Ever heard of Schengen? Don’t feel badly, we hadn’t either before embarking on our year long adventure, mostly in Europe. But hold the phone…you can’t just stay in Europe for a year without a Schengen Visa.

The Schengen area is named after the 1985 Schengen Agreement and currently consists of 27 countries and is evolving on a yearly basis. It’s an area that has no internal borders allowing for unrestricted movement of people. The Schengen Visa is a “short” term visa allowing visitors to stay for 90 days in any 180 day period.

As we had planned to stay in Europe for more than 180 days it became necessary to revamp our travel plans and head to a country not in the Schengen area, hence, we made our way to Montenegro, part of former Yugoslavia. It actually worked out as Montenegro is a country with an abundance of places to visit and it also has amazing kiteboarding for Brent.

We made the town of Ulcinj our home base for one month as we took road trips throughout the country. Ulcinj has a very interesting history being captured by many groups, but it fell under Ottoman Rule in 1571, becoming a mostly muslim area and a haven for pirates. Ulcinj is located on the southern coast close to the Albania border. It has a population of approximately 10, 000 people but that number swells in the summer as both locals and tourists descend upon the 14 km beach to soak in the sun, visit the local wineries, grab a bite in the Old City, and kiteboard.

Ulcinj was an amazing home base for the month. Brent was able to get in more kiteboarding before having to leave his gear behind as we continued our trip through Europe. As the country is quite small, driving to the attractions is just a few hours away. During our stay, we did a few road trips that enabled us to really get a sense of what this country is all about; namely amazing people, food and breathtaking landscapes.

Road Trip #1 - Kotor

There is a lot of online hype about Kotor and now that we’ve visited, we can see why; it truly is a pretty town. Situated on Kotor Bay which is part of the Adriatic Sea, it is home to approximately 13, 500 people and cats. The cat has become a symbol of the town, to the chagrin of some shop owners, and there are several cat themed stores, a Cat Square and a museum. Kotor is a World Heritage Site and the Old Town is one of the best preserved medieval towns on the coast.

There are quite a few things to do in Kotor. After checking in at Babilon Hotel, located a few kilometers from the Old Town, we hiked the beautiful boardwalk along the Bay. We suggest staying outside the Old Town as it can get quite busy with the tourists from the cruise ships and parking is a nightmare. We headed towards St. John’s Fortress where we were to climb the 1350 steps to the top. Instead, we accidentally started climbing the local Ladder of Kotor, a strenuous 12.8 km round trip. A few switchbacks up, we realized our mistake and had to climb in a window of the fortress to connect with the stairs. In hindsight, that accident allowed us more spectacular views and a more interesting hike had we just climbed the stairs up and then back down again. Keep in mind, we did have to climb through a window, but it was all part of the adventure.

The following day we embarked on a boat tour of Kotor Bay. It was nice to be on the water again, even just for a few hours. It was a great opportunity to get a snapshot of the historical sites including Lady of Rock of Perast. Apparently, the islet was formed by local seamen who upon returning from a successful fishing trip, would lay a rock in the Bay in honour of finding an icon of Madonna and Child on the rock in 1452. Today, the locals continue the tradition by throwing rocks into the sea on the sunset of July 22.

After touring the Lady of Rock for about 15 minutes, we were on our way to see one of three submarine tunnels that were built by the Yugoslav Navy to hide submarines and small ships during the 1970s, followed by a quick and refreshing swim in a local Blue Cave. These boat trips are very popular among tourists, especially in the summer when the water is a bit warmer.

The next morning, we departed Kotor Bay and drove the Serpentine Road to Lovcen National Park. The Serpentine is a narrow road running from Centinje to Kotor and is considered one of the most famous “hair pinned” roads in the world boasting 30 switchbacks. From the “Kotor Serpentine”, an 8 km stretch starting at 458 m above sea level and ending at 881 m, you’ll get the most amazing views of Kotor Bay. Brent advises driving the road from Kotor to Centinje, and not the other way around. It seems like it would be less treacherous.

Along the way, we stopped in at Lovcen National Park. Within the park lies Mount Lovcen or “Black Mountain”, the nickname for Montenegro and the mausoleum for poet Petra II Petrovic Njesos, Montenegro’s Bishop and spiritual and political ruler. From the parking lot, we walked 461 stairs to the mausoleum where there were breathtaking views of the park, Albania and Croatia. The Njegos Mausolem is highly revered and considered to be a sacred spot in Montenegro.

Winding our way down to the town of Centinje, the former capital of Montenegro, we finished our day with a great lunch and Nikšićko, a popular beer of Montenegro, and a favourite of ours.

Road Trip #2 - Lake Skadar National Park

We divided this trip up among a few days as there are many ways of seeing Lake Skadar. Lake Skadar was once a bay of the Adriatic Sea, but today it is a lake fed from the Morača River which drains back into the Adriatic via the Bojana River. It is the largest lake in Montenegro and one of the largest in southern Europe. It lies within Montenegro and Albania and is considered a protected National Forest in Montenegro and a Reserve in the latter.

Lake Skadar is home to the largest bird reserve in Europe and is listed as a World Heritage Site, plus it made the Ramsar Convention’s List of Wetlands of International Importance. It is the last breeding site for the now endangered Dalmatian Pelican (in which we saw one) and the Pygmy Comorant.

The Lake is a hotspot for biodiversity including 34 fish species and my favourite, 50 species of freshwater snails - who knew there were so many different kinds of snails! Unfortunately, due to destructive human activity, Lake Skadar has also made the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species.

Although Lake Skadar isn’t easily accessible from tourist spots like Kotor, it is worth the effort of getting here. Being in Ulcinj, it was a short drive for us. On Day 1, we decided to hike around the Lake. Apparently, there are plenty of trails but they truly are not easy to find despite what the internet tells you. We recommend stopping in at the Visitor Center in Virzaper, the town where we started our venture, to get more details on hiking the area or better yet, book a guided tour. We hiked about 8 km round trip from Virzaper to the town of Godinje sticking to the paved road as to avoid the snakes in the area (and we couldn’t find any visible trails either). Snakes - check out this guy’s website as he actively seeks for snakes and other little creatures in Montenegro and Europe - amazing - Viper's Garden.

About 3 km into the hike, across the lake, we spotted the most adorable little village jutting out from the misty mountain; our final destination of the Village of Godinje. As we got closer, the mist was even heavier making this sweet village even more magical. It reminded me of the villages portrayed in the Hans Christian Anderson stories of my childhood.

Godinje is a quaint town along the coast of Lake Skadar known for it’s grapevines, onions, mills, and secret passages built to protect the village people against the Turks. You’ll find many villages along the coast of Lake Skadar maintaining a simple and quiet existence. Lake Skadar was once a battlefield between the Monenegrins and the Turks and many monuments, monestaries and prisons can be found around the Lake marking these passages of time.

The following week, we drove back to Virpazer to take a 3 hour boat ride around the lake. We didn’t reserve in advance but it might be wise to do so during the very busy summer months. There are all kinds of vendors selling their tours from small stalls along the main walkway and there is a small market to buy some goodies for the ride.

We chose to go out for 3 hours hoping to see most of the attractions along the way but there are different lengths of time available like 1, 2, 4, and 6 hours (not recommended from a local as “it’s boring”). Unfortunately that’s what we thought of our ride - plain boring. Brent described it as “just a boat ride around a lake” rather than a tour. We were probably going just above neutral the whole trip and there was no commentary. For 90 Euro, the cost we paid for the boat ride, we expected to hear something about the fauna, geology, and the historical sites but we got nothing which is a shame because there is so much to learn about the area. By the way, we were told we had an English speaking captain who would provide some information during the ride.

In the end, we rated this excursion a 2 out of 10. We did see some cool looking birds including the extinct Dalmatian Pelican. Would we recommend the boat tour of Lake Skadar? It wasn’t our cup of tea but it may be for someone who enjoys a slow boat ride and wants to get on the water for a couple of hours.

Following the boat ride, we headed to Albania to see the southern end of Lake Skadar. We drove east from Virpazer which ended up being a really pretty drive as we meandered along the lake and inland through the most gorgeous vineyards. If you have a chance, visit a winery or two in Montenegro. I’m a lover of Malbec from Argentina but the indigenous Vranac is really good!

Our first attempt at the border crossing was unsuccessful as our car rental agreement wasn’t stamped which would have allowed us permission to take the car outside of the country, so we drove back to Ulcinj, got the stamp the next day and crossed successfully that afternoon.

We stopped at Shkoder, Albania and walked the Old City, a few limestone boulevards lined with modern shops, restaurants and coffee shops. We had a quick snack at the EKO Club, a funky little restaurant serving up some really good food in a bohemian atmosphere, before heading to the lakeside a few minutes away. To get there, we had to drive through some pretty poor parts of town with people and animals living in horrific conditions, so by the time we made it to the quaint seaside, I wasn’t in the mood to eat or be joyous. As a middle class couple from Canada having the privilege of travelling, these situations never sit right with me. I know we’ve worked hard for our lives, but we were afforded the opportunity to do just that where so many people can’t even know where to begin simply because of the situation they were born into. It doesn’t seem fair and as travellers we do our best to provide some comfort along the way, but there are days that it sits heavy on my heart - and that happened to be this day. With that, we drove back to Montenegro happy we experienced all that Lake Skadar had to offer us.

Road Trip #3 - Durmitor National Park

Hands down - the most impressive part of the country. Only a few hours drive from Ulcinj, Durmitor National Park was one of the most beautiful areas we’ve visited with a combination of an “Alaskan and Rocky Mountain” feel to it!

Durmitor National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage site and is located within the Dinaric Alps. The terrain and curvy road offered us a scenic and exciting drive to our final destination of Zabljak, our home base for the few days we would be staying in the area.

There is so much to do in Durmitor National Park including fishing, hiking, trekking, mountaineering, and skiing and snowboarding in the winter. Upon our arrival, we headed out for our first hike near Savin Kuk Ski Centre, but we quickly abandoned it as there wasn’t a person in sight, it was late in the afternoon and the trail seemed non-existent. With 150 Km and 25 marked trails to choose from, we aborted the mission and headed to Crno Jezero or Black Lake, the easiest, closest to town, and most populated.

After paying the Durmitor National Park entrance fee, we headed out for the 1.9 km hike around the lake and although considered an easy, family friendly hike, we did encounter many washed out areas and a few waterfalls to cross as it was late Spring. The unexpected terrain made for an adventurous afternoon.

The next day we continued to explore Zmijinje Lake or Snakes Lake, which is one of 18 glacial lakes nicknamed “mountain eyes”. Situated in a pine forest it sits quietly below the cliff mountains and although not swimmable, it’s a serene spot to take a drink of water and contemplate your life.

After reflecting on our lives, we drove another 7 km of gnarly road to the Curvac viewpoint. There is a half day hike to the top but we chose to park at the lot right off the road, and then hike about 1 km to 1650 m above sea level to experience the most spectacular viewpoints of Tara Canyon including the river and nearby villages. This was truly a rewarding experience to end our hiking excursion in Durmitor.

A UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Tara River Canyon is the longest canyon in Montenegro and Europe and second in the world after the Grand Canyon. It is 78 km and 1,300 m at it deepest. Before heading back to Ulcinj, we took a detour back to the Tara Canyon Bridge. This is where you can experience the river and canyon from a raft or zip line, which we did neither. Standing high above the Tara River at 564 ft, we walked most of its’ length of 1,198 ft taking in the breathtaking views of the canyon and surrounding mountains that will leave lasting memories.

Our memories of Montenegro, including these road trips, are ones that will last forever. We are so glad we had to escape the Schengen because we gained new friendships while exploring the natural beauty of the country. We take with us a deepened respect for the natural world around us.

If you want more of Montenegro, and we hope you do, check out our YouTube playlist as it will give you more information on our travels.

Montenegro

Cheers everyone!