Đalovića Cave, Montenegro's longest

Đalovića is Montenegro’s great cave, and one that very few people have seen from the inside. The national tourist board credits it with 17,500 metres of explored passages, ranks it the country’s longest and gives it more space than any other cave, but it’s clear that for now only cavers with a permit can go in. I’ve written this page so you know what’s there and what you can realistically do, which aren’t the same thing.

Where it is

Its mouth is in the gorge it’s named after, close to Bijelo Polje, on the slopes of the Pešter plateau. The national tourist board also calls it the cave above Vražji firovi, a stretch of the gorge, and describes untouched surroundings with an ecosystem of their own, which earned it protection as a natural monument. The board features it on its Bijelo Polje page, «the town of caves», alongside the Novakovića and Osoja caves.

What’s inside

The figures the national tourist board publishes are striking. The largest lake, Dugo jezero, is 220 metres long. The tallest stalagmite, Monolit, stands 18 metres, the height of a six-storey building and a national record. The biggest chamber, Veliki brat, is 100 metres long and 40 wide, the size of a football pitch, and the longest channel, Dugi kanal, runs about 5 km.

The same source talks of flooded channels, lakes crossed in small inflatable boats, siphons, chambers more than 30 metres high, tall stalactites and stalagmites, and very rare formations such as crystal roses. It also warns that only the most experienced cavers can tackle it.

Once your dates are set, check which hotels are still free in Bijelo Polje before prices climb.

Can you visit?

Not as a tourist. The national tourist board says Lipa is the only cave in Montenegro open for organised visits, and that others can be entered only with permission from the Environmental Protection Agency, with an experienced caver and as an expedition. Lipa does run hour-long tours that start on a little tourist train and carry on with a guide. If you want to go underground on your trip, the realistic option is Lipa Cave, near Cetinje.

The plan to open it

Bijelo Polje has a project under way to turn the cave into an attraction. On 16 September 2026 the municipality reported a meeting with the ministry and the Real Estate Administration to clear trees on two plots along the route of the Nedakusi to Bistrica power line. That line is needed for the cable car and the future cave complex. The mayor, Petar Smolović, presented it, together with the Cmiljača ski resort, as Bijelo Polje’s future. No opening date has been published, so don’t build a trip around it.

In the meantime, the area is best enjoyed from outside. Bijelo Polje has a direct train from Podgorica, and the Lim valley is good for fishing and paddling. For the rest of the region, see the guide to northern Montenegro.

If you would rather have a local show you round, book a guided tour in Đalovića Cave and choose by the reviews.

Once your dates are set, check which hotels are still free in Bijelo Polje before prices climb.