civilizations to have settled along the coast). Perhaps not surprisingly, their inhabitants have always been fiercely independent. With the exception of a narrow strip of coastline, almost the entire territory of Montenegro is occupied by these mountains.
Mokro, on the approach to Kučka krajina from Veruša (Route 12)
Montenegro’s rocky Adriatic coastline runs northwest-southeast between Croatia and Albania, broken towards its northwestern end by Boka Kotorska (the Bay of Kotor), a deeply indented, fjord-like inlet surrounded by steep, bare mountains. The coast is divided from the interior by a steep, outer rampart of mountains, including Orjen (Routes 1–2), on the border with Bosnia-Hercegovina and Croatia; Lovćen (Routes 3–4), above Boka Kotorska, and crowned by the mausoleum of Montenegro’s celebrated ruler-poet, Petar II Petrović Njegoš; and Rumija (Route 5), between Lake Skadar and Stari Bar. These mountains are relatively modest in elevation, with peaks averaging 1600–1700m; the highest point is Zubački kabao (1894m), on Orjen. Karst features are especially prominent on Orjen, which has relatively little vegetation; forest cover is somewhat more extensive on Lovćen. In both cases, surface water is minimal.
Behind these mountains a broad plateau runs inland for some distance – an area described by J.A Cuddon in The Companion Guide to Jugoslavia as a succession of ‘troughs and crests of turmoiled rock’. There is a saying among Montenegrins, that when God was in the act of distributing stones over the earth, the bag that held them burst, and they all fell on Montenegro. It seems particularly appropriate for this area. Within the southeast part of this plateau lies the Montenegrin capital, Podgorica (meaning literally ‘beneath the mountain’). To the southeast of this is the basin of Skadarsko jezero (Route 5; Lake Shkodër in Albanian), which, which an average area of 475km2, is the largest lake in the Balkans. Beyond this area and further inland lie the country’s most elevated mountain areas.
In the northwest of the country, just across the border from Bosnia’s Sutjeska National Park, are the remote areas of Maglić and Bioč, crowned by Maglić (2386m) and Veliki Vitao (2397m) respectively (the former lies actually on the Bosnian border).
Slightly to the southeast of these, bounded to the north by the River Tara and to the west by the River Piva, is Durmitor (Routes 6–8). This is Montenegro’s best-known and most visited mountain area, with numerous peaks over 2300m, including Bobotov kuk (2523m), usually described as the country’s highest but actually overshadowed just a little by a peak on the Albanian border. It is an area of quite exceptionally beautiful scenery, with glacial cirques and lakes, high ridges and spectacular, steep-sided peaks.
Stretching southeast from Durmitor parallel to the River Tara is Sinjajevina, a long, jagged succession of high peaks, including Jablanov vrh (2203m) at its southern end. South of this, along the headwaters and west of the River Moračka, are the equally rugged Moračke planine, including Torna (also known as Babji zub, 2227m). These mountains gradually recede in altitude towards Nikšić and Podgorica, and towards the River Zeta. Southeast of Sinjajevina, across the River Tara, is Bjelasica (Routes 9–10), with its somewhat more gentle, rounded tops.
Limestone pavement (lapiez) on Subra, with waymarking (Route 1)
Further to the southeast lie the high, wild and sometimes quite remote mountain areas along the Albanian border, at the headwaters of the River Tara and the River Lim. Komovi (Route 11), which lies just south of Bjelasica, is a relatively compact area, reaching its highest in Kom Kučki (2487m). South of Komovi and slightly lower in altitude is the rugged and very little visited Kučka krajina (Route 12, also called Žijevo). To the east of these, across the northern tip of Albania, lies Prokletije (Routes 14–17), a heavily glaciated area with a steep, Alpine profile, including Maja Kolata (2528m), the highest mountain in Montenegro. (Altitude increases over the Albanian border, where Maja Jezerces reaches 2694m.) Visitor (Route 13) rises above Lake Plav, on the northern edge of Prokletije.
For a list of the principal mountain areas and major peaks in Montenegro, see Appendix A.
Geology
The mountains of Montenegro were formed during the violent geological activity of the late Secondary and early Tertiary eras, and are primarily composed of Jurassic and Triassic limestone. The zone northeast of Pivsko jezero, the upper Morača and the headwaters of the Tara was formed by a large overthrust (or ‘nappe’), and it is this area which contains many of the country’s highest mountains.
Although no glaciers remain today, some areas bear profound traces of glaciation, with numerous glacial cirques, moraines and glacial lakes (18 of the latter in the Durmitor region alone). Furthermore, glaciation in the Prokletije region occurred at a much lower altitude than in the Alps – as low as 1000m. Plavsko jezero (Lake Plav) is the largest glacial lake in the Balkans; and a glacier in the Plav-Gusinje area is estimated to have been some 35km long and up to 200m thick, which would have made it the largest glacier in the region.
The River Tara, between Žabljak and Mojkovac
Some remarkably deep canyons cut across the Montenegrin highlands, most notably the Tara Canyon which reaches a maximum depth of some 1600m – making it not only the deepest canyon in Europe, but also the second deepest in the world after the Grand Canyon in Colorado. Not far behind in depth are the Piva and Morača gorges, at 1200m and 1100m respectively.
Numerous karst features are associated with the Montenegrin landscape. Karst is formed through the gradual dissolution of limestone by rainwater, and a corresponding enlargement of surface drainage holes as water percolates downwards. The resultant landscape is characterized by a distinctive surface texture of vertical fissures (karren), sinkholes, cone-shaped dells and depressions, together with numerous caves and sinkholes, many of which reach considerable lengths or depths. Surface water rapidly disappears underground to flow as subterranean rivers, which often re-emerge as karst springs, either in the foothills of the mountains or as submarine springs. The largest submarine spring on the Adriatic coast, called Sopot, emerges in the Bay of Kotor. Other distinctive features of the karst landscape include polja – large, shallow depressions between ridges, which vary considerably in size, and in karst areas may be the only suitable areas for cultivation.
Climate
I saw and heard how they rent the skies; Squalls of hostile hail poured down, Plundered the earth of her fertility.
Petar II Petrović Njegoš, Gorski Vijenac (‘The Mountain Wreath’, Vienna 1847)
The mountains of inland Montenegro (Durmitor, Prokletije, etc) see moderate summers and long, harsh winters. Daytime temperatures during the summer are high but not unpleasantly so (maximum about 25°C in August), and the nights refreshingly cool (minimum about 10°C in August, although it can sometimes drop considerably lower). During the winter months mountainous areas see freezing temperatures and receive abundant snowfall – as much as 5m on Durmitor. Snow lingers well into the summer months, particularly on northern slopes.
The Montenegrin coast enjoys long, hot summers and short, mild winters. In the Zeta plain, including the basin of Skadarsko jezero, the summer months can be particularly hot, and Podgorica has the unhappy distinction of being the hottest city in Serbia or Montenegro.
Do not be deceived by the barren, desiccated appearance of Montenegro’s coastal mountains – this region of the Dinaric Alps attracts phenomenally heavy rainfall. In fact, Crkvice on Orjen has the highest rainfall in Europe, with an annual average of 4500–5000mm, and over 5300mm has been recorded in a single
