Bojana (Buna)
The outflow of Lake Skadar: 40 km from the lake to the Adriatic at Ada Bojana, with 24 km forming the border with Albania, and a delta that holds the Ulcinj Salina Ramsar site.
24.3 km · Coast, Ulcinj · Lowland and delta river; border river with Albania
Photo: Milica Buha · CC BY-SA 4.0
The Bojana (Buna in Albanian) is the river that drains Lake Skadar to the Adriatic. MONSTAT gives it 40 km; the Water Administration's register puts 24.3 km in Montenegro, measured along the eastern arm at the mouth, as the border river with Albania (MONSTAT says 30 km), in the municipality of Ulcinj. It reaches the sea at Ada Bojana, and its delta holds the Ulcinj Salina, a Ramsar wetland since 2019.
Course
The river leaves Lake Skadar near Shkodër in Albania. MONSTAT records an elevation of 2.7 m where it enters Montenegrin territory and −1.9 m at the mouth: a flat, slow river. Lake Skadar itself covers 369.7 km² (MONSTAT, the whole lake; about 224 km² of it in Montenegro), at 6 m above sea level, with a maximum depth of 44 m; Šasko jezero (3.6 km²) lies in the same lowland near Ulcinj.
The delta and Ulcinj Salina
The Bojana delta and Lake Skadar together form a wetland complex of about 1,000 km². The lake has been a Ramsar site since 1995 and the Albanian side ("Lake Shkodra and River Buna") since 2006. On the Montenegrin side the Ulcinj Salina, a former lagoon turned saltworks in the delta, was declared a nature park by Ulcinj municipality in June 2019 and a Ramsar site on 10 September 2019; 252 bird species have been recorded there.
Fishing
The river lies in the Ulcinj and Lake Skadar fishing areas. The national order of 2026 (Sl. list CG 75/2026, in force 11 June 2026) sets closed seasons there of 1 November to 1 April for trout, 15 March to 15 May for carp and other cyprinids, and 1 June to 1 December for eel, with minimum sizes of 30 cm for eel and 27-40 cm for five mullet species. Fishing permits for the national park side are listed on the Skadar Lake National Park page.
Swimming and the beaches
The swimming is on the sea side: Ada Bojana and, north of the river mouth, Velika plaža. No bathing spots on the river itself are published.
Protection
- Ulcinj Salina: nature park (June 2019) and Ramsar site no. 2399 (10 September 2019).
- Lake Skadar: Ramsar site since 1995 and national park on the Montenegrin side.
- Lake Shkodra and River Buna: Ramsar site on the Albanian side (2006).
Getting there
Ulcinj is the town for the river mouth and the Salina.
Questions
How long is the Bojana?
40 km (MONSTAT); 24.3 km of them in Montenegro by the Water Administration's register, 30 km by MONSTAT.
Is it the border with Albania?
Yes, for the Montenegrin stretch; MONSTAT marks it as a border river.
Can you kayak on it?
No official offer was found.
Activities
- FishingClosed seasons per the 2026 order: trout 1 Nov-1 Apr, carp and cyprinids 15 Mar-15 May, eel 1 Jun-1 Dec · permit required
Things to do
Ada Bojana
The island at the river mouth and its beach.
Ulcinj Salina
Ramsar wetland in the delta with 252 recorded bird species.
Fish species
- Eel
- Mullet (five species)
- Carp and other cyprinids
Protected areas
- Ulcinj Salina (Nature Park and Ramsar site, 2019)
- Lake Skadar (Ramsar site 1995, National Park)
Sources
Water Administration of Montenegro, Registar voda od značaja za Crnu Goru, 2nd ed. (July 2024) · MONSTAT, Statistical Yearbook 2025, tables 1-6 Natural lakes and 1-9 Major rivers · Ramsar Sites Information Service, Ulcinj Salina (site 2399) · EuroNatur, Ulcinj Salina is now a Ramsar site · Ministarstvo poljoprivrede, šumarstva i vodoprivrede, Naredba o ribolovnim zabranima, lovostaju i minimalnim veličinama riba (Sl. list CG 75/2026), Art. 3-4 · Wikipedia, Bojana (river)
.JPG){kind=link}
