Lake Plav, the big glacial lake below the Prokletije

Lake Plav is the reason the town exists and the place everyone who spends a few days in the Prokletije ends up coming back to. MONSTAT gives it 1.99 km², an altitude of 906 metres and a maximum depth of 9.1 metres. Plav Tourist Board claims no glacial lake in Montenegro is bigger, and although I haven’t found another official source making that comparison, MONSTAT’s figures put it well ahead of the glacial lakes of Durmitor or Biogradska Gora.

A lake born in the Prokletije

The tourist board explains that ice and snow hang on in the Prokletije until June, and the meltwater feeds the streams that form the Ljuča, the river flowing into the lake. Its own figures differ slightly from MONSTAT’s, 907 metres, 2 km², an average depth of 3 metres and 9 at its deepest, but they broadly agree. The national tourist board places the town of Plav between the lake shore and the source of the Lim, the river that runs the length of the valley past Andrijevica and Berane.

What strikes me is the scale. It’s a flat, shallow lake fringed with meadows and houses, with Visitor and the Prokletije all around, which makes it somewhere to be rather than just something to look at.

Swimming, paddling and fishing

In summer the water gets warm enough to swim, says the tourist board, and a floating platform serves as the bathing area and the place to hire pedalos, kayaks and rowing boats. The tourist office hires lifeguards in season, which makes it the best spot in the area for a swim with children.

Fishing is the other big draw. The board lists Black Sea trout, glavatica trout, grayling, zander, chub and barbel in the lake and calls it a paradise for fly fishing. You’ll need a licence, as everywhere in Montenegro.

If you are staying the night, see the best hotel deals in Plav for your dates: the well-placed rooms go fast.

The lake in winter

The tourist board says the surface freezes in winter, to the point that you can walk on it. I mention it because it’s part of the lake’s life, but I wouldn’t recommend it, since no official source publishes ice thickness or safety warnings. In winter, the snowy Prokletije and the frozen lake seen from the shore are reason enough to come.

Events and walks from the shore

The lake is also a stage. On 29 May 2026 the 27th International Lim Regatta set off from here on its 134 km run to Prijepolje, and on 15 August the 2nd Plav Triathlon was held. From the shore, the national tourist board suggests easy walks, and Plav is the starting point for the high lakes of the Prokletije, such as Lake Hrid, at 1,970 metres, and Lake Abdija, at 2,054, which the board calls the highest in the country. On the far side of the valley, the road continues to Gusinje and the Ropojana valley beside Vusanje.

So you do not lose the morning at the ticket office, browse tickets and tours in Lake Plav on GetYourGuide.

If you are staying the night, see the best hotel deals in Plav for your dates: the well-placed rooms go fast.