Montenegro's five national parks and which one to pick

To me, the national parks are the best reason to see Montenegro beyond the coast, and they’re cheap. There are five, each with a different landscape, and entry runs from €3 to €5 per person per day. Here they are with the tariffs of the National Parks, the public company that runs them, and my own view on which to choose.

Five parks from three eras

The first three, Durmitor, Lovćen and Biogradska Gora, were declared in 1952. Lake Skadar followed in 1983 and Prokletije, on the borders with Albania and Kosovo, in 2009. The National Tourism Organisation reckons the five together cover 8% of the country.

They all price things the same way. You pay a daily entry fee per person that covers the visitor centre and trails, and services such as a guide, bike, boat or campsite are charged on top. Where the park charges for parking, it’s €1 an hour.

Durmitor, the mountains

The largest, at 39,000 hectares between 500 and 2,523 m, and the only one that’s also World Heritage, since 1980. UNESCO describes glacial lakes, the Tara Canyon and an old-growth black pine forest, and the park runs 25 waymarked routes adding up to around 150 km. Entry is €5, a rowing boat on the Black Lake €10 an hour, and the organised scenic loop €20 by minibus or €30 by 4x4 with entry included. If you can only do one, make it this, covered in full in Durmitor National Park.

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

Lake Skadar, the water

The odd one out. The lake spreads to 370 km² in summer, according to the National Tourism Organisation, and is home to around 280 bird species. There are visitor centres at Vranjina and Virpazar and boat trips from several jetties. What I like most is that the park rents you the kayak directly, at €3 an hour for one person or €5 for two. Entry is €5. See Lake Skadar.

Biogradska Gora, the forest

Near Kolašin, it protects 5,650 hectares, including a 1,600-hectare primeval forest reserve that, according to the National Tourism Organisation, King Nikola protected in 1878. Trees here exceed 40 m and reach 500 years old around Lake Biograd, at 1,094 m, and entry is €4. For an easy day out, this is my choice, with a boat on the lake and the educational trail around it. Details are in Biogradska Gora.

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

Lovćen, the balcony over the bay

The smallest of the five, 6,220 hectares between 939 and 1,749 m, and the closest to the coast. At the top, on Jezerski vrh, stands the Njegoš Mausoleum, and the National Parks list more than a dozen viewpoints. Entry is €3. From Kotor you can drive up the hairpins towards Njeguši or take the cable car from Dub to Kuk. It’s all in Lovćen National Park.

Prokletije, high mountains without the crowds

The youngest and least visited. Zla Kolata, at 2,534 m, is the country’s highest peak according to the National Tourism Organisation, and it stands here among a score or more of summits over 2,500 m. The walking valleys are Grbaja and Ropojana, and entry is €3. Its area has no clear official figure, so I won’t give one. To plan it, start with Prokletije National Park.

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

When to go, and which I’d choose

They don’t share a season. The National Tourism Organisation lists Durmitor for spring, summer and winter, since in winter it doubles as a ski area from Žabljak, with Savin Kuk 6 km from town. I’d see Lake Skadar between spring and autumn, when a boat trip is most inviting, and leave Lovćen and Prokletije for the snow-free months, as their trails are proper mountain paths. In 2024 MONSTAT recorded 71 days of snow cover at Kolašin, the weather station nearest Biogradska Gora.

With a week, I’d do Durmitor and Lake Skadar, the two that differ most from each other. With ten days, I’d add Biogradska Gora on the way north and Prokletije if I enjoyed walking. Lovćen I’d keep for a morning out of Kotor, ideally on a clear day for the views. And in all of them I’d follow gov.uk’s advice, which mentions hikers going missing off the waymarked paths and suggests leaving your route with someone and keeping your phone charged.