka korita and the Korita panoramic circuit, the road the lake is a detour from.
• Grlo Sokolovo, the viewpoint over the Cijevna canyon on the same circuit.
• Rikavačko jezero, the second glacial lake of Kuči, on the Albanian border.
• Podgorica, the starting point for the whole circuit.
• Other lakes on the lakes hub.

Questions

How high is Bukumirsko jezero?

1,440 m above sea level, on the northern slope of Žijovo.

Can you drive to the lake?

Yes. The road from the Korita circuit is 25 km each way, mostly paved, partly very narrow, with the last kilometre or so unpaved.

How deep is it?

Up to 16.8 m, with a mean depth of 6.1 m.

Is there a hiking trail from the lake?

Yes. The marked Žijovo trail, 8.5 km, leads to the viewpoints on Surdup and Štitan.

Why is the newt important?

The Montenegrin alpine newt, an endemic subspecies described in 1951, lives in the lake; fish stocking nearly wiped it out.