Hiking, Boating, Kayaking and Birding in Montenegro
Hiking above the Bay of Kotor, Montenegro
You can find a general guide to visiting Montenegro in our previous blog, A first visit to Montenegro. In this blog we focus on the times we escaped into nature during our week’s stay in Montenegro: an afternoon’s kayaking, a boat ride and two mountain walks.
We’d love to return to do some ‘proper’ hiking in the rugged, remote Durmitor and Prokletije National Parks, but until then, this blog is really for those people who’d like to combine some outdoor activities into their trip to Montenegro, rather than being the main focus.
These activities are all quite easy and could be enjoyed by anyone with a reasonable level of fitness. And good walking boots for the hikes!
Combining outdoor activities into your Montenegro trip
Kayaking on the Rijeka Crnojevića
We spent an amazing afternoon kayaking along the Rijeka Crnojevića into the Skadar National Park – it was SO beautiful, and the number of birds was incredible.
We hired a double kayak in the village of Rijeka Crnojevića – there are lots of boats offering water taxi rides and a few people also rent kayaks. Rijeka Crnojevića has a rich history, dating back to before the 15th century, when Montenegro was under the rule of the Ottoman empire. Rijeka Crnojevića was the capital of the Crnojevic state until 1478 and the crumbling remains of historic buildings from the 15th century can still be seen.
The first pharmacy in Montenegro was opened at Rijeka Crnojevića, and it was also here that the first Cyrillic book amongst the South Slavic nations was printed. During the 19th and 20th century, Rijeka Crnojevica was the biggest port of Montenegro and was its leading trade centre. The main speciality was dried bleak (Ukljeve), which is sort of a freshwater sardine. Now, every year in December, the Festival of Wine and Bleak is traditionally held in Virpazar – sounds fun!
Anyway, back to kayaking. We paddled off down the river Crnojevića in the general direction of Lake Skadar, and the amazing views we could see from our accommodation. We were armed with binoculars because we’d heard that Lake Skadar (which the Crnojevića feeds into) is one of Europe’s top bird habitats. I (Penny) am trying to become a low-key ‘twitcher’ albeit with very little success – but I figured that even I couldn't miss them in such an environment. And sure enough, I couldn't! We’ve never seen so many birds and it wasn’t even peak season, which is April-May when migratory birds touch down at Lake Skadar on their way to and from far-off lands. We visited Lake Skadar in late October when only the resident birds were there, but saw countless herons, kingfishers, cormorants, pygmy cormorants, white egrets, grebes and many other birds that I couldn't identify/can’t remember. The scenery was sublime – the river snakes its way through steep limestone mountains, including the famous serpentine that everyone stops to take a photo of, and which we’re proud to say we kayaked around.
Overall, the river was very peaceful other than the occasional taxi boat passing at high speed and leaving us bobbing in its wake. We were flagged down to pay the entrance fee for Skadar National Park halfway along – so make sure you take 5 euros each if you go!
A double kayak costs 20 euros for 2 hours and 30 euros for all day – we’d definitely recommend making a day of it and taking a picnic. You can rest whenever you want and won’t want to turn round once you’ve started!
Boat Trip on Lake Skadar
Whilst we were staying in Virpazar we decided to take a boat trip rather than kayak, because we wanted to see as much of Lake Skadar as possible. We chose Golden Frog based upon its 5* reviews on Google but as it turned out, our young guide, Ivana, was our host Marko’s sister – Virpazar is a small place!
Ivana was a brilliant guide – knowledgeable, funny and entertaining – while her Dad skippered the boat in a really calm, unobtrusive way that was completely respectful of the birds. And there were a lot of birds! We were lucky enough to see a few endangered Dalmatian Pelicans – the Dalmatian Pelican is a freshwater bird and among the largest flying bird species on the planet (rivalling the albatross). They have a wingspan of over three metres, a bill up to 45cm long, and weigh around 12kg. These primeval-looking leviathans were an impressive sight – even from the distance that we kept to not disturb them. Ivana told us that they cannot dive for fish themselves and so hang out with flocks of other birds (in our case, cormorants) so they can steal their catch. Their preservation has been the focus of many re-wilding and conservation schemes and, although recently badly struck by bird flu, there are signs of a recovery in their numbers in some places in Europe. But not in the UK where they have been extinct for almost 2,000 years – although work is underway to create environments into which they may be reintroduced.
Apologies for the poor photo – my iPhone couldn't cope with the distance even though the pelicans were so huge!
Bay of Kotor Hike
Whilst staying in Perast we were keen to walk in the mountains above Kotor Bay to fully appreciate the beauty of the incredible setting and to get off the beaten track. We found a walk on Komoot that certainly fitted the bill.
We were out for a few hours and didn't see a soul, other than a Montenegrin couple restoring a chapel and the surrounding stone walls. They must have been in their 80’s and the chapel was in the middle of nowhere, with 500m of very rocky ascent to get there – we have no idea how they were managing it, but they were doing a fantastic job!
It was one of the best walks we’ve ever done, despite shredding our arms and legs on rewilding pomegranate trees and me narrowly missing stepping on a massive snake. But don't let that put you off! The walk back down from the col zig-zags very gradually down an ancient mule track along the terracing, offering stunning views at every turn.
Skadar Lake Hike
Marko, our host in Virpazar, used to be a mountain guide and recommended a hike up through the mountains above his home that would give us great views of Lake Skadar. It was our last day and we flew home that evening, so decided to restrict it to a ‘there and back’ so that we could more accurately predict how long it would take.
We started the hike at the old, ruined village of Godinje (parking in the car park at the bottom of the steep narrow road that leads up to the village) We’ve since discovered that Godinje is a great place to sample local Vranac wines, with Garnet winery having a particularly fantastic reputation. But everywhere was closed at the end of season, and we didn't see a soul as we explored the ancient cobbled lanes. The houses in Godinje are conjoined, being linked by tunnels connecting basements that residents built to protect themselves from the Ottoman Empire. Godinje was the ancestral home of the Lekovići and Nikač families and legend says it dates back to the 10th century, being the summer residence of the Balšića Dynasty in the 14th century. But a huge earthquake in 1979 left many houses uninhabitable and most residents were forced to leave.
A narrow track leaves the village near the top and steep, slippery steps wind down into the woodland below. It was enchanting, with old stone walls covered in mosses and lichens of every variety; and tendrils of creepers, ivy, wild roses and brambles brushing our heads and arms as we walked over carpets of sweet chestnuts and wild cyclamen.
The track winds its way to Sveti Nikola church in the hamlet of Nikači. This church, built in 1715, is now the only active church for Godinje, out of four that originally existed. All the family tombs are above ground, with slightly disturbing wrought iron handles to lift the slab for new occupants, and several tombs giving a name and an open-ended date of death. Hopefully they weren’t in there already!
After a short stretch along a narrow road, the footpath heads off into the mountainous landscape that feels very ‘Mediterranean’ in nature (wild rosemary, thyme, sage and rock rose scenting the air) and provides incredible far-reaching views across Skadar Lake to the Prokletije National Park and Albania. The narrow, rocky track contours across the mountainside and is blissful – we saw no one all day as we explored the beautifully unspoilt natural environment. But unfortunately, our flight beckoned (in theory at least – it was actually 4.5 hours late ☹️) and we had to sadly retrace our steps back down to Godinje.
Exploring Montenegro
So, to conclude, our first visit to Montenegro highlighted the vast potential of this beautiful, tiny country for those who love nature and the great outdoors. It's easy to get off the beaten track and to explore Montenegro’s stunning scenery and history, without having to head into the remote, high mountains.
Until next time, Montenegro!