Durmitor National Park: The Complete Visitor Guide

The national park covers some 390 square kilometres around the town of Žabljak, Montenegro's highest at 1,450 metres. Within it sit 18 glacial lakes, locally called gorske oči, or 'mountain eyes', and 48 peaks above 2,000 metres. The highest, Bobotov Kuk, tops out just over 2,500 metres.

Durmitor earned its UNESCO World Heritage status in 1980 for this combination of dramatic glacial landscape and the deep river canyons that frame it. In summer it is a hiking and rafting hub; in winter it becomes Montenegro's main ski resort.

The Black Lake is Durmitor's postcard image and the easiest highlight to reach, a gentle 3.5 km loop on a flat, well-marked path about 20 minutes' walk from Žabljak. Pine forest crowds the shoreline and the bulk of Međed peak reflects in the water on still mornings.

It is an easy walk suitable for families and makes a perfect lunch stop. Arrive before midday in peak season to enjoy it before the coaches arrive.

On the way in or out, most trips stop at the Tara River Canyon, the deepest gorge in Europe at around 1,300 metres and second in the world only to the Grand Canyon. The Đurđevića Tara Bridge, a graceful 1940s concrete arch, spans it at a photogenic point where you can also try a zipline across the canyon.

Durmitor is roughly 2.5 hours from Kotor by road, so a self-drive day is long and tiring. The relaxed option is a guided day trip with transport, which handles the early start, the mountain driving and the park entrance while you enjoy the scenery.