Hridsko jezero
Glacial lake at 1,970 m in a special nature reserve of Prokletije National Park: a 3.1 km easy walk from the Plav side, park ticket €3 a day.
Glacial Lake · 1,970 m · Prokletije National Park, Plav
Photo: Bruno Rijsman · CC BY 2.0
- Elevation
- 1,970 m
- Max depth
- about 5 m
Hridsko jezero is a glacial lake at 1,970 m in Prokletije National Park, near the Albanian border in the municipality of Plav. Its surface varies between 33,000 and 36,000 m² and it is about 5 m deep. The park counts it among its most visited sites: the walk in from the Plav side is 3.1 km, graded easy, about an hour (park figure; linear trail), and the park ticket is €3 per person per day.
Key facts
| Item | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 1,970 m | park management plan |
| Surface | 33,000-36,000 m², varies | park management plan |
| Maximum depth | about 5 m | park management plan |
| Type | glacial lake; intermittent outflow | park management plan |
| Protection | Prokletije National Park and the Hridsko jezero special nature reserve | park management plan |
| Trail | 3.1 km, easy, about 1 h (linear trail) | park, active holidays |
The lake
The park management plan describes Hridsko jezero as the best known of the park's glacial lakes, the "mountain eyes" of Prokletije. It is fed mainly by precipitation and by weak springs around the shore, and its outflow is intermittent. The lake lies inside the Hridsko jezero special nature reserve, one of two in the park (the other is Volušnica). The plan notes camping pressure near the reserve; camping in the national park is allowed only at designated paid places.
The National Tourism Organisation calls it the Lake of Happiness: wishes made on the shore are said to come true, and jewellery can be seen on the bottom.
The walk
The park's trail page gives one route: 3.1 km, category easy, about an hour, linear, reached from the direction of Plav. The National Tourism Organisation lists the stretch from Babino polje to the lake among its easy walks. Babino polje, the hamlet with the Hrid mountain hut, is 12.8 km and about 23 minutes by car from Plav. Ask at the Hrid hut in Babino polje about the start of the trail and the road beyond.
Longer routes pass the lake. The park names a hiking circuit from Babino polje via Bajrovića katun, Hridsko jezero, karaula Bjelaja, Tromeđa and Ćafa Bogićes back to Babino polje, without a length; a cycling route from Plav via Babino polje, Hridsko jezero, Bjelaja, Bogićevica and Babino polje back to Plav; and the mountain-bike route from Plav to Hridsko jezero and back, one of the park's five.
Tickets and the checkpoint
The park opened a seasonal ticket checkpoint at Hridska krivina, in Plav municipality, in 2025 and plans to rebuild it. Park prices:
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Entry, per person per day | €3; under 15 free |
| Parking, car, per hour | €1 |
| Parking, motorbike, per hour | €0.50 |
| Parking, off-road vehicle, per hour | €2 |
| Parking, van, per hour | €3 |
| Parking, bus, per hour | €5 |
| Park guide | €40 for 4 h, €80 for 8 h |
The day ticket includes the visitor centre and educational paths.
When to go
Park records put visits between May and October, with August the busiest month. The National Tourism Organisation's hiking season is June to the end of October.
Snow is possible even in summer, and the park has no mobile base stations, so do not count on a signal. The emergency number is 112.
Nearby
Plav, where most Prokletije tours begin, sits on Plav Lake, 12.8 km below Babino polje. The Grebaje valley above Gusinje is the most visited part of the park, and the Peaks of the Balkans trail crosses the park. Other lakes are on the lakes hub.
Questions
Can you drive to the lake?
The park lists the lake as a 3.1 km walk, inside a special nature reserve.
How much does it cost?
€3 per person per day for the park, free under 15. Where the park charges for parking, a car pays €1 an hour.
Why the Lake of Happiness?
The National Tourism Organisation's name for it: wishes made here are said to come true, and jewellery lies on the bottom.
Activities
- Hiking
Things to do
The walk to the lake
3.1 km, easy, about an hour (park figure; linear trail) from the Plav side; Babino polje is 12.8 km from Plav by car.
Longer routes
A park hiking circuit from Babino polje via Bajrovića katun and Bjelaja and a cycling route via Bogićevica pass the lake; the MTB route from Plav to Hridsko jezero and back is one of the park's five.
On these trips
Sources
JPNPCG, Management Plan NP Prokletije 2026-2030 (PDF), read 2026-10-16 · JPNPCG, Prokletije, active holidays (Hridsko jezero trail), read 2026-10-16 · JPNPCG, Prokletije price list, read 2026-10-16 · JPNPCG, Decision on fees (consolidated text), read 2026-10-14 · National Tourism Organisation, Prokletije National Park (Lake of Happiness), read 2026-10-16 · National Tourism Organisation, Hiking and trekking, read 2026-10-16 · Law on National Parks (Sl. list CG 28/2014, 39/16), Art. 16, read 2026-10-16 · OpenStreetMap way 296560289 Hridsko jezero, ODbL, read 2026-10-16 · OpenStreetMap node 3949582507 Babino polje, ODbL, read 2026-10-16 · Routes computed with OSRM on OpenStreetMap data (ODbL)
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