This report is about the tour: Durmitor and Prokletije
Report on a hiking trip in Montenegro "Prokletje Durmitor" in August 2011.
I’m writing this story almost a year after the hike, but this country captivated me, the impressions are still fresh, and my only regret is that it would be nice to add a couple more days to the hike.
Actually, I wanted to go to Montenegro for a long time, but somehow I wasn’t drawn to a beach holiday. And, as it turned out, it really didn’t work out - due to the incredible heat at the end of August, one and a half to two days will be enough for the beach. Well, how can you endlessly melt in the sun, sleepily watching the swimmers and unwittingly listening to the conversations of the people around you in your native language (be it Russian or Ukrainian)?
The start of the journey was promising. The flight was delayed for several hours - and all this time we watched through the window the fuss around the plane with the Windrose sign and thought whether it would fly or not fly and how soon, and in the end we boarded the DonbassAero plane. The flight went well, there was no turbulence, the food was edible and coolly presented, and the flight was delayed only because of Kazakh tourists, of whom there were half the plane.
The continuation followed after arriving in Tivat. We were missing one backpack with important things - a tent and food! But there was still confidence that Seryoga’s backpack would return from Antalya and our trip would go as planned (Seryoga, this was a sign - you had never been to the Turkish mountains there!).
What struck me in Budva at first sight (no, not the Adriatic Sea) was déjà vu in Crimea. You arrive at the bus station, and there are already intermediaries and owners waiting for you who want to rent out your home - well, everything is like with us, here you have embellishment of the subject of the transaction, and assurances that the sea is right at the doorstep, and bargaining is also appropriate. The difference is in the little things: prices are announced in euros (although this currency may already be available in Crimea, it hasn’t been for a long time), and the language is still not ours. As for the language barrier, on the coast it seems that there is none, and in general, their language is very similar to ours, and ours are everywhere, even billboards are in Russian. But it's by the sea. But once you drive further away, it becomes clear that nothing is clear except for individual words.
Due to the wait for the backpack, plans had to be adjusted and the next day was for a cultural program. The Bay of Kotor is very picturesque, an ancient fortress on the top of a hill, from where there is a stunning view of the town and the bay itself, such a tiny Perast with 2 islands in the middle of the bay (one of which we visited) and such a narrow strip of beach (probably there are no wide ones in Montenegro).
The next day the backpack returned, so by lunchtime it was possible to go to the destination of the trip, that is, to the mountains. Although the country of Montenegro is small, travel takes a long time due to serpentine roads.
We left Budva at one o'clock in the afternoon, and our start took place at 22:00 from Gusynje. Yes, yes, start, not end! The night was so clear that we didn’t really need a flashlight, and the road, although a country road, was paved, and led us to an excellent parking lot, where we spent the night.
And what a fairy tale was revealed to us this morning! In front and on the sides are alternating green and snow-white jagged mountains - naturally, this had to be captured, and more than once. After packing up and leaving, it turned out that we had not yet reached the valley called Grbaya, but the people in this country are kind, so the villagers gave us a ride on a tractor to this very valley, and from there the path began up through the forest towards Albania.
We weren’t going to cross the border in the wrong place - well, just take a look from above. And this whole area is called Prokletiye, although it has absolutely nothing to do with the associations that arise. I don’t know if we set foot on the territory of Albania, but the Karanfils, which gradually appear during the ascent, shock us with their grandeur: a warm wind, almost knocking us off our feet, on one side a green valley with blueberries (eating which slowed down our path), wide accumulations of stones after rockfalls, and on the other an abyss, and behind it white rocks, probably impassable, and a narrow path along the green ridge the mountain along which we walked (in the photos it seems like such a small hill).
This day was not physically difficult, I already thought that the whole journey would be so stress-free, but it was just a little hot, and there were few springs.
The next day was completely different. For some reason, we decided that there was no need to carry many liters of water when climbing from the opposite side of the valley, especially since there was a small forest there, which meant there would be some shade, and maybe a spring would appear.
How wrong we were! This climb was distinguished by the almost complete absence of horizontal sections, what a shade - the sun was hot with all its might!, the water threatened to run out during the first third of the climb. But! Here everything looked completely different - the Grbaya valley, in full view (with backpacks hidden in the bushes), and on the other side of the saddle there is another valley (Ropoyana), a white stone circus that opens during the ascent, where it has its own echo rock and even snow (and this is at the end of August), huge boulders of stone through which you have to make your way to see what is on the other side.
In general, after Prokletiye we got the impression that we hadn’t seen much yet - there would be a reason to come back again.
After the descent, we head back, spend the night by the road again, leave before dawn in Gusynye, again travel for a few hours to Zabljak, and on the way rafting on the Tara River, from which we expected more extreme sports, but it was not at all scary, only the Catalans who were with us in the boat were noisy all the time and prevented us from perceiving the surrounding beauty.
I liked the campsite near Zabljak - somehow clean and cozy.
The next target was the Durmitor massif. If Prokletiye is not very well known, then everyone knows about Durmitor, and Zabljak is the tourist center of this region, both in winter and in summer. The first point on the program was Black Lake, which is actually not dark at all, but bright blue and so calm.
Because of the heat, we really wanted to swim, but since we didn’t know how much time it would take for all the ascents, we simply walked around it and headed towards the forest through which we came to Lokwice (a valley with a dry small lake in the center).
The road was not difficult, especially if you can refresh yourself with raspberries and strawberries. This green valley is like an amphitheater of white rocks towering around, and they seem to be silent and watching us (there is no wind at all, only the bleating of a flock of sheep and the tinkling of bells can be heard). Idyll in general. What’s interesting is that behind this amphitheater there is another, then another and another...
The next day was devoted to climbing the highest peak of Montenegro, Bobotov Kuk, and at the same time visiting the Ice Cave. At first, nothing distracted from looking around and photographing amazing views - the path winds along not very steep slopes, it’s a pleasure to walk. Then this path began to give way to either a loose path (when you need to watch your step and protect yourself with sticks), or a stone chaos (which sometimes you had to climb on all fours or lift your legs above your ears).
The last few hundred meters to the saddle consisted of small powder with a slope of 50 degrees. How beautiful it all looked and was photographed from afar, and how long this road seemed, which seemed like a couple of kilometers!
From the saddle there was an amazing view of the neighboring valley, but our goal was still ahead. Well, who knew that the last 50 meters to Bobotov Kuk would have to be climbed, clinging with all four limbs (the additional 2 limbs in the form of sticks only got in the way), sometimes pressing the whole body against the wall of the rock with the width of the ledge as wide as the width of the foot. But it was worth it! You get the feeling that you are on top of a cliff (it definitely won’t fit a lot of people), and very far away you can see Zabljak, Lake Škrčko and stone amphitheaters with green valleys below. Amazing view! And you don’t want to leave, but you want to absorb all the beauty that opens up! (for those who are afraid of heights, the main thing is not to think that there is still a descent ahead). But helicopters don’t pick people up from the tops, so we go down long and slowly.
After the powder and rock chaos, you can speed up and have time to see the Ice Cave. It is cold, the temperature does not change all year round and there are all sorts of ice formations. We returned to camp in the dark, tired and full of impressions. And the next day, I confess, I was still drawn to the sea, so I returned to Zabljak, and from there to Budva, and the guys continued their journey through the mountains and a day later they were also in Budva.
To summarize all of the above, the trip to Montenegro included everything: a cultural program, trips across almost the entire country, such different physical activities, and surprise and tenderness at how beautiful the country of Montenegro is.
Kirill, thank you for not stopping there, but looking for new routes for yourself and us and not being afraid to take non-professional walkers on experimental hikes.
And to those who doubt whether or not to go far away, I’ll say: don’t be afraid, minor everyday inconveniences and physical exertion are all temporary, but unforgettable impressions (as well as photos and videos) will remain forever and will never be replaced by watching TV shows about someone’s travels. Those who have already visited Turkey and Nepal will understand me.
Sveta.
Sumy 2011-2012.