Blogs from Montenegro, Europe

Saturday 20th April 2024 Well hello Montenegro!! Caught the bus to Dubrovnik bus station, coach turned up early ( not the modern Flixbus but a Jadran Express...( Toilet didn’t work!) white coach with an eighty year old( I’m guessing!!) with a cigarette hanging out of his mouth, driver!! This couldn’t be our driver, surely not.....but yes it was. And to be fair he did get us here despite over 2 hours delay at border!! Stunning scenery, especially where went into Montenegro as the coach took us all the way around the Bay of Kotor, which took about an hour!! The Bay was surrounded by mountains and it was definitely black over the mountains by Kotor! NB Sit on right hand side of bus! Sure enough, as we arrived at Kotor, the heavens opened and we got ... read more

From Plav, I headed to Grebaje Valley. It's a place I had not heard of before but got recommended by some travelers. Staying in a valley, surrounded by high mountains sounded like a different experience and worth trying. At the border of Albania and Montenegro, Grebaje Valley is in National Park Prokletije and is surrounded by the Accursed Mountains. It is well known for its hikes, though I did only the Valley hike and relaxed for couple of nights, breathing in the fresh mountain air and slowing down. Internet was patchy and it gave me time to be just present in the moment and enjoy the nature. Having seen all the five national parks in Montenegro, it was time for me to head back to Podgorica and fly out of Montenegro. My overall feeling about Montenegro ... read more

Most people come to Plav to do the Peak of the Balkans hike, a multi-day, multi-country hike. And most locals I had interacted with had suggested that Plav is small but beautiful and definitely worth visiting. I stayed at a lovely place near Plav Lake and explored just the town and the lake the first day. The hosts of the property had just started the property and it was great to see how the whole family were passionate about their guests and helping them any way they could. Next day, I took a taxi to Gusinje, a town 15KM from Plav and then started hiking from there. I visited Ali Pasha's spring first, which is close to Gusinje. Named after one of the Ottoman Commanders, this place with its clear spring waters was the meeting point ... read more

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 ... read more

I headed to Cetinje, which is the old capital of Montenegro. No one I had met had been there nor was planning to, so I knew this will be much less touristy. And the city didn't fail to impress. A small, quaint town with beautiful streets, locals coming out to hang out in the public squares in the evening, it was perfect for me after Budva. After exploring the city the first day, I headed to the Lovcen National Park the next day. The name Montenegro and the local name Crna Gora, both mean Black Mountain. And it's inspired by Mount Lovcen which seems black when it's forested. While most people come to Lovcen National Park to see the Njegos mausoleum, I decided to do the Wolf Trail and Babina Glava peak. I started early morning ... read more

I landed in the capital of Montenegro, Podgorica from Tel Aviv. Most people use Podgorica as a city to just fly into (you could also fly into Tivat in Montenegro, but I have planned a circular route and hence Podgorica suited me better). After a night of rest, I took the train from Podgorica to Bar, a city down southern part of Montenegro, on the Adriatic Sea. This train route is part of the famous Belgrade to Bar circuit and Podgorica to Bar is the nicer part of the journey. The views of open fields and Lake Skadar were indeed pretty. At Bar, I spend 3 nights. The first day, I went to Stari Bar (Old Bar), a small town established in the 11th century AD by the Byzantines. The fortress and most of the original ... read more