5-Day Private Tour - Experience UNESCO's Montenegro

It’s a small charming town on the lake’s shore, once an important marketplace and today the main starting point of boat excursions on the Skadar Lake and a home of probably the largest traditional festival in Montenegro dedicated to wine and bleak. Located on the confluence of two rivers, it is also where the antifascist battle in WW2 started.

Skadar Lake is the largest in the Balkans shared between Montenegro and Albania. It is the area of the national park of the same name famous for its diverse flora and fauna. It is especially important as a bird habitat with about 280 species noted down so far. Skadar Lake has been the inhabited area for millenniums encompassing some 50 islands with important cultural and historical monuments, monasteries and fortresses and old fishing villages of traditional architecture resting on its shores. Spending time near water and enjoying easy boat ride on a clam lake will be a perfect relaxation after your flight. Surrounded by water lilies, reed and birds you will soon feel harmony with nature.

Once we complete the boat ride, we will enjoy the views from the lake lookouts, pay a visit to Godinje village known for its unique architecture and wine and finally see a fortress dating back to the beginning of Ottoman occupation of this part of Montenegro.

Evening hours are reserved for a walking tour through the heart of Podgorica, the capital of Montenegro. We will visit the old parts of town, the confluence of two rivers not far from the city center, the Gorica Hill after which the town got its name, the old church of St. George…

Cetinje was the capital of Montenegro until 1946 representing the center of free Montenegro during the powerful Ottoman Empire presence in the Balkans. It is the cradle of independent Montenegrin state, the town of museums and faculties of arts, the center of Montenegrin spirituality.

National Park Lovcen is known for its biodiversity, cultural heritage and amazing observation points onto the area of Boka Bay. Lovcen Mountain for Montenegrins is the same as Olimp for Greeks with the second highest peak being a home to the highest mausoleum in Europe, dedicated to Petar Petrovic Njegos II, ruler, poet and philosopher.

A crown of the second day of our tour is a visit to Kotor old town, the pearl of Venetian architecture, listed as UNESCO world cultural heritage site in 1980. We will take a stroll down its narrow streets and squares, take a look into the old churched and cathedrals and walk its walls.

Not far away from Kotor is another UNESCO protected area, a beautiful baroque tiny town of Perast known for its maritime tradition and not far off - two islands with old catholic churches.

One of the most significant Montenegrin monasteries and surely the most famous and spectacular is located some 45 km away from Podgorica at 900 meters above sea level, under the steep cliff of Ostrog Mountain (after which it was named). The monastery of impressive appearance was founded in mid-17th century by a monk and a superior of one of the eparchy of former Serbian Orthodox Church – Vasilije, whose cult has vastly spread so the present-day monastery stands as one of the most visited Orthodox spiritual centers worldwide. It is visited by people of different religions. We will find out more about the role of church in traditional Montenegro’s society, St Vasilije cult and fresco painting.

On our way to Durmitor Mountain we won’t miss the opportunity to go to the observation points providing a stunning view on the Piva River Canyon and Piva Lake whilst we will also have the chance to taste some of traditional specialties of Montenegrin mountain region.

On this day we will ascend from 50 to 1500 meters above sea level in only a couple of hours. We shall start from Montenegro’s largest urban center and finish surrounded by a remote, high and magnificent massif of Montenegro’s most famous mountain Durmitor. It is well known for its geological characteristics and natural beauty owing to which it is declared national park and along with Tara River Canyon listed as UNESCO site. The mountain is famous for seasonal cattle settlements known as katuns where during the summer stockbreeders come with their cows and sheep staying until first cold days and snow. If weather allows we shall make our way deeper into the mountain. We will finish the day and spend the night in Zabljak, a small town sitting at the highest elevation in the Balkans.

The whole second day of our tour is reserved for exploring national park Durmitor, a UNESCO world heritage site and its surroundings. We will start from its pearl – Black Lake, take a walk around the lake enjoying the scenery.

Tara Canyon is known as the deepest in Europe and among the deepest in the world. We will visit the lookout offering a view on the deepest part of Tara Canyon (1330m), while surrounded by a beautiful and old coniferous forest.

We will pay a visit to a locality with medieval tombstones (stećci), recently protected by UNESCO, called Greek graveyards among locals and hear the story about their origins and mysteries.

Durmitor massif features 18 glacial lakes known as “mountain eyes” each one of which is a paradise for the eyes and for the bravest – places of summer refreshment and bathe. Of course, there are local legends to add a dose of mystery and warning to this outstanding natural environment.

It is time to move further and in couple of hours enjoy the beauty of Tara Canyon and its pearls. We will admire the grandiose bridge over Tara and the surroundings, make our way down to the very river and its rapids, try the zip-line if wanted so…

In the canyon there is a strictly protected natural reserve of black pine forest. The size and appearance of these giants, guardians of the canyon, will impress you. Some of them are more than 400 years old.

Another national park is included in our program on the fifth day. National Par Biogrdska Gora is famous for its lake as well as for one of the largest remaining European rainforests. A very rich flora is one of its main characteristics. We will take a walk around the lake, take a canoe ride if wanted so and embrace 3 or 4 centuries old trunks of impressive size.

One of the most significant Montenegrin monasteries is located just next to the Moraca River, and contains some of the most beautiful icons and frescoes not just in Montenegro but in the Balkans. There is a great history behind this 8 centuries old religious place and it is one of the most visited monasteries in Montenegro.