I didn’t find a ton of information while putting together my itinerary for Montenegro, but I did read one article where someone mentioned that Durmitor National Park was the prettiest place there.

After a quick search on Google, I realized that this park would have to be added onto my trip. Most people stick to the main town of Kotor and the coastal areas around Budva, but the mountains of Durmitor offered something different. Durmitor National Park is extremely captivating. Driving through the countryside of wild flowers, small wooden cabins, and tourist-less hiking trails made me catch a different version on Montenegro, and a version that I truly loved.

The Drive

When I rented my car and headed North, I wasn’t expecting the drive to be as beautiful as it was. Montenegro’s landscape is one of the most diverse landscapes I’ve ever seen. You can drive from the beach to a vast area of mountains in under an hour.

Although I was a bit skeptical when Google Maps told me to turn down a road through a grass field, I obliged. I may add that I was glad I purchased car insurance. I was taking this rental over small rocks and bushes, over wild flower fields and onto dirt roads to get to my accommodation for the evening: a small wooden cabin in a Montenegrin families backyard.

My Cabin Stay

I found the cabin on booking.com (you can see it here), and there are tons of other cabins to choose from as well. I highly recommend booking this kind of accommodation if you’re heading to Durmitor. It’s amazing to be so close to the mountains.

My host was happy to show me the place, and the cabin bar he had put together in the back yard. He was also happy to share some of his pear liquor with me, a common drink to make at home in Montenegro. In the morning, he made me a large omelet with fresh mushrooms from his garden, and then I was on my way to Durmitor.

Durmitor National Park

As I drove through the park, it’s almost eerie how few people actually visit there. If you would like some mountains to yourself, this is the place (until the secrets out of course). Driving along the windy road and through groups of cattle, I found a hike that I wanted to do.

For the first hour of the hike, I didn’t see anyone at all. I actually started feeling kind of weird about that.

Then, finally, a dog came out of nowhere to greet me! His owner was following behind and she informed me that the mountain was worth the hike.

And it was. It was one of the coolest views I’ve ever seen.

I’m not sure how mountains get this kind of structure (I suppose glaciers, duh) but I’ve never seen one quite like this.

Afterwards, I planned on getting some drone shots, but unfortunately ended up in a rain storm. I found a shack on the side of the mountain that I went in for food, but found that they only sold pear liquor. I figured I may as well buy two bottles and head to the nearest restaurant.

Unfortunately my stay was cut short due to rain, but if I had more time I would have also liked to visit Tara Canyon. It’s the second deepest canyon in the world. You can also go white water rafting on Tara Canyon (something I wish I could have done).

I highly recommend visiting Durmitor if you are visiting Montenegro. It was one of the prettiest places I saw during my trip and a lot of people don’t make it North to witness it!

If you’re looking for an itinerary for Montenegro, you can view my full Montenegro itinerary here (featuring Kotor, Budva, and Durmitor National Park).

All photos taken with my Sony a6000 and Iphone.