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Orchid beside the path from Çeremi to Dobërdol (Stage 3); bellflower (Campanula) near the Zavoj pass, Montenegro (Stage 7)
Along the lower sections of the Peaks of the Balkans Trail, coniferous, mixed and broadleaved forests dominate: Aleppo pine, Norwegian spruce, beech, mountain maple, white oak and to a lesser extent the regionally endemic Macedonian pine and Bosnian pine. At higher altitudes these are replaced by Alpine vegetation including mountain pine and juniper. Rich sub-alpine pastures and grasslands or areas of scrub extend above the tree line, giving way to bare rock and scree.
Wild thyme and other herbs carpet the ground in places, and blueberries grow in profusion during the summer months, along with blackberries and wild strawberries – hiking at this time is sometimes reduced to a slow but very enjoyable grazing pace. The number of fungi is astonishing; there are an estimated 2000 or so species in Montenegro alone.
Climate
The Prokletije mountains experience moderate summers and long, harsh winters. Daytime temperatures during the summer are warm but not unpleasantly so, reaching up to around 25°C in July/August, the nights refreshingly cool. July is the driest month of the year in Prokletije, followed by August and June, although the weather here is notoriously fickle and you shouldn’t rule out the possibility of showers, even in the summer months.
Over 90% of precipitation occurs during the winter, with precipitation generally at its highest in November. Winters in Prokletije are long and harsh, with heavy snowfall (between one and three metres). The first snowfall in the mountains is usually sometime in October, and is at its heaviest in November/December, with snow lingering well into the summer months, particularly on northern slopes. The snowline in Prokletije is considerably lower than in the Alps – around 1500m.
In general, northerly winds are colder and drier, bringing more stable, clear weather conditions during the summer, and snow in the winter; southerly winds tend to bring warm, moist air, leading to rain during the summer and snowfall during the winter. As in other parts of the Dinaric Alps, the northerly wind (called the bura) can be quite strong, with gusts reaching gale force.
The Montenegrin and Albanian coasts and lowlands enjoy long, hot summers and short, mild winters. In Montenegro’s Zeta plain, summer months can be oppressively hot – the Montenegrin capital, Podgorica, had the highest summer maximum temperatures recorded in the former Yugoslavia, while Orjen, above the north end of the Montenegrin coast, has one of the highest annual rainfalls recorded anywhere in Europe.
Alpine shelter near Hridsko jezero (Stage 8)
When to hike
The hiking season on the Peaks of the Balkans Trail begins in May or June, with the latter bringing more settled weather and milder temperatures – although you can still expect snow patches in June, or until July in higher areas. Wildflowers are at their most spectacular in June. July is statistically the driest month, followed by August and June – but this doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be prepared for possible rain or thunderstorms during these months, just as at any other time of year. August is the hottest month. By September snowfields have dried up, and with them possibly some springs; nights will be getting cooler and you can expect frost. In October the landscape turns to beautiful autumn colours, and the first snowfall arrives sometime this month, which generally marks the end of the trekking season in Prokletije.
Getting there and around
Since the Peaks of the Balkans Trail is a circular route, it is possible to start or finish the route in Montenegro, Kosovo or Albania – meaning a flight to Podgorica, Pristina or Tirana, and continuing to a trailhead by local bus from there. On balance, at least if arriving from the UK, cheaper flights and more direct onward transport to the Trail favour flying to Podgorica or Pristina. (See later in this section for advantages/disadvantages of the different possible places to start/finish hiking the Trail.) See Appendix A for a list of useful contacts.
Visas
UK passport holders can enter Albania, Kosovo and Montenegro as a tourist without a visa and stay for a period of 90 days, as can most other EU passport holders including Dutch, French and German nationals. Similarly, US, Canadian and Australian passport holders do not need a visa to enter Montenegro, Albania or Kosovo as a tourist, and can stay for up to 90 days. Other passport holders should check visa requirements through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of each of the three countries through which the Peaks of the Balkans Trail passes:
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Albania: www.punetejashtme.gov.al
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kosovo: www.mfa-ks.net
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration, Montenegro: www.mvpei.gov.me
(Select the English-language option and look for consular services/affairs.)
The above three websites are also the place to find the addresses and contact details of foreign diplomatic missions (ie consulates and embassies) in Albania, Kosovo and Montenegro. Make a note of these before you travel.
Note however that the Peaks of the Balkans Trail is in a sensitive border area and you must obtain a cross-border permit before hiking the route (see ‘Cross-border permits’).
Katun Bajrović, a summer settlement above Babino polje, Montenegro (Stage 8)
Flights to Podgorica (Montenegro)
Ryanair (www.ryanair.com) fly direct from the UK to the Montenegrin capital, Podgorica, twice a week. From Podgorica you can either continue by bus to Plav (in Montenegro) and start hiking from there, or continue by bus and ferry via Skhodër to Theth or Valbona (both in Albania), and begin your trek there.
Podgorica
Podgorica Airport (www.montenegroairports.com, called Golubovci) is around 15km south of the Montenegrin capital. There’s no airport shuttle bus, so it’s best to get a taxi (tel +382 (0)69 949 197; www.taxi-travel.me) to Podgorica bus station or your hotel, which shouldn’t cost more than €10–€15. (You can get a local bus on the Podgorica–Bar route, but you need to walk from the airport terminal down to the main road and flag down the bus there – and there’s no guarantee it will stop if already full.)
The main bus station (Trg Golootočkih žrtava 1, Podgorica; tel +382 (0)20 620 430; www.busterminal.me) is a 15min walk southeast from the downtown area and Trg Republika, across the River Morača, or a 10min walk southeast from the old clock tower (Sahat Kula) and the old town.
If you’re planning, or need, to stop in Podgorica for a night or more at the start or end of your trek, Hotel Terminus is good, clean and better value than most accommodation in the Montenegrin capital, and is located right next
