Žabljak and Durmitor National Park: Day 29 to 32

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I reached Žabljak, the location closest to Durmitor National Park.

I was staying at a place right next to the national park and I was stunned by the beauty of the place when I got there. Vast meadows, surrounded by pine forests and wildflowers. And I hadn't even gotten into the national park yet.

After recovering from the long journey, the next day I went to Durmitor National Park. It's a park well known for the Black Lake and multiple hikes.

I did the four lakes hike, covering Black Lake, Celine Lake, Snake Lake (only in name, no snakes there) and Barno Lake.

The hike was beautiful, the lakes breathtaking.

While most people spend most of their time at Black Lake, on the first day, I spent more time at Snake Lake and Barno Lake (lakes are called Jezero in Montenegro). Snake Lake reflected the green trees around it and was a lovely green color because of that. Barno Lake is actually a peatland, storing lots of Carbon and you can feel the ground sink under your feet if you get close to the lake.

But I was also fortunate to explore these forests as they are one of the last primary forests left in Europe.

The next day, I went really early morning to explore the Black Lake better. When the sun comes out, like it did that day, the colors of the lake are anything but black. You get to see brilliant blues, gorgeous greens and other shades (and this is in summer, in autumn am sure the colors change with the trees). And I saw many families of ducks on the lake, enjoying their morning swim. I thoroughly enjoyed my time at the Black Lake and realised why it's a popular destination.

My only advise for this place is go early to the national park (ideally try to finish your hikes by 11am if you doing the lakes), because lot of tourists and tourist buses come for day trips and the place becomes crowded by 11am.

My first exposure to the mountains of Montenegro had been an amazing experience.

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Photos

Žabljak
Views of the road at Žabljak

Žabljak
Pine forests of Žabljak

Durmitor National Park
Hiking through primary forests of Durmitor National Park

Snake Lake
Snake Lake, Durmitor National Park

Barno Lake
Barno Lake, peatland that stores carbon

Black Lake
Black Lake, when the sun is out

Black Lake
Black Lake can be a spiritual experience

Durmitor National Park
Endless greens at Durmitor National Park

Durmitor National Park
Mountains of Durmitor National Park