National park Durmitor

National park Durmitor is the largest of 5 national parks in Montenegro. Durmitor is located in the northern part of the country, partly with the park border running along the border between Montenegro and Bosnia & Herzegovina.

Since 2005 the whole park has been part of the UNESCO world heritage list; prior to that the protection only applied to the Tara River Gorge which has been included in the world heritage list since 1977.

The following guide will give you all the necessary information for planning your trip to Durmitor.

How to get to National park Durmitor?

If you are not part of some kind of an organized tour to the national park, the place you will be going to is Žabljak which is located in the centre of the park, 1450 meters above sea level (the highest located urban settlement in Balkan region).

Here is how you can get to Žabljak using various means of transportation.

By car

Driving to Žabljak by car is probably the easiest way of getting to National park Durmitor. The country road P5 which runs from close to Nikšić to the impressive Tara bridge passes through Žabljak.

From Podgorica to Žabljak there is a driving distance of 125 km (2 -2.5 hours), from the Adriatic coast, e.g. Budva, there is a distance of 185 km (3 – 3.5 hours). 

From Dubrovnik in Croatia there is about 170 km to Žabljak which is about 3.5 hours of driving.

If you want to park within Durmitor’s premises, the price is 2€ per day for a car.

By Train

Obviously, due to the location of Žabljak in the mountains, a train is not really an option. The closest train station is in Niksic which is 75 km away.

By Bus

Despite its small size and remote location, Žabljak is actually fairly easy to reach by bus, there is a daily bus from the following cities: Podgorica, Nikšic, Pljevlja and Mojkovac.

• From Podgorica to Žabljak there is a handful of daily bus departures; travel time by bus is a bit less than 3 hours and the ticket price is around 10 Euros. You can buy a ticket at the bus station in Podgorica; the address is available here.
• From Nikšić to Žabljak there are a few daily buses; travel time by bus is around 1 hour and 45 minutes. Tickets, which can be bought at the bus station in Nikšić, cost around 6 Euros for an adult.
• From Pljevlja to Žabljak there is a handful of daily bus departures. Ticket price for the 60 km long bus route is about 6 Euros and the travel time is about 90 minutes.
• From Mojkovac to Žabljak there are only a few daily bus departures; the travel distance of 70 km takes about 2 hours by bus.
  
  The ticket price is around 7 Euros, and for the other towns tickets can be bought at the bus station; the address of the bus station in Mojkovac you can see here.

Entrance and prices

A ticket for the national park as well as fishing and other licences can be purchased at the national park office in Žabljak.

The prices are available here.

Things to see and do in Durmitor

NP Durmitor is one of those jewels patiently waiting to be discovered by nature lovers.

Although many come to the national park to ski or to hike, Durmitor has a lot of amazing sights and things to do.

The Black Lake (Crno jezero)

This picturesque lake is the largest of the 18 glacial lakes (also known as mountain eyes) in the park. In the background rises the magnificent Međed mountain (2287 m).

You can ride a boat on the lake (8 € for 1 hour), or hike around it with your family. The trail is around 3 km long, and it takes an hour and half to do a tour of the whole lake.

Tara Canyon

Do you know what’s the second greatest canyon in the world? It’s the canyon of Tara river and it’s located at Dormitor!

If you’re the adventurous type, make sure to try out rafting on Tara.

Bobotov kuk

Mountaineering fans will meet their match climbing the impressive Bobotov kuk – the highest peak in Montenegro.

To get there, start from Žabljak where the well-marked trail starts. However, the hike is recommended only if you’re fit enough to make it through the 10 hour trip to the top.

Day trips from cities in Montenegro

From Podgorica, as well as the coastal towns like Budva, Tivat or Kotor you have various excursion offers to Durmitor.

The offer ranges from 1 day trips for unskilled hikers to multi-day trips which require a certain fitness level.

Bring good walking shoes because a hike in the park can easily add up to several km. Also make sure to bring warmer clothes since the temperatures in the altitude can be quite a bit lower than on the coast.

Where to stay?

In Žabljak there are several hotels and private accommodation; another option for sleeping in the area is the campsite and mountaineers huts.

Reservation might be necessary during the main season inside the national park. For detailed information visit the information desk.

Fun facts about National park Durmitor

In National park Durmitor there are 17 glacier lakes (Mountain eyes); the best known is the Black Lake.

There are more than 40 mountaintops higher than 2000 metres; the highest peak is Bobotov kuk (2522 m).

Žabljak is a ski resort during the winter season and there are usually about 120 snowy days a year.

The Tara river gorge is with 1300 metres the deepest canyon in Europe and the second largest in the world – after the Grand Canyon in Colorado, USA.

The Tara river is one of the best places for rafting and canoeing in this part of Europe.

In the area of the Eco village Podgora (7 km from Žabljak) you can find some of the most amazing viewing points overlooking the Tara canyon. You can also stay overnight in the eco-village; more information you can find here.