Visited May 2025. I started my visit to Durmitor NP, like most other visitors, from the ski resort town Zabljak. The Black Lake is only a few minutes drive and I arrived so early in the morning, that nobody charged me for the parking lot.

The full loop around the lake is pretty easy. You mostly walk in the forest with only a bit of climbing around the back part of the lake.

After the lake visit I took the road to Bosnia, that crosses right through the core zone and offers stunning views of the mountains. The road conditions were good in May, but the road is winding and very narrow. Counter traffic, caravans, trucks and cow herds made this a rather painful drive.

I stopped at Valovito lake and then at the trail head to Bobotov Kuk. This is a famous hike in Durmitor NP and the trail head even has a “parking lot” that is basically some space along the road where your car is not immediately plunging into the Abyss.

The hike is amazing, but not for beginners. I did not make it all the way to Bobotov Kuk, as there was still too much snow to comfortably hike there, but I hiked around 2 hours into the area (and 1.5 hours back). My highlight was spotting a Balkan Chamois with her kid. This is an essential part of the park, so I recommend everybody not to stick to lakes or canyon only.

Stecci nearby

All 3 Stecci WHS locations of Montenegro can be combined with Durmitor NP. 2 locations are just outside Zabljak. Follow the super narrow road to visit them both. The 3rd location is at the border crossing to Bosnia. The Tara river actually creates the border between the two countries, but this part is outside the core zone.