MONTENEGRO: Prokletije National Park

The Prokletije mountains are a range of mountains shared by Albania, Kosovo, and Montenegro. 

It is characterized by its unique border-crossing where the mountains serve as the border between the three countries.

The mountains are also called The Accursed Mountains because they are so inhospitable. 

This rugged and remote region is part of the Albanian Alps.

Prokletije National Park in Montenegro is a stunning park that is home to scenic landscapes with towering peaks and deep gorges. 

We stayed in Plav Lake, nestled at the foot of the Prokletije mountain range.

Plav Lake, like most lakes in Montenegro, it is a glacial lake, formed as the last ice age ended, roughly 10,000 years ago. 

 It is surrounded by green rocky hills and a small town.

It is considered to be the centre of ecotourism in Montenegro.

We had hoped to get to enjoy hikes in Prokletije park, however, the weather was not cooperating.

After a heavy night of rain we decided we’d drive into the mountains and see if we could go hiking or at least a scenic walk. 

The roads were a bit rough. 

Little did we know how bad it would become. 

At one point we decided to turn around. However, it was not possible to get back up the steep incline and turning back to “the devil we know is better than the devil we don’t know” was not an option.

Google maps said we were on this road for the next 17 km. It was the slowest and most stressful and terrifying drive of my life. I was not sure what I was most scared of – smashing the car, getting killed rolling down the cliffs or, surviving and never being the same.  

 

 

 These pictures are the “easy” spots and do not capture the precarious situation we found ourselves in. I give John credit for getting us out of our predicament, and, I give me credit for keeping my mouth shut during it.

We passed a herd of sheep and young shepherds that did not speak English, but, it was clear they were astounded to see a car on their goat paths. They must have thought we were nuts. We did not dispute and were in complete agreement of their assessment.

Eventually it got idyllic and pastoral with signs of life and we were able to “relax” and “enjoy” the drive in the park.

 

 

 

The next couple of days we stuck to tame roads and safe walking paths after our harrowing drive.

We hiked  to The Eye (Oko Skakavice), a brilliant turquoise blue lake.

It is so crystal clear they say you can see to a depth of 8 meters.

We continued hiking through the Ropojana valley

 

Another day we also hiked through the Grebaje Valley.

It is an absolutely beautiful area and we now have boasting rights that we survived Prokletije National Park.

Just barely.