Lovćen

Peaks and viewpoints

• Štirovnik, 1,749 m, the summit
• Jezerski vrh, 1,657 m, with the Njegoš mausoleum reached through a tunnel of 461 steps
• Treštenički vrh, 1,474 m
• Kuk, 1,348 m, looking straight down on the Bay of Kotor

Lovćen is below 1,800 m, so it does not appear in the official MONSTAT table of peaks; the heights above are the park authority's. Other named viewpoints are Trovršje, Babljak, Kraljevo počivalo (views to the Bay of Kotor, Budva, Tivat, Herceg Novi and Tivat airport), Majinski vrh, Hum, Babine glave, Kolozuna, Krstac and Vjetreni mlin. The Lovćen summit viewpoint has its own page; the Kotor serpentine is listed on the viewpoints hub.

Hikes

The park counts five marked trails, several on old Austro-Hungarian stone roads, and publishes lengths and times for the four below. All start at or near Ivanova korita, where the visitor centre is.

• Visitor centre to the mausoleum (Jezerski vrh): 4.8 km one way, medium, about 2 h, via the Ivanova korita spring, Blatišta and Mali Bostur.
• Staza vuka (Wolf trail): 6.8 km loop, easy, about 1 h 30.
• Kuk loop: 14 km, easy, about 4 h, by Ljubin potok, Velji Bostur, Međuvršje, Studenac, Kuk and Dolovi.
• Treštenički vrh and Babina glava loop: 13 km, about 3 h, by Dolovi and Vjetreni mlin.

A barefoot path of about 140 m runs beside the visitor centre. Three marked mountain-bike loops exist; the long circular tour around Lovćen is bike-only. General trail rules are on the hiking page.

Nature

Lovćen is karst, with the Cetinje and Njeguši poljes (karst fields) at its feet, and sits where Mediterranean, continental and mountain climates meet. Forest covers 67% of the park, almost all beech; the endemic munika pine (Pinus heldreichii) grows on Štirovnik and Jezerski vrh, and a local endemic bellflower survives only in rock crevices on Štirovnik's south face between 1,300 and 1,400 m. The park counts at least 120 Balkan endemic plants, about 200 bird species and 36 mammals, including wildcat, brown bear and wolf.

Getting there

From Cetinje, Ivanova korita is about 10 km. From Kotor the old road climbs the serpentines to Krstac and on to the park. Since 13 July 2023 the Kotor-Lovćen gondola runs from Dub, near the Vrmac tunnel, to Kuk inside the park. Park entry is €3 per person per day, children under 15 free; ticket points are at Bjeloši and Krstac. The park rents bikes (€3 an hour, €8 a day), snowshoes (€4 a day) and bungalows at Ivanova korita (€30 a day), and offers guides at €40 for 4 h or €80 for 8 h.

Safety and season

The national tourism organisation gives mid-April to the end of October as the coastal hiking season. Snowshoes are rented in winter, and there is no ski centre. The emergency number 112 covers mountain rescue.

Nearby

Orjen, the highest coastal mountain, stands across the bay above Herceg Novi. Njeguši, the village of the Petrović dynasty, lies in the park's buffer zone. Budva shares the park's territory with Cetinje.

Questions

How long is the walk to the Njegoš mausoleum?

4.8 km and about 2 h one way from the visitor centre at Ivanova korita, graded medium; then 461 steps through the tunnel.

Can you drive up Lovćen?

Yes: roads reach Ivanova korita from Cetinje (about 10 km) and from Kotor over the serpentines, with ticket points at Bjeloši and Krstac. The gondola from Kotor is the alternative since 2023.

Which is the highest peak of Lovćen?

Štirovnik, 1,749 m. The mausoleum is on the lower Jezerski vrh, 1,657 m.