โ Week Fifteen & Sixteen Itinerary:
- Kotor, Montenegro
- Rijeka Crnojeviฤa, Montenegro
- Zablijak, Montenegro
- Perast, Montenegro
- Budva, Montenegro
- Bar, Montenegro
Kotor, Montenegro
Dubrovnik ๐ Kotor
Kotor, Montenegro | October 27th – 29th
As owners of a converted van back in New Zealand (he’s named Bertie) we were starting to miss the freedom that road trip travel provides. Being able to leisurely stop when you want, bypass bad weather and explore at your own pace; vanning provides everything we want in travel. Especially when it can house a quiver of surfboards, snacks and a place for my occasional naps! Unfortunately as we travelled from New Zealand and are only away for four months the cost and carbon emissions of shipping the van could not be justified, nor the ever sky rocketing fuel prices that the world is experiencing. Add in international insurance and rental costs and the concept of hiring a vehicle seemed out of the question for our travels… until Montenegro!
Our bus trip from the city of Dubrovnik to the Bay of Kotor would be one of our last for ten days as we were about to embark on something we hadn’t done during our entire Europa travels. ROAD TRIP.
14 cities, 8 old towns, 3 national parks and 1 ascent of the tallest mountain in the country was all that we managed to cram into our road trip and it was incredible!
The Bay of Kotor which people have been calling home since antiquity is located in the south western region of Montenegro. Colloquially known as Boka this region consists of many well-preserved medieval towns including Kotor, Perast, Risan, Tivat, Herceg Novi and Prcanj.
During our three days in Kotor we explored the old town, trotted up hills and patted kittens, exactly how everyone’s first days in a new country should be spent! ๐
The Kotor old town consisting of the Kampana Tower, Kotor Fortress and the ruins of St. Nicholas Monastery were magnificent. Kotor is famous for being the only natural and cultural UNESCO World Heritage site in the country. With its Illyria, Byzantium, Venice, and Austria influenced architecture the surrounding fortification system made up of ramparts, towers, citadels, gates, bastions, forts, cisterns, a castle and ancillary buildings was vast and spectacular to wander through. The litters and litters of cats prowling around the town may have meant the exploration took longer than usual, what with all the pats I was providing but it was great.
The following day we set off early from the seashore to trot up the Ladder of Kotor and ascend Pestingrad (1009 metres). The panoramic views we enjoyed while eating lunch from the top made up for the layers of salty sweat I had accumulated all over my face, back and legs.
The descent was far less hot (thank goodness) and we rewarded ourselves with a old town favourite, an ice cream.
Our final day saw us give our last pats (and milk) to the adorable kittens at our accommodation, catch the last bus during our time on Montenegro and bid farewell to Kotor… but not the bay itself, we’d be back.
Rijeka Crnojeviฤa, Montenegro
Kotor ๐ Podgorica ๐ Rijeka Crnojeviฤa
Rijeka Crnojeviฤa, Montenegro | October 29th – 30th
From Kotor we bussed then trained to Podgorica Airport to collect our rental car. We were both so excited to experience the luxury of complete travel freedom again, even if it was a car and not a van (it just meant we would have access to a shower more regularly ๐ ).
Our first stop in the new wheels was Lake Skadar National Park. As we headed towards the city of Virpazar we caught glimpses of this famous, freshwater lake with its turquoise waters, wildlife and medieval monastery. On crossing the appropriately named Crossway Bridge we were confronted with how expansive the lake actually was.
As the largest lake in southern Europe, Lake Skadar which is named after the north Albanian town of Shkoder (named Lake Shkodra in Albania) has a seasonal surface area that fluctuates between 370 km and 530 km squared. Home to a few islands, two churches, a former fortress and prison, the island is designated as a national park on the Montenegrin side and a natural reserve on the Albanian side.
The drive across the centre and around the north western shoreline of the lake provided multiple scenic vantage points and many photo opportunities, there was no such thing as a bad view. That night we stayed in the quaint village of Rijeka Crenojeviฤa and made some road trip itinerary changes for the predicted storm ahead.
Zablijak, Montenegro
Rijeka Crenojeviฤa ๐ Zablijak
Zabljak, Montenegro | October 30th – November 2nd
The next morning we were bright eyed and bushy tailed for the proposed “best view of the lake” and the famous ‘green horseshoe’; Pavlova Strana view point. While the view was pretty, the surrounding piles of rubbish and terrible street appearance did not live up to expectations… at least we got a laugh out of how comical our hype was! ๐
That day we were headed for Durmitor National Park to hike a mountain N.D was very excited about. But not before stopping in two towns, exploring a famous monastery and having lunch. Gotta keep fed obviously.
Ostrog Monastery is a 17th century monastery and pilgrimage site that has become a popular stop amongst tourists since being rebuilt into the cliff face.
The originally planned lunch stop in the second largest Montenegrin city of Nikลกiฤ was quite the cultural experience. During our two Sundays spent in Montenegro we noticed a theme with shops, supermarkets, everything being closed. With no sign of civilisation for the first half of the day we wandered around in what felt like a ghost town until lunch when crowds of people suddenly formed everywhere. All drinking coffee, drinking beer, drinking spirits and smoking! Without a slice, entree or even crumb of food in sight. The supermarkets remained closed but the coffee shops were in full swing. Our first tastier of this occurred that Sunday and while being a novel surprise, it did leave us without any groceries. ๐ฆ
During our stay in Durmitor National Park we trotted two trails and visited the largest canyon in Europe (Montenegro really likes advertising how big everything is!).
ฤurฤeviฤa Tara Bridge is not just any large, concrete archway structure but the exact 365 metre length bridge that after completion in 1940 allowed vehicles and pedestrians to cross the largest canyon in the continent. Tara Canyon is just that canyon; at its deepest point the canyon falls to 1,300 metres.
The views from the bridge were breathtaking, literally I looked down and was immediately reminded I disliked heights and needed to return to solid ground.
In the afternoon we opted for a less sky-high adventure and trotted around the famous Crno Jezero (Black Lake) of the national park. Unlike the name this time, the lake was a lovely vibrant blue colour and my feet happily stayed firmly on the ground.
The following day was probably the highlight of the road trip for N.D! We climbed Bobotov Kuk, at 2523 metres tall it is the highest peak in not only the national park but the entire country. Needless to say N.D was very excited to trot up it, I on the other hand needed a little bit of sugary encouragement (and distraction from the height).
However, once we were at the top I was reminded why I partake in these trips. With stunning, panoramic views as far as the eye could see I was chuffed that we had made it, especially before if snowed the following day.
Perast, Montenegro
Zablijak ๐ Perast
Perast, Montenegro | November 2nd – 3rd
From Zablijak we were headed back towards the Bay of Kotor, this time towards the more northwestern town of Perast. But not before a few golden photo opportunity stops along the way; Slano Jezero and Risan were just too pretty not to gaze at. ๐
Our time in Perast was short and sweet. We wandered along the coastal path through the old town, enjoyed ice creams at the beach, basked in the few remaining hours of sunshine and then admired the shimmering light of a beautiful sunset. Well it was amazing until I bent to pat a cat and it pounced at me. I’m fine, the cats fine, though the fish the cat later gnawed at probably isn’t.
The town of Perast may be more well known for its proximity to the island that the Chiesa della Madonna dello Scarpello, the blue roofed catholic church is perched on. Yes that church is pretty but nothing beats the glistening lights along the shoreline at nighttime!
Budva, Montenegro
Perast ๐ Budva
Budva, Montenegro | November 3rd – 5th
From Perast we cruised around the Bay of Kotor to the infamous Kotor Serpentine road. Renowned for its incredible views, seriously narrow road and multiple hair pin loops, we gradually made our way to the top, basking in the stunning scenery the entire drive.
From the top we had views of Kotor Bay, Tivat Bay and even the Adriatic Sea.
Once at the top we headed for the third national park of the trip; Lovcen National Park. Having had incredible views from Bobotov Kuk which we felt we earned having trotted to the peak, the views from Lovฤen didn’t feel as special given we only drove. With the last remains of good weather we trotted around the top and some of the surrounding smaller trails in the national park before heading to the town of Cetinje.
Brightly coloured buildings, autumnal leafy trees and small cobbled streets made the entire town very picturesque. In Cetinje we enjoyed the first pineapple pizza of the trip! I was very excited. ๐ Following on from lunch we explored the old town and then continued our roadie towards Budva.
Unfortunately the bad weather caught up to us and our two days spent in Budva were very wet. Despite the constant downpour and occasional thunderstorms and lightning we still managed to explore another old town, enjoy my new favourite chocolaty drink and pat a few cats along the way. So the usual. ๐
Bar, Montenegro
Budva ๐ Bar
Bar, Montenegro | November 5th – 7th
From Budva we continued south along the coastal route, stopping to see the peninsula of Sveti Stefan and walk along Petrovac beach.
By lunch time we had made it to Bar. After walking around King Nikola’s Palace and the township we enjoyed a Mexican meal at a German tavern while in Montenegro. Quite the experience. ๐
The following day the rain had eased and we decided to venture to the town furtherest south and trot around Ulcinj. The old town of Ulcinj is raised above the nearby beach and promenade. With howling winds and not another sole in sight our exploration around the medieval, stony buildings was quite airy. Especially when we were later walking under several pine trees along a dirt road to the costal tip.
But as with every Sunday, once midday occurred the locals were out and we decided to join them in their favourite pass time of coffee sipping and people watching along the promenade. This entertained us for hours!
Sadly our road trip and time spent in Montenegro had come to an end. We both agreed that driving around the country was our best way of seeing and experiencing everything we wanted to. While N.D loved the freedom of chopping and changing our travel plans, I liked being able to stop every five seconds and take another scenery picture! And the cats of Kotor of course. ๐
Next stop a new country.
GC Chronicles 