Montenegro may not have been on your travel bucket list, but it very well should be. If you have an adventurous spirit and are a lover of the outdoors you will find boundless opportunities to explore and adventure. It is among one of the most beautiful and quaint countries I have ever had a chance to visit.
What’s even more attractive about the country is the amount of protected forests; at least there seemed to be conscious effort to protect and not develop the entire country with resorts and concrete buildings. The result? Beautiful roadsides and clearly marked trails for miles and miles.
If you ask anyone in Montenegro where the best hikes are, they will probably point you to Durmitor National Park. When we spent 5 days in Durmitor this past September, we stayed in the home of Aljoso where he runs a B&B out with his mother Lilijana.
Elevation: 8,278 ft
Mountain Range: Dinaric Alps
Duration: 7-9 Hours
He seemly knew every single trail in the area and was able to hand draw us maps for every trail he recommended. Of the best trails he recommended to us we were able to complete about three of them while we were there. All were enjoyable and had stunning scenery.
Before arriving in Durmitor, we had read about the alpine terrain of Bobotov Kuk, one of the tallest peaks in Montenegro and decided that we would hike it. The name reminded me of a monstrous character I must have seen in a movie so I was nervous about the hike, especially after reading some of the reviews.
This hike is definitely not for beginners or anyone expecting a leisure walk, but is worthwhile especially once you make it to the peak. In fact just as we headed up the trail from our car a group of hikers were heading back because of an exposed section of trail only 1/4 from the trail head that they weren’t prepared for. The map Aljoso drew us of what to expect once we hit the trail leading to Bobotov Kuk was more or less spot on, but we didn’t expect the trail to be this nerve-wracking from the start.
The hike to the base of the peak took us about 4 hours to reach through green pastures and rocky alpine terrains. The trails were well marked and well maintained so it would be difficult to get steered off trail. We stopped for a break at a water hole filled by rain and realized it was a great spot for echoing!
After our short break, we continued our hike up to a rocky area that we had to cross to climb up to the summit. Crossing over the rocks wasn’t difficult, but because of their relatively small sizes and not stable, I had to be a little more careful. If they were boulders, it would have been much easier and quicker to get passed.
We didn’t have any special gear to climb once we passed the rocky summit, but none was necessary. As long you have good coordination with your footing, you’ll be fine. However, I do recommend a windbreaker jacket and gloves because it was cold and windy even in September because of the high elevation.
Once I made it past the scrambling up back onto a sloped switch back trail, I was officially on my way to the peak of Bobotuv Kuk. When I made it to the half way point from there to the peak, I saw a sign pointing to another trail to Zabljak. If we had started our hike from Zabljak we would have hiked up from the other side of the mountain and possibly hike by several lakes.
The hike from the half way point up to the peak involved a bit more scrambling, but nothing too difficult. After about 10 minutes of hiking up the narrow trail, we made it to the peak! There we found some more breathtaking views of the landscape and mountains off the in the distance. Below us was a beautiful lake called Zeleni Vir which was surrounded by hills.
As long and exhausting the hike to Bobotov Kuk peak is, this is probably one of the most beautiful trails in Montenegro and is extremely rewarding once you make it to the peak.
Tips and Advice for Hiking Bobotov Kuk
I recommend beginning the hike early in the morning, no later than 10 am and packing a few snacks and a lunch as well as water. There is nowhere to fill up unless you have a filter and make it to the water hole and that of course depends on the year’s rainfall. Wear sturdy and comfortable shoes, a windbreaker, hat or beanie and a long sleeve. The mountain range is prone to lightening and thunderstorms so be prepared for any type of weather. I don’t recommend the hike in rainy conditions because it can be very slippery so check the weather report the night before and the morning of and there is virtually nowhere to take cover.
If you are in Bosnia and Herzegovina, there are buses from Sarajevo to Zabljak so if you wanted to come directly from there, you can plan to stay in Zabljak for one night and hike out to Bobotov Kuk the next day.
Elevation: 8,278 ft
Mountain Range: Dinaric Alps
Duration: 7-9 Hours
Have you ever hiked or plan to hike Bobotov Kuk?
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What a beautiful place! I think I will have to plan a hike there now. So pretty! Are the red circles on the rocks trail markings?
It’s an extremely rewarding hike and I bet you would love it. The red circles are trail markings, I think that a few countries in Europe use the same trail marking system. Usually they’re much more scattered than they are in the photo, but if you ever think you veered off trail you magically come across one of the marks and know you’re going the right way!
Breath-taking pics and vistas! Thx for sharing, as I don’t think I’ll be making that trek anytime soon.
Thank you!
Some more stunning images!
Wish we’d spent more time there, than the all too brief day we had on the Montenegran coast!
My husband is from Montenegro and we’re fortunate to visit every year. We were near Bobotuv Kuk a few weeks ago and we made a family pledge to hike there next summer; it is indeed as beautiful as your photos indicate. I was hoping you could share details on the best paths/approaches or any other advice you could offer. I have one year to train, which I hope is enough considering that currently a flight of stair winds me. Regards, Susan
Hi Susan! You should most definitely stick to your pledge of climbing up to Bobotuv Kuk! It’s absolutely beautiful and well worth it. For the most part all of the trails are well marked and well walked upon so there are only one or two instances where you might stop and search for when the trail starts up again. We started the hike at the trail head about 10 miles away from the town, so we drove there with our rental and parked at the trail head, then had to climb a somewhat steep and narrow path at the start.
The other option is to begin by Crno Jezero which is that beautiful lake at the entrance of the park in Zabljak. I do not know of the conditions of the trails from that point, so I can only speak from the trail head that we drove to which is also a common start point. If you start early and stick to a comfortable pace, where you take stops here and there, snack a bit and stay hydrated, you will get pass the first 3 hours perfectly fine, especially if you have been exercising and training a bit before hand to get your endurance up.
There is a portion where you will have to scramble over some medium-size boulders and loose pebbles so I would recommend trekking poles or a walking stick. You may be able to rent them from an outdoor store in town or bring one from home. I think you can purchase cheap pair from Marshall or Big 5. I did not have any but I could see where I would have benefited from it for extra balance support. That portion may take about 15-20 minutes to get through and after that you begin to ascend up a bit of a steep trail, but you can take your time and rest at different points. I would say going up and going down that portion is the most difficult portion of the hike so if you work on your endurance and also balance, I think that would make the hike much more enjoyable. I’m going to check to see if I have photos of those parts of the hike so I can send to you. In any case, I hope you get to do it next summer, it truly is a great experience and Zabljak is such an lovely town! 🙂
Thank you very much for this post! It is very useful for somebody who planning his trip/hiking in this area.
Susan, Wow! Stunning views…it definitely looks worth it. How long would you say this hike was from start to finish?
I visited rainy Montenegro in 2012, and it was just stunning. We drove into Kosovo, across the mountains and saw a very similar landscape.
Woa! That reminds me a lot of the Yellow Mountains in China. Thats awesome, we always love a good hike!
What a gorgeous landscape! Looked like it was a perfect weather for a hike, too. Thanks for introducing us to Montenegro.
Nice! I spent only 2 days in Durmitor last summer and it is beautiful. Couldn´t do any of the big hikes but even on small day trips it was worth it, i loved it there!
This looks amazing, as climbers this is somewhere we would absolutely love! Thinking about visiting this area later on in the year if plans come together and this is somewhere we would add to our plans. Stunning landscape.
Wow! So much respect. I really hope we get fit enough to do something like this one day!
Thats a stunning place to go for a hike. So perfect for hiking activities 🙂 beautiful photos btw 🙂
Stunning, and getting me excited for my trip to Montenegro in May! I will definitely be attempting this hike!
That is some serious hiking but the views rewarded are fabulous. Glad you enjoyed.
Amazing views! It seems a very nice place to hike!
I’m seeing more and more on Montenegro recently, definitely a very up and coming destination so we should probably all go quickly before it becomes too well know. Looks like an amazing hike, and I love the rock folds in your photo. Walking and geology, what more could a girl ask for?!
I’ve always had a deep desire to visit Montenegro and whilst I’m not a big hiking fan, you make it look so spectacular. Such a fun way to explore Montenegro through your eyes until I visit one day. Great photos too!
I am fond of hiking, so everytime I read about nice trails, it makes my eyes sparkle. I enjoyed this photo walk through this lovely trail in Montenegro, I bookmarked it!
I like to hike. I love seeing the landscape of nature and urbanity from a different perspective. This looks like it was AMAZING, spiritual. The rock formations, greenery, endless horizons, and wild animals make me wish I were right there with you. But honestly, I have to say, I think (know) this hike would’ve kicked my ass! So thanks for doing the hard work for us so that we could gawk at all that beauty. 😉
Hiked to the top when I was there too a few weeks ago (staying at Hiker’s Den) and absolutely loved it! Unlike any terrain I’ve ever hiked in, and the views are definitely just as good as in all your pictures. Would recommend this hike to anyone going through the Balkans. We actually got a cheap taxi from Zabljak to Sedlo and started from there, and then hiked down rocks all the way back down to Zabljak (definitely an adventure). Love this post -thanks for featuring this hike!
Hey guys!! We used your post to help us hike Bobotov Kuk last summer! Looks like you guys had the awesome mountain dogs on the trail too 🙂 We just wanted to share our post about our experience + a few of our other favorite Montenegro adventures!
https://mrandmrsadventure.com/2017/05/11/adventures-in-montenegro/
Hi Brittany, thank you so much for sharing that! I just checked out your article, beautiful photos of Montenegro. I wish I was there now 🙂