Plav Lake
The largest glacial lake in Montenegro: 1.99 km² at 906 m and 9.1 m deep, in the Plav-Gusinje basin below Prokletije. Fed by the Ljuča, it is the source of the Lim. Plav town stands on its shore, 131 km from Podgorica by road.
Glacial Lake · 906 m · Plav
- Elevation
- 906 m
- Surface
- 1.99 km²
Plav Lake (Plavsko jezero) is the largest glacial lake in Montenegro: 1.99 km² of water at 906 m above sea level and 9.1 m deep (some figures give 9.15 m), at the foot of Prokletije in the far south-east of the country, with the town of Plav on its shore. The Ljuča flows in and the Lim flows out: the lake is where the Lim begins. It is 131 km from Podgorica, about 2 h 30 by car, and the usual base for walking and climbing in Prokletije.
The lake
The lake is over 2,000 m long and about 1,500 m wide and lies in the Plav-Gusinje basin, the largest glacial landform of Prokletije. It is a through-flow lake: the Ljuča, carrying the Vruja and the Grnčar down from the Gusinje side, enters at one end, and the Lim leaves at the other on its 220 km course to the Drina. Plav town, at about 945 m, stands just above the water. The lake has no protected status of its own. Prokletije National Park, declared in 2009 in the municipalities of Plav and Gusinje, covers the mountains above it, and the lake lies in the basin below the park boundary.
Fishing
Among anglers the lake is known for huchen: the largest ever recorded in Montenegro, 41.5 kg, was caught here. The Plav zone, which takes in the Ljuča, the lake and the first 4 km of the Lim, holds grayling, brown trout, huchen, lake trout (blatnjača), pike, chub and nase. The national fishing order sets the rules:
| Rule | Plav Lake and the Plav zone |
|---|---|
| Lake open | 1 April to 30 September; closed from 1 October to 1 April |
| Ljuča | Closed 1 October to 1 May, except from Cirikače down to the village stadium in Martinovići and from Gaz Turkovića down to the lake, mouth included |
| Huchen, pike, marble trout, soft-mouth trout, burbot | Closed season in all waters until 1 April 2029; any caught go back alive |
| Trout | Closed 1 November to 15 March |
| Grayling | Closed 1 March to 1 June; minimum 30 cm |
| Nase | Closed 15 April to 1 June; minimum 25 cm |
| Chub, roach and other cyprinids | Closed 1 May to 15 June; chub minimum 25 cm |
| Carp | Closed 1 May to 15 June |
| Other minimum sizes | Brown trout 25 cm, lake trout 50 cm |
| Night fishing | Banned in all waters: spring 20:00-05:00, summer 21:00-04:00, autumn 19:00-06:00, winter 17:00-06:00 |
In practice the lake season runs from April to September, with grayling from June; huchen and pike are catch-and-release only. Hridsko jezero and Visitorsko jezero in the mountains above are closed to fishing until 1 April 2027. The fly fishing and fishing hubs cover the national rules.
Walks
The lakeshore is one of the easy walks of the Prokletije area, alongside the Grebaje valley near Gusinje and the trail from Babino polje to Hridsko jezero. Most mountain tours into Prokletije start from Plav; the hiking season runs from June to the end of October, and snow is possible on the high ground even in summer. Plav town itself is a short walk from the water.
The lake today
The shore is being planned rather than built on. The Ministry of Spatial Planning, Urbanism and State Property has put a draft detailed urban plan for the Plavsko jezero zone to public debate, the municipality has tendered the design of a lakeside promenade, and in 2026 the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management and the municipality consulted the public on a World Bank-financed pilot rehabilitation of the lake. Facilities on the water itself remain few: come for the walk, the fishing and the view, not for a resort.
Getting there
Plav is the lakeside town, reached from Podgorica through Kolašin and Andrijevica, then on the M-9 to Murino. Driving distances and free-flow times by car:
| From | Distance | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Podgorica | 131 km | about 2 h 30 |
| Kolašin | 73 km | about 1 h 30 |
| Berane | 41 km | about 55 min |
| Andrijevica | 25 km | about 35 min |
| Gusinje | 13 km | about 20 min |
The Lim runs on from the lake through Andrijevica to Berane.
Nearby
Gusinje and the Grebaje valley, the main start for Prokletije hiking and climbing, are 13 km away at the other end of the basin. Visitor (2,210 m, with a second summit point at 2,196 m) is the other mountain grouped with Prokletije hiking from Plav. Hridsko jezero, at 1,970 m inside the national park, is reached from Plav by a 3.1 km trail. Other lakes are on the lakes hub.
Questions
Is Plav Lake the largest lake in Montenegro?
No. It is the largest glacial lake; Skadar Lake, of tectonic-karst origin, is far larger.
Is it inside Prokletije National Park?
No. The park covers the mountains in the municipalities of Plav and Gusinje; the lake lies in the basin below it.
When can you fish on Plav Lake?
From 1 April to 30 September. Huchen and pike must be released alive until 1 April 2029, and night fishing is banned.
Activities
- Fishing
- Hiking
Things to do
Fishing
Grayling, trout, chub and nase in the Plav zone; the lake is open 1 April to 30 September; huchen and pike must be released until 1 April 2029.
Easy walks
The lakeshore is one of the easy walks of the Prokletije area, with Plav town a short walk from the water.
Base for Prokletije
Most mountain tours start in Plav; season June to end of October.
On these trips
Sources
MONSTAT, Statistical Yearbook 2025, table 1-6 Natural lakes and 1-9 Major rivers · Municipality of Plav, About Plav · Municipality of Plav, home page (promenade tender notices) · Municipality of Plav, Plavsko jezero: public consultation on the pilot rehabilitation project · Municipality of Plav, public debate on the draft detailed urban plan Plavsko jezero · National Tourism Organisation, Hiking and trekking · National Tourism Organisation, Fly fishing (Plav zone) · JPNPCG, Durmitor fauna (huchen record) · JPNPCG, Prokletije active holidays (Hridsko jezero trail) · JPNPCG, Management Plan NP Prokletije 2026-2030 (PDF) · Ministarstvo poljoprivrede, šumarstva i vodoprivrede, Naredba o ribolovnim zabranima, lovostaju i minimalnim veličinama riba (Sl. list CG 75/2026), Art. 3 · eMontenegro routing (OSRM), car route table
