Day 77-81 Etno Selo, Rafting and the cheeky campsite mascot!

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It was with Fiona and Dave’s help that we toured Montenegro. Campsites as we know them are not plentiful here so it was great to have the advice. We called in to a site called Etno Selo this is to the North of Montenegro, as a stop off on the way to doing some rafting in the gorgeous clear blue waters that wind their way through the Montenegrin mountains. The site was well advertised with markers, well in advance along the road. When we arrived we couldn’t really make out what we were seeing. There weren’t any tents, campers. Caravans or Motor homes, there were a few scattered small huts, and an amazingly out of place Disneyland play park with a few rabbits, quails and a Hedgehog! But what astounded us was the amount of pre prepared tables as though lots of people were going to descend, the owner later even showed us additional seating for their expected beer nights. We later learned it was the huts, they call bungalows that is the normal way of staying around the country. The hosts were charming and we were invited to sit around the fire, where we chatted to fellow residents.
The next day we set off for Camp Grab our base for rafting the Tara river. Our trip was to take us 18 kilometres down this spectacular river, set amongst the mountains, between the borders of Montenegro and Bosnia Herzegovina. Although it was not as Adrenalin charged as we hoped, it was still a great way to see the country.
One of the reason for heading north in Montenegro was to see the Durmitor National park, with some staggering and unusual landscapes. Part of it is a popular ski resort, we stopped at a site near Black Lake, we were warmly welcome by the hostess and her children who gave, glasses filled with a plum/rocket fuelled mixture-very warming.
We later met up with the host who was equally warm, especially with the ladies. Maybe the camp entrance effigy is a warning! (see picture)
We finished our stay in the Skadarsko National Park where we camped on the beach by the lake, no facilities, but perfect for a morning dip. We sourced this campsite from the National Park tourist information, not realising it was about an hour’s drive over narrow tracks that had steep drops-not for the faint hearted.

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