Montenegro: A Mountain Haven: October 4-6, 2019

It was time to leave Croatia for Montenegro.  Our friends Sam and Lindsey highly recommended a visit as they raved about their time here during their 6-month Europe trip.  Mike and I were both ready to leave the tourist mobs behind and get off the beaten path.  This trip has felt easy compared to the last one in terms of comfort zone and logistics.  It is not a bad thing, just different.  However, we were ready for a bit more of a challenge.

The first challenge was getting across the border into Montenegro.  After a gorgeous 45-minute drive following the coastline from Dubrovnik, we were diverted off the main highway to take a backroad to the smaller border crossing.  Luckily, we were prepared for this possibility and just enjoyed the views.  The Croatia passport control was quick.  Then as we came around a curve, we encountered a line of cars all with the engines off.  We couldn’t even see the Montenegro border buildings!  We patiently waited and every 10 minutes, we moved the car forward 30 feet.  1.5 hours later, we finally made it into Montenegro!

We had a long day planned, so the 1.5-hour delay bit into our Bay of Kotor tour time, and we had to be efficient.  The drive along the bay is stunning.  The water is brilliant blue, and the mountains towered above us.  We stopped at the narrowest spot, Verige Strait, where the bay was defended throughout history using various techniques.  It was a great natural defensive position!

Finally, we arrived in Kotor.  We were disappointed to see a giant cruise ship in the port as the tiny walled city was overrun.  However, we made the best of it by eating some of the best Burek of the trip and losing the crowds in the back alleys of the town.  The two Orthodox churches were the highlight within the town itself. 

Kotor is not only famous for its gorgeous bay, but also for its massive city defensive walls.  They are not as well preserved as Dubrovnik’s walls, but with a little imagination you could see how well protected little Kotor was from its enemies!  The bay on one side and the giant walls on the other.

1,355 steps get you to the top fort with a pretty church halfway up.  It felt great to ditch the cruise folks and get a little mountain training.  The views were incredible and awesome to take in the bay from above.

We quickly descended and got out of town, as we still had a 3-hour drive to Zabljak.  I’m glad we side tripped to Kotor, but I was okay with a quick tour of the town.  We did get some more killer views on our way up into the mountains which was a nice surprise.

We arrived in Zabljak later than expected due to road construction.  It was pitch black outside, and we didn’t have good directions to our apartment, so we had trouble finding it.  We eventually found it, but we didn’t think our landlord was home.  Since we do not have a working phone, I was starting to feel a little panic of what we would do.  We headed to the grocery store to stalk out someone to borrow their phone.  Two nice Germans, let us use theirs and our landlord, Srecko quickly drove to the store to pick us up.  He was very welcoming and spoke minimal English.  His son Darko translated for us.  Our little apartment was toasty warm and lovely.  It was quite the change from the 80-degree day at Kotor to 35 degrees in Zabljak.  We were happy to be “home” for the next 3 nights.

Zabljak is the main town outside Durmitor National Park.  The park is known for its craggy limestone mountain peaks and crystal-clear blue lakes.  In the morning, we got our first glimpses of the mountains from our little balcony.  What a view!

The weather was so-so our first day, so we explored the area close to town.  Our first destination was Black Lake (Crno Jezero).  It was Saturday, so lots of locals, kids and puppies were out enjoying the trails which was fun to see.  We walked around the lake enjoying the views of imposing mountains.  It felt great to get fresh air and enjoy a little quiet space.

After our walk, we drove to the Tara Bridge spanning 365m across the Tara Gorge, which is the 2^nd deepest in the world.  The bridge was pretty awesome, and the Tara River below was a beautiful color!  The area was a bit chaotic with tourists ziplining across the gorge and walking on the narrow bridge.  Plus, there was an ironman triathlon taking place and the bikers were zipping across the bridge. 

The food in Zabljak was awesome and cheap!  I enjoyed stuffed peppers and the local favorite, Kacamak which is a mixture of cornmeal, cheese and potato.  Perfect comfort food in the mountains!

The weather forecast for our last day looked promising for a climb of Babotov Kuk, the tallest mountain in Durmitor and the 4^th tallest mountain in Montenegro (8,278’).  However, when we woke up, the entire town was covered in a heavy mist.  Our hopes were dashed, but we decided to still give it a go and at least get some exercise.

We drove out of town toward Sedlo Pass and were delighted to see hints of blue skies.  The mountains were still shrouded in clouds, but at least there was hope we wouldn’t hike in the rain with zero views!  The drive to the pass reminded me a little of Iceland with its green hillocks.  The trees were starting to change, so the pops of red and orange added to the views.

As we hiked, the skies continued to clear, and we enjoyed the craggy mountains that surrounded us.  Eventually, we even got a view of Bobotov Kuk and were a little surprised to see some snow!  Luckily, we passed most of the people on the hike due to Mike’s quick pace!  The last 200’ to the summit was fairly technical 4^th class climbing.  Thankfully there was a metal cable to use as a handline as the rocks were quite slick due to the snow! 

We arrived at the summit encased in clouds.  But after a few minutes, it cleared, and we enjoyed 360-degree views!  Absolutely stunning and our 8^th summit of 2019! 

It was too cold to hang out, and we were worried about getting through the somewhat sketchy section with 2-way traffic.  So down we went to find a more sheltered spot for our lunch of Burek!  Back at the trailhead, we paid it forward by giving 2 Aussies a ride back to town.  It was fun to chat with them about traveling.

After another amazing dinner, we arrived back at our apartment to find Srecko outside with his friend.  They were reviewing plans for the house.  Screko also wanted to make sure we were enjoying our stay.  He shared some of his moonshine with us and ensured me that it was fruity.  Well after one sip, I can assure you it wasn’t fruity as it burned down my throat.  It was tasty in its own way.  We chatted using Google translate and enjoyed learning about him and the area.  After 2 shots, we called it a night as I already had a little buzz!  It was a special evening and always a nice treat to really talk with a local!

Montenegro was just what we were looking for at this point in our travels.  It added a little spice and adventure.  It was nice to be off the beaten path and explore a gorgeous mountain area with no other Americans and very few Western Europeans!  I would love to come back here during better weather to explore the Accursed Mountains on the other side of the country.  It is a really beautiful place.