Montenegro Girl x

My road trip to Zabljak & the beautiful Durmitor National Park: a post in pictures

Aug 16, 2019travel

I’ve been wanting to visit Žabljak and the Durmitor National Park up in the mountains of north-west Montenegro for some time. Žabljak is the highest town in Montenegro (at 1450m / 4757 ft). But (wimp that I am) the prospect of narrow twisting mountain roads with sheer drops at the side has always made it easy for me to find an excuse not to make the 2 ¾ hour road trip to Zabljak to visit it when I was in Kotor. ​

But (after thorough studying of the roads on google earth) I decided that a long summer in Montenegro was the perfect time to head to the hills on a mini road trip to discover this inland area of Montenegro.

And I wasn’t disappointed. The area is truly spectacular. A world away from the holiday bustle and heat of the Kotor bay and the coast.
And it turns out that my fear of driving on those mountain roads was unfounded after all.

Driving on the road trip to Zabljak

The roads were in very good condition with 2 lanes (with an extra overtaking lane in places) and although there were a few stretches with a lot of twists and turns, the roads always had decent grass verges at the side or were lined with forest. So, no feeling like you were looking over a precipice from the car! Phew.

As I was coming from Kotor, I took the road around Boka Bay and then onto the Niksic road at Risan. This road is a good 2-3 lane route with a decent grass verges, barriers, and lots of tunnels, so you get some amazing views over the bay. Before you get to Niksic you veer off towards Žabljak. It was all very well signposted so you can’t get lost.

When I did the trip, they were working on part of the road towards Niksic. It looked like they were widening and resurfacing this stretch where it is carved out of rock. It was a bit slow going as a result, but the road promises to be even better when it is finished.

Turns out this region of Montenegro is also incredibly cheap too. It is known for its hearty food. My beef goulash cost 4,20 euros and could easily have fed all 3 of us for lunch.

A short road trip from Zabljak to the impressive Black Lake

The Black Lake (Crna Jezera) is about a mile out of Žabljak. It is a gorgeous pop of bright blue surrounded by mountains and lush trees. You can walk all around it stopping for a picnic and a dip mid-way at the lake’s narrowest point. When the water levels are down, it actually separates into 2 lakes, so you can walk across at this point.

Jeep safari through the Durmitor National Park

Take a jeep safari around the Durmitor National Park. This popular day trip takes in all the main sites of the park in about 4 hours stopping for a strong coffee and cheesecake at the local restaurant Milogora in Trsa. We had a private jeep and driver for the 3 of us, booked through Durmitor Freedom, costing 120 euros.

There was only one stretch of road alongside Tara canyon which had some steeper drops at the side, but otherwise the drive was highly enjoyable. Our driver was (reassuringly) a professional speed skier and instructer, so I felt in very good hands on the mountain roads!
If a jeep safari sounds too tame, you could always bike and camp your way through the Durmitor National Park, like the impressive German couple we met en route. (And yes, that is their one-year old baby in the trailer). They actually set off from Bosnia for this 4-week cycling tour.

Incidentally they stopped our driver to ask if he could take their luggage down to Zabljak, where they would pick it up later. She had had a temperature and was struggling with it on the inclines apparently!

Don’t you just love hearing about people doing such amazing things.

​Kind of breaks through all the rules, doesn’t it?

So, all my fellow travellers with a similar phobia of sheer drops and mountain roads, rest assured – there’s no need to fear! Grab your weekend bag and head to Žabljak for your next mini-break. You’ll love it!

Montenegro Girl x

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