Montenegro

A fairly tale like land…

Montenegro is a magical place sandwiched in between Croatia, Bosnia, Serbia, Albania and the crystal blue seas of the Adriatic, but beware, the rough-around-the-edges charm of this mountainous, colourful, unique and friendly land can leave the unsuspecting holiday maker speechless.

This is a tiny country of 3 distinct and diverse regions; a coast line with a backdrop of steep rising mountains, a middle territory of karst hinterland and the serene Skadar Lake, and a northern region of canyons, forests, glacial lakes and lush green plateaus.

A 290km coastline stretches from the beaches of Ada Bojana, the ancient old town of Bar and the iconic island town of Sveti Stefan on to Budva, the eastern Adriatic’s oldest town, the stunning fjord-like Boka Katorska Bay, the remnants of the Illyrian town of Risan, finally ending in Herceg Novi, the sun soaked city of flowers.

Immediately inland, a karst and mountainous terrain culminates in the famous Black Mountain of Lovcen National Park (after which Montenegro derives its name) and upon which the mausoleum of Petar II Njegoš, Montenegro’s most famous king, lies. This mausoleum, placed at the top of this mountain, has come to represent Montenegrin national identity, a monument to heroism and the steadfastness of the Montenegrin people who proved indomitable, and of a mountainous land that was insurmountable, to their enemies throughout history.

From Lovcen National Park it’s a short distance down through Cetinje, the ancient capital, Rijeka Crnojevića, the holiday village of the Montenegrin royal family when trying to escape the hot summer months, to Skadar Lake National Park, a water lilly and carp filled lake and expanse that is home to over 130 species of bird and which forms one of Montenegro’s most distinct and breath taking landscapes.

Beyond the city of Niksic in the north the Nevidio Canyon leads to Durmitor National Park and the Tara River canyon. In contrast to the hot and busy coastline, the cooler northern region currently attracts only 5% of the countries visitors. However, if you’ve set your wandering sights on capturing the true beauty of Montenegro, your journey must take you to up to the UNESCO protected world heritage site of Durmitor National Park.

Montenegro is place a to be missed at the adventurer’s and nature lovers’ peril!

Country Info

GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION: MIDDLE MEDITERRANEAN, SOUTHERN EUROPE

TERRITORY: 13.812 km2

POPULATION: 662,000

CAPITAL CITY: PODGORICA – ADMINISTRATIVE AND ECONOMIC CENTER

SECOND MAIN TOWN: CETINJE – HISTORICAL AND CULTURE CENTER

LENGTH OF SEASIDE: 293 km

LENGTH OF BEACHES: 52 km

LONGEST BEACH: BIG BEACH, ULCINJ 13.000 m

HIGHEST PEAK: BOBOTOV KUK, DURMITOR 2.523 m

LARGEST LAKE: SKADAR 391 km2

DEEPEST CANYON: TARA RIVER-1.300 m

LARGEST INLET: BOKA KOTORSKA

TIME ZONE: GMT+1

ELECTRICITY: 220V/50Hz

CURRENCY: EURO

CREDIT CARDS: DINERS CLUB, VISA, MASTER CARD