Montenegro for active travellers: Durmitor, canyons and trails across borders

Durmitor: from lake to summit

The UNESCO-listed Durmitor National Park is the natural starting point. The base is usually Žabljak, a mountain town at roughly one and a half kilometres above sea level, and just beyond it lies the Black Lake, with a path around it that works well even for a first day after travelling. From here, trails fan out across the plateau: to other lakes, to viewpoints above the canyons and to the higher peaks.

The most ambitious goal is Bobotov Kuk (around 2,523 m), the highest summit of the massif. In summer the hike to it is usually long but not technical, especially when starting from the Sedlo pass. Still, it's a full mountain day that calls for good fitness, proper footwear and clear weather: fog and thunderstorms move in quickly here, and limestone paths without visibility can become confusing. For those who'd rather climb less, Durmitor is generous lower down too, in meadows, forest paths and along the lakes.

In summer the plateau meadows are in flower, and at the shepherds' huts – the katuni – you can sometimes taste kajmak or kačamak. Moments like these often stay with you as long as any summit.

The Tara canyon and other water

The Tara canyon is one of the deepest in Europe, around 1,300 metres in places. You can see it two ways: from above, from the arched Đurđevića Tara bridge or viewpoints near Žabljak, and from below, rafting the lower canyon. Rafting usually runs from late spring to early autumn; in spring, with the snowmelt, the water is at its highest and strongest, while in summer it's calmer and better suited to first-timers.

The canyon deserves a day of its own rather than being tacked onto another: the drive to the put-in is long, and the river itself deserves an unhurried pace. For more adrenaline, guided canyoning runs in some of the narrower gorges in summer; for something calmer, there are kayaks among the water lilies in the channels of Lake Skadar, at the end of the trip on the way to the sea.

Prokletije and trails across the border

To the east, along the Albanian border, rise the Prokletije – the country's sharpest and least-visited mountains. The bases here are Plav and Gusinje, and walks lead into the Grbaja and Ropojana valleys, where limestone walls rise straight out of the meadows. Nights are usually spent in family guesthouses, with dinner made from what's grown or produced on the spot. On a first visit, these mountains deserve a few days of their own rather than a single outing.

This is also where one of the Balkans' most interesting walking ideas begins: the Peaks of the Balkans trail, a loop linking the mountains of Montenegro, Albania and Kosovo. The full loop takes roughly ten days or more, staying in farmhouses and guesthouses, but many people choose a section of it: the Theth and Valbona valleys in Albania, for example, linked by a pass, with the Komani Lake ferry along the way.

Crossing a border in the mountains isn't the same as crossing it by road. The trail crosses borders in remote places, so a trek like this needs permits or registration arranged in advance, and the rules can change. It's one area where a local guide is no luxury: they know the paths, the procedures and the guesthouses waiting for you in the evening.

When to go and how to combine it

For the mountains, the best time is usually June to September, when the high roads and mountain huts are generally open and the trails free of snow. June and September are many people's favourites – green, in flower, fewer people. In May and October the lower valleys can be lovely, but up high there may still (or already) be snow, and some guesthouses and services run on a limited basis. On the coast, July and August are hot and busy, so it's better to end an active trip by the sea than to begin it there. Conditions vary from year to year.

Distances are short but mountain roads are winding and slow, so a route works better with fewer places and more nights in each. A week covers Durmitor, the Tara and the Bay of Kotor; ten days or two weeks add Prokletije, or a section of trail across the border into Albania. For a trip like this it's convenient to fly into one airport and out of another, so there's no need to retrace your steps.

Montenegro also suits Lithuanian travellers because it's close, with no jet lag: getting there takes a day rather than two, so even ten days' leave allows for mountain walking and a few days' rest by the sea. In mountain guesthouses and village restaurants, the food is hearty and simple – lamb, cheeses, cornmeal porridge, fresh trout – and after a long day on the trail it feels like a celebration.

Tell us how much you'd like to walk, whether summits, rivers or a cross-border trek draw you most, and when you could travel. We'll start shaping your Montenegro from there, from the mountains down to the sea.