The city of Podgorica, the capital and largest city in Montenegro (known locally as Crna Gora), is at the heart of an area overflowing with geological wonders. It is, therefore, a great base from which to make half- and full-day excursions, as well as overnight tours, as most companies operate out of this important centre.

Grab one (of many) fishing boats and head to the centre of Montenegro's Skadar Lake, where the fishing (or lazing) opportunities are as copious as the waters. Photo courtesy of Montenegro Adventures

Alluring Lakes

Perhaps the most famous Podgorica ecotourism attraction is the vast Skadar Lake National Park, encompassing a lake the surrounding landscape of which has remained unspoiled for millions of years, preserving stunning primeval forests.

This includes the stunning Pavlova Strana, a moat-like lake formed by the river Crnojevića where it etches a wide arc between two mountains. This location has been crowned “one of the most beautiful geographical wonders in the world,” where the river is like a ribbon of blue-black against what locals call the emerald pyramids. Make sure to take time to drink in the view, best when crowds of camera-toting tourists aren’t jostling for the perfect shot.

The feeling of isolation possible in Montenegro is almost unrivalled in Europe. You can take a boat cruise to the centre of Skadar and see no one else for miles, afloat alone with nature as it was meant to be. Skadar Lake is a also famous amongst anglers, so you might want to try your hand at fishing here; carp are as abundant as the trout and bleak. Fish by day or by night with harpoons, nets or lines. Take what you catch back to your hotel and fry it by the lakeside. For the full experience, stay at Vranjina, a famous fishermen’s community.

Durmitor's Black Lake, part of Montenegro's exceptional untouched wilderness, has been made all the more mysterious by the folklore about it. Photo courtesy of Montenegro Adventures

Of course, Skadar isn’t the only place where you can fish. Along the Adriatic Sea, you can find dentex, mullet, sea perch, sardelle, red porgy, lobsters, shrimps, cuttlefish, octopus and squids (among others). Inland, famous freshwater rivers like the Moraca, Bojana and Piva are all packed with fish.

Phenomenal Parks

Montenegro boasts five national parks and extended buffer zones around them. Adjacent to Durmitor National Park is the magnificent Nevidio Canyon, the most recent canyon to have been discovered in Europe. A canyoning experience in the Nevidio (meaning ‘Unseen’) is a test for even the most hardened adrenaline seekers. Visitors should be prepared to abseil down a rock face (only in the summer months) when the water is at its highest, climb steep cliffs, swim through rapids and traverse towering waterfalls. You don’t need any special training (beyond knowing how to swim) and instructors are well versed in all safety precautions.

If you prefer to test your ecotourism mettle in a more controlled setting, there’s always the Ivanova Korita Adventure Park. This proving ground has seven different ‘paths’ through Lovcen National Park, where, as animals look on, you can balance from tree-high cables, jump from platform to platform or swing from tree to tree. There’s plenty for the whole family, with courses ranging from one to 15 metres in height, depending upon participants’ ages. The park, which includes overnight lodging in bungalows, meets European safety standards so first-timers need not be afraid.

For anyone keen on a test of mettle, the Tara River cuts through some of the most unsploied nature in Europe. Photo courtesy of Montenegro Adventures

Riveting Rides

One key must-see site on any Montenegro visit is the Tara River, at the heart of Durmitor National Park. A raft down the Tara takes you through untouched beech forests on undulating rapids that range from breathtaking white water to languid calms prefect for photo ops. You also pass by waterfalls and campgrounds where most Tara River tours stop for lunch.

Another popular Podgorica ecotourism option is a jeep safari through the Durmitor Massif, a wide plain punctuated by mountains reaching as high as 2,500 metres, 18 glacial lakes and vistas that rival those in the Alps. Here you can visit traditional villages or eat lunch with locals by the famous Black Lake. In 1980, UNESCO listed this 390-square-kilometre Durmitor National Park as a World Heritage site. Durmitor is a great place to begin one’s trip to the Tara River, the deepest canyon in Europe.

Great in Any Season

The black mountains and crystal waters surrounding Podgorica are particularly entrancing in summer. At this time of year, Montenegro blossoms and most Podgorica tours and Podgorica hotels are eager to welcome tourists. You may with to combine a holiday in Podgorica with a trip to the famed beach town of Budva.

Climb or traverse the deepest canyon in Europe, created by Tara River, one of Montenegro's great natural wonders. Photo courtesy of Montenegro Adventures

Although summer is the peak season, if you’re looking ecotourism experience in nature’s rawest state in a country nearly empty of tourists, Montenegro also offers winter sports. For skiers and ice climbers, Montenegro’s unspoilt conditions are beyond compare.

Thinking of going to Montenegro? Contact award-winning Montenegro Adventures, the whl.travel local connection in Podgorica, as well as in Budva and the Bay of Kotor, for tours, accommodation and a load of the kinds of hints you could only get from a local.

Apparently, that same website has been instrumental in capturing some of the same sense brilliance in “this small but fabulous destination.” Late last year, it was awarded the country’s Wild Beauty Award 2010 for Best Tourism Website.

The Montenegro Adventures team accepts their Wild Beauty Award 2010 for Best Tourism Website in Montenegro

“We are aware that our work has just begun, and we have so many plans for the future. We hope that we will be able to attract a growing number of independent travellers to Montenegro, to explore new markets. But we still have a lot to learn – the whole project is a big learning exercise for our team,” said Slavica Vukcevic, Executive Director of Montenegro Adventures. “The plan is to expand by working with a much larger number of accommodation providers, and to add various other products and services, but also we would like to post more content about different regions, traditions, culture, events, etc. We have been listening intently to all the feedback we received from our clients and will respond to many of the given suggestions in the next year.”

Wild and Beautiful

First organized in 2005 by the National Tourism Organization of Montenegro under the auspices of the President of Montenegro, the Wild Beauty Award was created with the aim of improving the image of Montenegro by promoting excellence and raising the quality of the county’s tourism sector. The awards cover everything from hotels, tourism companies and campaigns to events, projects, websites and more.

The 2010 award ceremony was held in the Government House (Vladin Dom) of Cetinje, the historic capital of Old Royal Montenegro. The building was built in 1910, the same year in which Montenegro was proclaimed a kingdom, making the awards of 2010 part of a centennial celebration.

Despite the importance of the year, the awards this year were relatively understated. In a break from routine, the National Tourism Organization decided to donate part of the resources budgeted for this occasion to the Rijeka Crnojevica community, which suffered terribly during recent floods.

King Nikola and Queen Milena in front of the Vladin Dom of Cetinje on August 28, 1910, the day of the proclamation of the Kingdom of Montenegro

Montenegro Adventures

Montenegro Adventures was established by the Centre for Sustainable Tourism Initiatives (CSTI), a local Montenegrin NGO founded as a lasting actor in the development and promotion of tourism in Montenegro. CSTI went on to develop more than 40 unique tours, most of them adventure-based or eco-cultural in orientation, some in remote parts of the country; high-quality promotional materials; and strong partnerships on the ground with local communities, national government bodies and key organisations abroad.

As demand for CSTI-developed tourism products grew, two needs were identified. First, independent travellers and small groups were asking to travel, but, second, “All of our tours were just sitting around unused,” said Vukcevic. “We had tested the tours – advertised them, taken a few people and journalists on them – and we thought local operators would carry on the tours. But they didn’t.” And so, Montenegro Adventures was born.

Whereas CSTI is an NGO that develops responsible and sustainable tourism products, Montenegro Adventures is a for-profit tourism agency that sells those products. However, their desired end result – using sustainable and responsible travel practices to improve the quality of life in Montenegro, preserve cultural heritage and protect the environment – is refreshingly the same.

Montenegro Adventures went on to sign a contract with the International Finance Corporation (IFC is a member of the World Bank Group) and whl.travel, for which it is the local partner in Montenegro and oversees three accommodation- and tour-booking destination portals covering Montenegro’s capital city of Podgorica and its surrounding mountains, the elegant seaside Budva and southern Montenegro and the Bay of Kotor.

The Montenegro Adventures and its three associated whl.travel websites were honoured with the Wild Beauty Award 2010

Looking Ahead

It was “during our work on these destination-management portals that we realized how important it is to cooperate with different institutions and businesses,” explained Vukcevic. “So far we have invested huge effort in travelling throughout Montenegro, working on different products and services, and working with different accommodation providers. In 2011, we plan to focus on transfers and tours, but also we would like to continue supporting the efforts of local tourism organisations and event organisers to promote local traditional events throughout Montenegro.”

As a young but conscientious company with lots of momentum, Montenegro Adventures is also committed to improving the business environment in Montenegro. “We are a relatively new company (almost a startup), but we think helping to streamline administrative processes and promote operational improvements for the benefit of all small and medium enterprises is a must,” concluded Vukcevic. “For that reason, we are actively participating in several working groups organised by the National Tourism Organization or the Ministry of Tourism, such as the Hiking and Biking Development Project, the Montenegro Convention Bureau and, lately, the MOA (a very informal name for a group of Montenegrin outdoor agencies). We have also recently been recognized by SNV (the Dutch Development Organization) as one of their ‘local capacity builders’ – trainers/consultants active in different projects related to enhancing the economic potential and capacity building of small enterprises in the tourism sector.”

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Situated in the southeastern Europe, the Balkans is fast becoming one of the most popular destinations for intrepid travellers. It’s a region of incredible untouched nature, delectable cuisines, rich historical lands begging for exploration and understanding, cool ocean breezes across golden sandy beaches, awe-inspiring mountain peaks dotted with centuries-old villages and genuinely friendly and smiling locals. The Balkans is also now quite a safe place to travel, so there’s no excuse not to visit this wonderful part of the world.

The Stari Most (Old Bridge) of Mostar, Bosnia-Herzegovina, spans the Neretva River. Originally built during the Ottoman era, it was destroyed during the Bosnian-Herzegovian War and then rebuilt according to the old design and using as much of the recovered original stone as possible. The bridge and surrounding historic neighbourhoods are now a World Heritage Site.

Bringing new Balkan travel experiences to visitors in the region has been one driving mission of the International Finance Corporation Advisory Services in Europe and Central Asia (IFC is a member of the World Bank Group), along with the WHL Group and local stakeholders. Working together since 2008 to develop tourism market readiness and infrastructure, these partners have, through a Balkan Hotel Market Access Program, succeeded in improving access to the region for independent travellers who prefer to book and pay for services online.

The project targeted eight destinations in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and Albania for which Web-based travel portals were developed. In each destination, a local operator was carefully selected to own and operate the website, with follow-up support in technical development and web marketing provided by whl.travel (part of the WHL Group). It was not all about building websites though; the hard work fell to the local stakeholders, who worked directly with small accommodation owners unfamiliar with new technologies and therefore more reliant on traditional marketing. Despite the obstacles, Sarajevo and Medjugorje in Bosnia and Herzegovina; the Bay of Kotor, Budva and Podgorica in Montenegro; and Tirana and Shkoder and the Albanian Alps in Albania are now directly connected to the global e-marketplace.

A screen shot of the Tirana, Albania, website

After just one year of operation, the Web portals made possible by the Balkan Hotel Market Access Program had already generated over €105,000 for small accommodation and tour operators in the region. With over 150,000 unique visitors and some 620,000 page visits, the project had far exceeded expectations. The ongoing impact of the project is now also expected to be significant, having spurred commercial development in new destinations across Slovenia, Serbia, Croatia, Macedonia and further destinations in Albania.

“We managed to achieve all program objectives and the project has been recognized by the IFC management as successful and efficient with significant impact on regional tourism development,” praised Denis Mesihovic, IFC Program Coordinator. “The fact that the program revenue for the first year of the operations was three times higher that the program budget and expenses speaks for itself.”

This is no time to rest on one’s laurels though. “While giant strides have been made with the development of the region’s first online e-commerce enabled booking portals, there is still quite a bit of work that can be done at the product level,” said Zachary Rozga, CEO of WHL Consulting (once a WHL Group company), the entity that managed the project for IFC. “As with many new and emerging tourism destinations, targeted assistance needs to be delivered to the individual hotels, B&Bs and guesthouses on issues like pricing and commissions, digital content development and e-commerce distribution.”

The tourism scene in Montenegro is still mainly focused on the country’s gorgeous coastline, where boats and beachgoers flock to the sparkling Adriatic Sea. But the government is now trying to find ways to bring responsible, sustainable tourism and nature-travelers into the country’s northern areas, hoping to extend the economic benefits of tourism to more remote areas, without trashing the place in the process.

Hiking in the Prokletije Mountains of eastern Montenegro. Photo courtesy of Montenegro Adventures

We spent three weeks in Montenegro in June 2008 – and the highlight was a bike trip that roughly followed “Top Trail 4″ in this map, which you can order here. We also spent a couple weeks hiking, rafting and exploring the country by car, while based out of Kolasin.

Our Suggestion

On your next two-week holiday be brave and book yourself a flight to Podgorica, Montenegro. Take the first day to get your bearings in this capital city before starting your explorations of this compact, mountainous country, which we were told ‘would be as big as Russia, if you ironed it.’

The road out of Podgorica into the mountains gets rocky fast. Our group headed out with bikes on a trailer uphill past the historic village of Medun, the site of numerous struggles throughout the ages. (Montenegro’s history is bursting with stories of treachery, bravery and stoic survival throughout its various periods – Illyrian, Roman, Slavic, Venetian and Turkish.)

On Two Wheels

Mountain bikers on a Montenegro Adventures 14-day pilot biking tour designed in cooperation with the National Tourism Organization. Photo courtesy of Montenegro Adventures

Biking through the karst mountain areas, with the views to Prokletije (the word literally means ‘damned’) mountain range, the evidence of glacial erosion is beautiful: gray rock swirls and dips with such dramatic force it looks as though it’s flowing and moving. These steep, difficult mountains have kept the area uninhabited except for a few scattered katuns (groups of houses) with horses roaming in the green fields, and the views for bikers and hikers are rarely obstructed by any man-made constructions.

Bike tours can last as long as you wish and will take you through country that’s both rugged and gentle. I went crazy one day in the fields of wildflowers – yellow, purple and blue – the blossoms foaming over the edges of the dirt cliffs. We lunched on the shore of a turquoise glacial lake, its surface dotted with sprays of white flowers and millions of small periwinkle butterflies.

Another day, in the rain, we paused at a small katun where our local  friends from the city shared newspapers with the people living in the mountains. The mountain families shared lunch – cheese, meat and the local liquor, which should not be missed.

Several traditional Montenegrin mountain houses grouped together are called a katun. Photo © Christina Heyniger

Accommodation runs the gamut from camping to bunking in mountain huts – rooms typically have two beds each and can feel a little cramped, but will provide a nice break from your tent and are especially welcome if it’s raining!

Practicalities and Other Adventures

You have a couple options: you can take the do-it-yourself route – Montenegro is navigable if you’re on your own – or you can call in the  support of one of the local tour operators. Be sure to request or plan a visit to the Katun Vratlo with views to the mountain peaks around, and ride toward Zabljak with views of Sinjajevina.

Besides the hiking and biking, we also recommend trying a day canyoning in Nevidio, rafting in Tara Canyon and exploring the botanical offerings of the mountains – it abounds with rare azaleas and orchids.

Whichever way you choose to travel, remember that time moves at a different pace in the mountains. As our friend Tane says, “I am allergic to watch. I tell people, ‘You come with me you bring calendar, not watch!’ ”

Recommended Operators

* Montenegro Adventures: Slavica Vukevic (email)
* Black Mountain Montenegro: Jack Delf (email)
* Canyoning in Nevidio: Misko Kosic (email)
* 3e Travel: Angelika Temper (email)

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By connecting passionate travelers with unusual travel opportunities, Off the Radar and Xola Consulting support adventure travel companies who provide guests with a genuine, personal experience; who believe in sustainable, environmentally sensitive travel and incorporate the local people and traditions of the destinations where they operate.

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I’m always favourably surprised by how many people have heard of Montenegro. For such a Lilliputian nation, it seems to have outsized celebrity, although, sadly, still seldom as a place worthy of holiday consideration. Having been an attractive vacation retreat as recently as the 1980s, Montenegro until just a few years ago had fallen off the radar as a tourist destination for anyone outside the region. Despite remaining more or less aloof during the Balkan hostilities of the 1990s, Montenegro’s tourist infrastructure and reputation suffered as did the entire region’s: gutted by a decade of flying bullets and political barbs.

Montenegro Adventures and Green Visions guides atop Bobotov Kuk

Today, however, Montenegro is at last reaching new travel audiences. Unlike some of its neighbours – Montenegro shares borders with Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Kosovo and Albania – Montenegro declared its independence in 2006 without its armed forces firing a shot, which sent a clear positive message to travellers. Even before then Montenegro had felt free to pursue an agenda that included redeveloping tourism assets and services throughout the country.

One pair of organisations, however, set its sights on the rich natural endowment of the country’s little-visited and under-serviced north, like Durmitor National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site with numerous mountain peaks over 2,200 metres and stunning glacial lakes and breathtaking canyons carved by the Tara and Piva rivers. All this was looked at with a careful progressive eye toward keeping in step with sustainable-tourism principles and best practices. And, although the north of Montenegro continues to be a primary focus, the shared area of activity for these two organisations has expanded to encompass the whole of the country, equally enthralling both at its mountainous heights and along its 73km of beaches.

A hiker enjoying a photographic view on Durmitor Mountain

Centre for Sustainable Tourism Initiatives (CSTI)

In 2005, with funds from USAID, the international humanitarian and aid organization CHF International founded a local Montenegrin NGO called CSTI as an lasting actor in the development and promotion of tourism, particularly in the north, an area rich in unspoiled natural and historic attractions.

“The needs were clear and simple,” said Christopher Brown, Director for CHF International in Montenegro during a speech in December 2008. “Tourists had to be aware of the region as a tourism destination and adequate service had to be made available upon their arrival. In response, CSTI went to work on promoting the region, developing services and building the capacity of tourism personnel.”

Bikers on a Montenegro Adventures 14-day pilot biking tour designed by CSTI in cooperation with the National Tourism Organization

The results were outstanding: more than 40 unique tours, most of them adventure-based or eco-cultural in orientation, some into remote parts of the country; high-quality promotional materials; and strong partnerships on the ground with local communities, national government bodies and even abroad with partners able to assure visitors. On-site work was directed at tourism providers to help them improve hospitality, tour and transport services; knowledge was shared with ministries and major tourism organisations helping keep development strategies and support inline with expectations; and word of Montenegro’s beauty has begun to reach more and more ears all across the globe.

Montenegro Adventures

As demand for CSTI-developed tourism products grew, two needs were identified. First, independent travellers and small groups were asking to travel, but, second, “All of our tours were just sitting around unused,” said Slavica Vukcevic, Executive Director of Montenegro Adventures. “We had tested the tours – advertised them, taken a few people and journalists on them – and we thought local operators would carry on the tours. But they didn’t.”

And so Montenegro Adventures was born, a subsidiary wholly owned by CSTI and sharing its ideals, knowledge base and resources, but distinct in both organisation and mission. Whereas CSTI is an NGO that develops responsible and sustainable tourism products, Montenegro Adventures is a for-profit tourism agency selling those products. The end result – using sustainable and responsible travel practices to improve the quality of life in Montenegro, preserve cultural heritage and protect the environment – is refreshingly the same.

Part of the whl.travel Family

In June 2008, Montenegro Adventures accepted support from the International Finance Corporation (part of the World Bank Group) as part of the latter’s Balkan Hotel Market Access Program, designed to open the Balkan region to new markets. This brought Montenegro Adventures to whl.travel, the fast-growing global grassroots network of travel websites. Through whl.travel, three new accommodation- and tour-booking destination portals for Montenegro were launched, covering the capital city of Podgorica and surrounding mountains, elegant seaside Budva and southern Montenegro and the Bay of Kotor.

CSTI and Montenegro Adventures leading a National Geographic tour through the Tara River Canyon

In just four short years, through businesses like CSTI and Montenegro Adventures, Montenegro has put itself back on the map. So for your next summer holiday, don’t let larger countries distract you. From the top of Bobotov kuk (Mt Durmitor) to the Tara River Canyon or the medieval town of Kotor on its eponymous bay, Montenegro is one of the Balkan’s – and Europe’s – rediscovered gems.

For more information about Montenegro, including accommodations, tours, activities and lots of insider tips, contact your local whl.travel connection: the team from Montenegro Adventures at www.montenegro-adventures.com.

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Want to learn more SUMMER IN THE BALKANS? Read about Albania and Bosnia & Herzegovina.