Komarnica
The river below Durmitor's southern slopes, 39.5 km to Piva Lake, best known for the Nevidio canyon: a slot narrower than a metre in places, first descended in 1965 and now Montenegro's main canyoning route.
39.5 km · Northern Montenegro · Canyon river
Photo: Martin Brož · CC BY 3.0
- In Montenegro
- 39.5 km
- Basin
- 774 km²
The Komarnica rises below the southern slopes of Durmitor, near Dobri Do, and runs 39.5 km (Water Register; Parks Dinarides gives 39.4 km) through Šavnik municipality towards the Piva, which it reaches as Piva Lake. Its catchment is 774 km². The river is known for one short stretch: the Nevidio canyon, a slot so narrow that it was not traversed until 1965 and is now the country's main canyoning route.
Course
The main springs are Šarban at 1,680 m and Sopot at 1,600 m. From there the river cuts down through the plateau south of Durmitor; the canyon floor inside the nature park lies at 651 m, the lowest point of the park, while the highest, Ogorjeli krš, is at 1,998 m. The Komarnica is not listed separately in MONSTAT's table of major rivers; MONSTAT's 78 km for the Piva includes it. The Water Administration's register treats the two separately: the Komarnica ends where it enters Piva Lake, and the Piva is counted only below the Mratinje dam.
Nevidio canyon
Nevidio ("unseen") is about 2 km long according to the park's managers; the National Tourism Organisation gives 3,500 m. The average depth is about 150 m. In places the walls close to less than 1 m, and at the "Kamikaze gate" to 25 cm. The entrance is at about 935 m and the exit at about 810 m; the highest vertical drop inside is 10 m. The first descent was in 1965. A traverse takes 3 to 4 hours.
Canyoning
The tourism organisation's offer for Nevidio runs from 15 June to 30 September. Prices and equipment are on the Nevidio canyon adventure page; other canyons are on the canyoning hub. The traverse is a guided activity; no operator offers it unguided.
Fishing
The tourism organisation's Šavnik fly-fishing zone (Bijela, Pridvorica, Komarnica, Tušinja) is brown-trout water, best in May-June and September-October. Under the national order of 2026 (Sl. list CG 75/2026, in force 11 June 2026) all trout in Šavnik and Plužine waters are closed from 1 November to 15 March and grayling from 1 March to 1 June, and fishing on the Komarnica from Sastavci to the Nevidio bridge is banned until 1 April 2029; daily permits come from the local club. See the fly-fishing hub.
Protection
The canyon is inside the Nature Park Dragišnica and Komarnica, proclaimed by Šavnik municipal assembly on 20 November 2017 and managed by a municipal company since 28 December 2017. The park covers 2,994 ha and is IUCN category V; the designation is a nature park, not a nature monument. Electricity company EPCG holds a concession for a hydropower plant in the Komarnica canyon, which environmental groups oppose.
Getting there
- Šavnik: the municipality's town and the base for Nevidio.
- Dobri Do: the spring area below Durmitor.
Questions
How long does Nevidio take?
3 to 4 hours for the traverse, plus the approach.
When can you do it?
The official season is 15 June to 30 September.
How narrow is it?
Under 1 m in places; 25 cm at the Kamikaze gate.
Route
- 1
Springs below Durmitor
Šarban (1,680 m) and Sopot (1,600 m) near Dobri Do.
- 2
Nevidio canyon entrance
About 935 m; the slot is about 2 km long and under 1 m wide in places.
- 3
Nevidio canyon exit
About 810 m.
Activities
- Canyoning
- FishingBest May-June and September-October (NTO Šavnik zone); closed seasons per the 2026 order: all trout 1 Nov-15 Mar, grayling 1 Mar-1 Jun; Sastavci to Nevidio bridge closed until 1 Apr 2029 · permit required
Things to do
Nevidio canyoning
Guided traverse of 3-4 hours, 15 June to 30 September.
Fly fishing
Brown trout in the Šavnik zone, best May-June and September-October.
Fish species
- Brown trout
Protected areas
- Nature Park Dragišnica and Komarnica (2017, IUCN category V)
Sources
Water Administration of Montenegro, Registar voda od značaja za Crnu Goru, 2nd ed. (July 2024) · Parks Dinarides, Nature Park Dragišnica and Komarnica · National Tourism Organisation of Montenegro, Canyoning · National Tourism Organisation of Montenegro, Fly fishing · National Tourism Organisation of Montenegro, Tara Canyon (2026 offers) · Ministarstvo poljoprivrede, šumarstva i vodoprivrede, Naredba o ribolovnim zabranima, lovostaju i minimalnim veličinama riba (Sl. list CG 75/2026), Art. 2-3 · Društvo ekologa Crne Gore, Komarnica camp · MONSTAT, Statistical Yearbook 2025, table 1-9 Major rivers
