Monday 15th September 2025 – Border crossing was easy. No Montenegro border at all. We drove expecting it and had to turn back to buy insurance. No customs checks either.
Montenegro immediately seems more developed than Albania. We drove along the coast and there are plenty of white painted resort apartment blocks. We have stopped at a small campsite south of Buljarica. The beach is not far:
Tonight’s sunset:
Heard wolves howling in the night!
Tuesday 16th September 2025 – walked down to the beach. Saw a family of Indian mongoose on the way, an invasive species that arrived here in the 1980s. Hadn’t expected that.
Wednesday 17th September 2025 – we plan to do the Kotor serpentine road today. A series of switchbacks. Coaches are in theory banned from the road in both directions but apparently they use it anyway!
We only met one coach on the serpentine road. However the lunatic behind me who had been hooting and weaving from side to side decided to overtake at the bend where the coach was stopped! He was hoist on his own petard and had to reverse all the way back!
View from half way up:
Section of part of the serpentine road from above:
View from the top:
The valley view (there is even an international airport down there where Easyjet fly to):
We visited the village of Njegusi renowned for its ham and other produce. We tasted their delicious honey and prosciutto and bought some of the latter.
We are staying at Odeva eco resort which is owned by a Montenegrin who has a cafe in Kingston upon Thames. We plan to eat in the restaurant even though it is a little expensive. It claims to be local ingredients and has good reviews. Service finishes at 8pm which is quite early but not unusual in the Balkans.
Food proved disappointing and even lukewarm (waiters were very slow).
Thursday 18th September 2025 – visited the Ostrog Monastery, not as fine as some we have seen but we have been spoilt. There is an upper and a lower monastery. Amused to see the monks on their mobile phones! The upper monastery built into the rock:
The lower monastery:
Quite a drive up to the monastery with lots of switchbacks.
We have driven on through amazing mountain scenery to Ivan do (Ivan valley) seemingly named after me, or the other way round! It is in the Dormitor national park. Much cooler here as we are at 1,460 metres and there is a wind. Having to put on trousers for the first time in months!
Friday 19th September 2025 – cold in the night this high up, only six degrees. So glad we bought a blanket in Macedonia! Should be 20 degrees during the day though. Going for a walk around the black lake. Morning sun on the mountain above where we are staying:
Had to get a Montenegrin SIM card. The Albanian one claimed to roam and it did for a short time before cutting off. We have had this problem before, they all claim to roam across the Balkans except they don’t!
Montenegin was only recognised as a separate language in 2004 even though it is basically Serbo-Croat. It doesn’t feature on Google translate even though Serbian, Bosnian and Croatian do. The separation is mostly political and cultural although there are distinct national standards.
We walked around the black and small lake, beautiful colour of water and great reflections:
Lovely coniferous woodland to walk through around the lakes. Some great dog lichen for the biologists out there:
Afternoon walk to another lake called Jezero through some primary forest. There are red squirrels here and Mosor rock lizards. Lots of dragonflies by the lake.
Saturday 20th September 2025 – visited the Tara river bridge to see the gorge. The bridge is in rather a sorry state. It is having some repairs but looks as if it needs replacing.
We did half of the Dormitor ring. Around 30 kilometres of the most breathtaking scenery. Definitely a highlight of Montenegro and the Balkans. Sedlena Greda (or Tthe saddle) is the highest point at 1,907 metres.
There were Bilberry plants and juniper growing on the rocks:
Amazing 360 degree views:
We ate dinner at the campsite. The lady owner had made all the food herself. Different kinds of cheese, exceptional homemade bread (a giant square shape that fits the oven!). Stuffed peppers with rice and veal mince with paprika. Met a Norwegian motorcyclist called Bendik. He is travelling the Balkans on his Africa Twin motorcycle that has had 13 owners and has done 108,000 kilometres! It has been to Croatia three times.
Sunday 21st September 2025 – we visited the stunning Piva Lake (Pivsko Jezero):
Panoramic:
The road to the lake goes through a number of tunnels through the rock of the mountains. There are even switchbacks inside 2 of the tunnels!
We then visited the 15th Century Piva monastery which was moved stone by stone including frescoes over 13 years in the 1970s and 80s. An extraordinary achievement, incredibly well done. The outside:
The inside includes a huge gold cross apparently procured with 19 oxen!
There is an extraordinary door with inlaid panels with Ivory and bone:
Unusually photographs are permitted inside the church here. Many Montenegrins were there kissing the images of Saints following complex patterns of genuflecting repeatedly and putting their hand down in between.
The road sign for cows in Montenegro makes me laugh, they have curiously square noses! Maybe the real ones do too?!
