Gretchen Stuppy Carlson
Right on the Northern border of Montenegro, Durmitor National Park is gorgeous mountain destination with amazing rock formations, incredible hiking opportunities and beautiful scenery. We spent a few days exploring this UNESCO World heritage site and enjoyed exploring this area based from the town of Zabljak.
In this guide we’ll explore everything you need to know to plan a visit to Durmitor National Park including the best hikes, where to stay and what to do in the area. If you are planning a visit to Montenegro, start with our Guide to Montenegro or check out some of our other guides to the Balkans.
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Top Thing to do in Durmitor National Park
Durmitor is beautiful and the best way to enjoy the beauty is to get out and see everything you can. This means hiking, driving, biking and just getting out to explore. Below are some of the best things to do in Durmitor.
Go Hiking
This is the top activity and one of the most popular thing to do in the area. There are a few classic hikes in the area as well as many smaller and less travelled trails. Many of the hiking trails start from the main town of Zabljak, but you can aslo find other trailheads throughout the park. It seemed like the town was full of people just heading out on a trail or grabbing a drink after a day hiking.
Depending on how many days you spend in Durmitor (and you interest in hiking) we recommend at least hiking Bobotov Kuk and exploring Black Lake. Here are our favorite hiking trails in the park:
1. Bobotov Kuk
This challenging trail takes you to the highest peak in Durmitor, at 2,523 meters (8,278 feet). The hike, approximately 10 miles round-trip, rewards you with panoramic views over the rugged mountain landscape.
See details about this hike to Bobktov Kuk.
2. Black Lake (Crno Jezero) Loop
The Black Lake Loop is a scenic, easy trail around the park’s largest lake, suitable for all levels. This 2.5-mile loop offers breathtaking views of the surrounding forest and mountains reflecting in the crystal-clear water.
See detailsa bout hiking Black Lake.
3. Ice Cave (Ledena Pećina)
This moderately difficult hike leads to an ice cave with stalactites and stalagmites that stay frozen year-round. The 6-mile round-trip route provides a unique glimpse into Durmitor’s stunning rock formations and cool respite from the heat. You can also tack this onto the hike to Bobtov Kuk.
4. Prutaš Peak
Known for its distinctive, layered rock formations, Prutaš Peak is a moderately challenging hike with incredible views. The 9-mile round-trip trail offers sweeping vistas of the Tara River Canyon and rolling green hills. This hike is further east in the park.
5. Valovito Jezero and Zeleni Vir
This 7-mile trail takes you to two tranquil glacial lakes, perfect for a peaceful day hike. With forested paths and open meadows, this hike showcases diverse landscapes and offers a quieter experience away from the crowds. We didn’t get a chance to do this hike, but we heard great things about it.
Take the Scenic Drive
The drive through Durmitor National Park is incredibly scenic and a bit of a nail-biter. With steep drop offs, sharp curves, unexpected animals on the road, this is an exhilerating drive but absolutely worth it. The drive goes through the park and you have constant sweeping views of the mountains and truly amazing rock formations.
You may also see some of the roaming horses. The drive is done as an out and back unless you are driving through the park on your way somewhere else. We spent the night in Zabljak and drove over to the Tara River for a day of rafting and returned back the same way at the end of the day.
Explore the Tara Canyon
On the eastern and northern side of the park, the Tara Canyon is spectacular. The deepest gorge in Europe, the Tara Canyon is best viewed from the Tara Bridge or by rafting part of the river. Near the bridge you’ll also find the Red Rock Zipline center, if you’re looking for a little more adventure! We spent a day rafting on the Tara River and the color and scenery is absolutely worth it.
The river is directly on the border with Bosnia and Hertzogovena and is absolutely worth visiting. There ar many rafting companies that do day long or multi-day tours on the river. This is one of the best tours on the river.
Biking
Another activity that is growing in popularity in the area is biking. We saw many people biking and there are several stores in town renting bikes and you can find both mountain bike trails and incredible opporunities for road biking.
Things to Know about Durmitor National Park
Best Time of Year to Visit Durmitor
Overall, the best time to visit Durmitor is June – Sept. This is when the snow has melted and you can access the hiking trails and roads. This is also the most popular time, but compared to other destinations (like the Italian Dolomites) this area is not generally crowded.
Spring can be pretty with wildflowers but the the higher elevations still have snow. Winter is a great time to visit if you are interested in winter sports like snowshowing.
How to Get to Durmitor
The best way to get to Durmitor is to rent a car and drive. Most people will drive from Dubrovnik, Tivat or Podgorica. It seems to take about 3 hours to get to Durmitor from most of these areas. The roads to Durmitor are generally in good shape. Having a car will also give you the best options for getting around during your stay.
How many Days do you Need in Durmitor
I would recommend a minimum of 2 days, but you could easily enjoy a full week in this park. With two days you could spend 1 day hiking, 1 day driving and rafting. We spent 3 full days in the park whic gave us enough time to do several hikes, go rafting and do the scenic drive. We could have spent another day doing some shorter hikes or biking and enjoying more time in town.
Where to Stay in Durmitor
The best town to stay in is Zabljak. This mountain town is a hub for all the activities in the area. There are many hotels and rental houses in the area. Nothing here is particularly fancy which adds to the charm. There was some construction going on in town during the visit and the town is definitely growing.
We found our rental house through booking.com and generally find this a good place to find a range of options when traveling in Europe. In general, lodging in Zabljak is very reasonable.
Where to Eat in Durmitor
You can find a range of restaurants in Zabljak from Italian spots to restaurants with more tradition Montenegrin dishes. We ate at a few of the restaurants on the main street as well as the restaurant over by Black Lake. Everything we had was delicious. We also enjoyed the centerally located grocery store for getting snacks and munches for out hiking days.
Note that is you are in town on a Sunday many things will be closed. It’s best to plan ahead and not count on grabbing food at the grocery store on a Sunday!
What we did in Durmitor National Park
We arrived in Zabljak early in the day after driving our own rental car from Dubrovnik. This gave us time to explore Black Lake and settle in for dinner in town at Restaurant Or’O. This was a great intro to our visit.
The next morning we got an early start and did the scenic drive on our way to the Tara River. After spending a day rafting, we did the return drive and settled in for dinner overlooking Black Lake. We rented a house near the Lake so could easily walk here in the mornings and evenings.
The next day we stocked up at the grocery store and took a taxi up to Sedlo Pass and hiked Bobotov Kuk. This was a full day hike and we had a fantastic day. We did this as a point to point hike and hiked right back to town where we went out for pizza.
The next morning we packed up and drove south on to our next adventure. We were hoping to explore some of the town this morning but since it was Sunday, everything was closed.
We loved visiting this park and highly recommend making a stop during your visit to the Balkans and Montengro.
Looking for more adventures? Let us help you plan your next trip – you can find lots of destination guides on our site as well as our list of best travel resources, or contact us and let us help to together your next adventure.
