Ziplining in Montenegro, from the Tara bridge to Piva Lake

Montenegro has deep canyons, lakes tucked between mountains and a coastline that looks best from above, so it’s no surprise ziplines have caught on. The Žabljak tourist board says that in recent years ziplining has become one of the most popular adventure activities around Durmitor. The national tourist board counts five lines across the country, each with its own view.

The two Tara ziplines

The best known are beside the Đurđevića Tara bridge, inside Durmitor National Park. There are two, the yellow line with an 824 m cable and the green with 1,050 m, and they cross the Tara canyon about 150 m up, according to the national tourist board. There’s no need to book, and they’ll film your ride if you ask. The bridge itself, a five-arched concrete span 365 m long, was finished in 1940, partly blown up during the war and rebuilt afterwards, and the tourist board ranks it among Europe’s most beautiful. It stands at the junction of the roads from Mojkovac, Žabljak and Pljevlja, so it slots into any route through the north. Beneath it runs a 78 km canyon, from the mouth of the Bistrica to Šćepan Polje, which reaches 1,333 m deep between Obzor and Štuoc, according to the same source. From the line you look down on the river between walls of rock and forest, and plenty of rafting trips set off from the same spot.

Piva Lake, the longest

At Plužine, in Piva Nature Park, is the country’s longest zipline, on a 1,400 m cable. You fly at up to 65 km/h over Piva Lake, a turquoise so intense it looks edited. It isn’t a natural lake but a reservoir, 112.5 km² and up to 187.5 m deep according to MONSTAT, the national statistics office, and from up on the cable you see how tightly it’s wedged between rock walls. It starts beside a restaurant with free parking, so it’s easy to fit in on the way to Durmitor or towards Bosnia and Herzegovina via Šćepan Polje.

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

Njeguši, above the Bay of Kotor

The Njeguši zipline sits 980 m above sea level on the road from Njeguši down to Kotor, in Lovćen National Park. It’s a 420 m cable and the ride lasts about 45 seconds, with the Bay of Kotor laid out below. The tourist board says transport can be arranged from Budva, Tivat, Kotor, Perast or Risan. Njeguši is also the home of pršut, cheese and mead, and its hamlet of Erakovići holds the houses of the Petrović family, who gave the country seven rulers, according to Lovćen National Park, and it’s close to Njegoš’s mausoleum and Cetinje.

Brajići, above Budva

At Brajići, in the hills above the Budva Riviera, there’s a 1,200 m zipline looking out over the open sea. It runs from April to October, parking is free and, if you’re staying in or near Budva, they can pick you up.

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

Good to know

A professional fits your harness and no experience is needed. The official page doesn’t publish prices or opening times, so you’ll have to ask at each site. If you’re short on time, I’d plan the day like this, the Tara bridge viewpoint first, then the zipline, and rafting or the drive to Žabljak in the afternoon. The rafting season on the Tara lasts from April to October; the national tourist board reckons on about €70 each for a day and a two-day trip at €90 or more, between Brštanovica and Šćepan Polje, 18 km in all. And if you’ve hired a car, remember Montenegro drives on the right and the secondary roads aren’t always in good shape, so give yourself extra time on the road.

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