An extensive guide for travelers about northern Montenegro. You’ll discover what to see in this part of the country: the Tara River and its canyon, Durmitor National Park, the country’s highest point, Bobotov Kuk, and a marvel of engineering – the Đurđevića Tara Bridge. You’ll find all the useful information: prices, photos, coordinates, how to get there, tips, and hacks.
Table of contents:
- Tara river and canyon
- Durmitor National Park
- Đurđevića Tara Bridge
- Tips for visitors exploring Tara River Canyon, Durmitor Park and Đurđevića Tara Bridge
It will be difficult for you to plan your dream trip to Montenegro without these websites
Tara River Canyon and the River Itself
Tara River – Montenegro’s largest river. Its length within the country is 142 km, which is quite significant for Montenegro. In fact, the river flows from west to east across the entire country. It flows only in the mountainous part of Montenegro through numerous canyons and gorges.
- All about mountains in Montenegro.
- Montenegro on the map
Many online sources talk about the Tara River and its canyon as a must-visit destination. But these articles don’t clearly explain where to go, what to see, and how to get there. Here, you’ll get the information you need as a tourist. After all, the Tara River Canyon stretches over 60 km, and not every part offers beautiful views or easy access by car.
Good to know:
The water in the Tara River is pure mountain water. In mountain villages along the river, people drink water straight from it. It’s often called the tear of Europe due to its abundance of clean drinking water.
Tara River Canyon: What to See
I’ll say upfront, you could probably get here independently by public transport, maybe. But it’s long, complicated, and you won’t see half the beauty you would by car. By public transport, you can take a bus to the town of Žabljak and then walk, hitchhike, or take a taxi. The distance from Žabljak to the beautiful spots in Tara Canyon ranges from 10 to 25 km.
So, what I recommend you to see in the canyon of the Tara River:
- Drive along the incredibly beautiful R4 road. From the village of Mojkovac (coordinates: 42.956349, 19.576184) to Đurđevića Tara bridge (coordinates: 43.148686, 19.292395). This road is 45 km long, running through the gorge along the Tara River. It’s lined with viewpoints, tunnels, interesting locations, and simply breathtaking views.
- Along the road, there are many signs indicating bridges, access points to Tara, and so on.
- I recommend stopping at Premćanski Bridge. You can’t see it from the road. Here are the coordinates: 43.11335450177343, 19.360794649999168. The photos below will help you appreciate its beauty.
Durmitor National Park
Durmitor Park rightfully ranks among the top ten most popular attractions in Montenegro among tourists.
- Read an comprehensive list of all the sights of Montenegro in the review at the link.
History is not always the most interesting aspect for travelers, so here’s a brief summary:
- The park itself was founded in 1952. The Tara River and the large canyon run along the edge of the national park.
- In 1980, it was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
- The park covers an area of about 400 sq km. To put it in perspective, it’s roughly a 20 by 20 km area, not too small, but not excessively large either.
- Durmitor Park is located in the mountainous part of the country, where the average altitude is over 1000m above sea level. This means it’s always about 10 degrees cooler than on the coast, so keep that in mind. You can find out more about the weather and seasons in Montenegro here.
Durmitor Park: how to get there, location, prices, tickets, parking, accommodation
I’ll provide the most important information for tourists in a nutshell:
- Official park website: www.durmitornp.com
- The main park entrance is 3 km from the bus station in Žabljak. You can walk there. To learn how to get to Žabljak, read the overview in a separate article, the link was mentioned above.
- Coordinates for the main entrance to Durmitor Park: 43.151231194153574, 19.10304884663013
- There’s free parking available there.
Good to know:
There are about 5 park entrances and parking lots near them. They all lead to the same point eventually, so follow the signs that appear a couple of kilometers before the park to avoid getting lost.
- Entrance ticket for one person 5 euros.
Important:
Of course, you can leave early from somewhere like Budva to Durmitor Park, walk around for 3-4 hours, and return by night. But you’ll be rushing, and you won’t even see half of the amazing places. I recommend staying here for 2 nights, or at least one. There’s plenty of accommodation in Žabljak. Links to trusted resources are provided at the end of the article.
Attractions in Durmitor Park in Tara River Canyon
And next, you’ll learn what awaits you in the park and which locations the author (me) recommends visiting:
- Black Lake and the 3.8 km hiking trail around it.
- Coordinates: 43.147796213288174, 19.096839011554046
- Excellent pathways and numerous benches with stunning views surround the lake.
- For an additional fee (10 euros per hour), you can rent a boat or kayaks on the lake.
- The park has 25 marked hiking trails with elevation gains of up to 1200 meters. Almost all routes can be completed within a day.
- Zminje Lake (Snake Lake): coordinates 43.155922673723936, 19.07050923562197
Tips:
Be sure to install the Maps.me or OrganicMaps app on your phone and download the map of Montenegro. Both are free for Android and iPhone. They have all the trails and pathways of Durmitor Park. Don’t use Google Maps; it would be a big mistake.
- One of the beautiful peaks in Durmitor Park with a view of Tara Canyon – Curevac. Coordinates: 43.20173926804945, 19.092996328009153
- Free parking coordinates: 43.193926603375054, 19.08966032521709
- The hike is quite easy, with a slight elevation gain. It takes about 30-40 minutes from the parking lot to the summit.
- During the season, there may be a fee of around 2 euros.
- Devil’s Lake (Vražje Jezero) and Fish Lake (Riblje Jezero).
- Two small circular lakes located very close to each other.
- There’s a good view of these lakes from the nearby hill.
- It’s not worth coming here specifically, but if you’re passing by, be sure to stop by.
- Devil’s Lake (Vražje Jezero) coordinates: 43.07953320884443, 19.144783856823334
- Free entry
High-Mountain Pass Sedlo and Montenegro’s Highest Point – Bobotov Kuk (2522m)
I want to highlight these two cool attractions in Durmitor Park separately.
Mount Bobotov Kuk is the highest peak in Montenegro. Even today, there are disputes, and in some sources, you can find information that Mount Zla Kolata is the highest. It’s 12m higher than Bobotov Kuk, at 2534m above sea level. However, Zla Kolata is located on the border of three countries: Albania, Kosovo, and Montenegro, and it’s not entirely clear which country the peak belongs to.
If you want to conquer Bobotov Kuk, there are two main routes: northern and southern. Bear in mind that this is a challenging hike, and you need to be prepared for the exertion. But the advantage is that since the mountains are relatively low, you won’t experience altitude sickness or oxygen deficiency.
The route to Bobotov Kuk is challenging (northern):
- Start from Black Lake in Durmitor Park
- Starting coordinates: 43.148268627794785, 19.097279001834927
- Bobotov Kuk summit coordinates: 43.128326162467474, 19.03390754227619
- Route length – 8 km
- Elevation gain of almost 1300 meters
- On average, the entire round trip takes from 8 to 12 hours.
The route to Bobotov Kuk is less challenging (southern):
- Start from the Sedlo high-mountain pass. In fact, there’s no single starting point there, as there are many trails. And there are parking lots and starting points for Bobotov Kuk in 3 or 4 places. They are all located a couple of kilometers apart. I’ll give an example of the most popular starting point.
- Starting coordinates: 43.106894, 19.024547
- The route length is only 3.5 km
- And the elevation gain is 750 meters
- On average, the entire route can be completed in 4-5 hours.
Good to know:
The southern route is much easier, which is evident to the naked eye. But you need a car to get to the starting point; otherwise, it’s impossible. On the other hand, hikers start the northern route on foot from Žabljak, which can be easily reached by bus from Podgorica.
Car rental in Montenegro is not expensive and affordable: everything about car rental, traffic rules, roads, driving culture.
Sedlo pass in Durmitor park
This is the highest and very beautiful road in Montenegro, the R14, which connects Žabljak with Piva Lake.
- Read the review of Piva Lake here.
And Sedlo Pass is two peaks that look like a horse’s saddle from the side. You can’t climb the peaks, nor can you pass between them. But the view from the road to Sedlo is incredibly beautiful.
Author’s opinion:
The place is cool, and I rate it 5 out of 5. But it doesn’t make sense to come here specifically for Sedlo Pass from the coast. If you plan to visit Durmitor Park or Đurđevića Tara Bridge, then visiting Sedlo Pass is a must.
Đurđevića Tara Bridge on the Tara River: General Information
Đurđevića Tara Bridge is an arched automobile bridge in the mountains of Montenegro, crossing the Tara River near Durmitor Park. It is located 20 km from Žabljak.
- Bridge coordinates: 43.15040181163817, 19.29483720239517
- The bridge is open 24/7, year-round.
- Free entry.
- A very beautiful bridge from an engineering perspective, situated in an incredibly picturesque location in the Tara River Canyon.
- Right by the bridge, there are souvenir shops, 3-4 restaurants and taverns, and small hotels where you can stay overnight.
- Parking is paid during the high season – 2 euros per car.
Đurđevića Tara Bridge and the Tara River: Brief History
I don’t like copying Wikipedia; you can read everything there yourself. But the history of the bridge is quite interesting, so I’ll tell it very briefly:
- Đurđevića Tara Bridge was built before World War II.
- It’s a very complex region, and it was essentially the only road from the central Balkans to the coast of Montenegro.
- During the war, as fascist Italy advanced rapidly, one of the engineers who designed the bridge blew it up. One of the spans was completely destroyed.
- This action completely halted Italy’s advance and essentially saved much of Montenegro from occupation. The Italians turned back and went in another direction.
- After the war, the bridge was rebuilt in just a week. It turned out that the engineer who designed and blew it up had calculated everything so that the load-bearing arches wouldn’t be damaged in the explosion, making it easy to rebuild.
- One might think that the person who saved thousands of lives and a whole region from war would become a national hero, but no. A couple of years later, he was shot by Yugoslav partisans.
Today, with the development of the road network, the bridge no longer plays such a crucial role. But for tens of thousands of people, it’s still the only road to the coast.
Viewpoints on Đurđevića Tara Bridge and the Tara River Canyon
Indeed, an excellent view is available both near the bridge and from the bridge itself. But here are a few points from which you can observe the entire canyon and the view of Đurđevića Tara Bridge. All points are within a radius of 1-2 kilometers from the bridge:
- 43.149198, 19.292760 right by the bridge, but you need to descend a bit about 20-30 meters below the bridge deck. You’ll get beautiful photos.
- 43.154935, 19.294752
- 43.137176, 19.300791
And of course, the view from the bridge itself is also excellent.
Activities near the bridge: zipline, rafting
Đurđevića Tara Bridge in the Tara River Canyon is also the center of extreme tourism in Montenegro. Right at the beginning of the bridge (you can’t miss it), there are several offices and starting points for rafting on the Tara River through the canyon and gorges, as well as 3 zipline routes. One of the routes is 1050 meters long, and you’ll reach speeds of up to 80 km/h, all with a view of Đurđevića Tara Bridge.
- Right by the bridge on both sides, there are 3 different ziplines. Prices range from 10 euros to 30 euros, depending on the length of the route and speed. No need to book in advance; you pay on the spot (better to have cash) and off you go. Even in the peak season, queues are no more than 10-15 minutes.
- Rafting. There are also several companies. Right from the bridge, they take you on jeeps to the starting point. Prices: 30-50 euros, depending on the season and the occupancy of the rafts. Departures every 2-3 hours. It’s better to book in advance or have time available.
Tips for tourists visiting the Tara River Canyon, Durmitor Park, and Đurđevića Tara Bridge
The tips will be general; I hope they will help you better plan the perfect trip:
- The season here is from May to October. Rafting stops working by late October, but you can still go ziplining. The same applies to Durmitor Park.
- In addition, it is often convenient to book a tour in advance, especially if you do not have your own transport.
- Keep in mind that this is the mountainous part of Montenegro; it’s always about 10 degrees cooler than the coast, and there’s a lot of snow in winter. Have appropriate clothing.
- The road through Sedlo Pass R14 is closed in winter; sometimes it’s closed from November 1st, so keep that in mind.
- You should come to this region with 2-3 overnight stays. Allocate one day for Durmitor Park. Black Lake, hiking around the lake, climbing Curevac peak, and boating on Black Lake. On the second day, go to Đurđevića Tara Bridge in the Tara Canyon: rafting, ziplining, etc. And there’s no time left for climbing Bobotov Kuk, right? 🙂
- If you want really cool mountains with challenging trails, then read about Prokletije mountains and Grebaje valley in Montenegro. Here’s a photo to get you excited.
- If you look at the map, near Žabljak, there’s a ski lift for 10 euros to another peak with beautiful views. If you wish, you can go there too.
- Overall, there are countless walking routes here; you won’t cover even half of them in 3 days. And there’s also a small ski resort, Savin Kuk. But read about this in the article Montenegro in winter.
In conclusion: the Tara River, Tara River Canyon, Đurđevića Tara Bridge, and Durmitor Park are very cool attractions in Montenegro. If you have the time and desire to break away from beach holidays, then be sure to come here; you won’t regret it. All locations are nearby, and many are even within walking distance. The most important thing is your desire.
Resources to help you plan your dream trip to Montenegro
- Aviasales – Cheap Flights and best deals.
- Car rental in Montenegro:
- DiscoverCars – a large international platform.
- LocalRent – works with local rental companies. Leader in car rental in Montenegro.
- Hotels and apartments all over the country:
- Tours, excursions and activities (including extreme ones):
- GetYourGuide – more than 430 tours
- Viator – 780+ excursions and activities throughout the country
- Comprehensive travel insurance: EKTA
- Internet and Calls:
- Airalo eSIM in Montenegro
- Drimsim – universal sim card for frequent traveler
- Taxi and airport transfers: Intui.Travel