After a few days in Sveti Stefan, relaxing, swimming and some local riding I had decided it was time to head off for the interior of Montenegro for some of the beautiful mountain scenery. Fellow motorcycle travellers, Judy and Leo (forever family friends), had suggested Durmitor National Park as a "must see" from one of their previous rides.
Out of Sveti Stefan I was soon crossing the northern end of Lake Shkoder/Skadar on a rather hot Montenegrin day. Views to the south were back to Albania and Shkodra where I had been earlier. At the time I was hopeful of a beautiful, quick and convenient spot to stop to have a swim…..not a good sign considering I had barely begun my day riding.
Lake Shkoder
Shortly after passing Lake Shkoder I was entering Montenegro's capital, Podgorica and needed to keep moving, leaving Podgorica for another day. On the quick run through it is noticeable that significant recent development has taken place and more development is proposed for the future.
Soon after leaving the outskirts of Podgorica I was riding through the Moraca River Canyon which was enjoyable and attractive. Again, I was keeping my eyes peeled for an easily accessed stop-off for a refreshing swim in the clear waters of the Moraca River.
Moraca River Canyon
Unfortunately no stops for a swim along the way with the road being too high and too far from the river most of the time. I continued on in the heat of the day and stopped to fill up the CamelBak, grab a Coke and enjoy a refreshing ice cream.
Moraca River Canyon
The Moraca River Canyon cuts along the mountainside above the river with wonderful twists and turns. Although a wonderful road the enjoyment can be regularly postponed by overloaded vans and trucks slowly making their way while spewing smoke from their exhausts. Despite the acceleration I had on-hand, the lack of visibility around bends, the blind tunnels and my care kept me behind some trucks for what seemed too long. Once in front of the trucks though, I often had lengthy stretches of road almost to myself.
Moraca River Canyon
After coming to the end of the Moraca River there was a brief stretch of more open riding through a wider valley before entering the Tara River CanyonTara River Canyon.
The more open river valley.
Similar too the ride through the Moraca River Canyon the ride along the Tara River was extremely enjoyable. The views, when they were stolen, of the river below and the surrounding mountains were wonderful. The road was generally very smooth and flowing and it was great to link several turns together before stopping to take a photo of another wonderful scene.
Tara River Canyon
At times the road rises above the river and offers much more expansive views out to some of the wider sections of the valley with scattered farms on the valley floor. The brief sections of road along the higher elevations soon pass dropping back down into the narrow river valley.
Tara River Canyon
Back into the narrow river valley the twisty roads returns and the excitement increases. The ride low in the valley, in the shadow of the hills, was very enjoyable. Glad I was here and riding my bike.
Tara River Canyon
Tara River Canyon
Once high above the Tara River again the road meets the Durdevica Tara Bridge. The bridge is remarkably high above the river and was at the time of its completion the biggest concrete bridge in Europe. I had heard rumours of being able to bungy jump from the bridge though there was no sign of any bungy jumping at the time I was there.
Durdevica Tara Bridge
There were a few restaurants/cafes overlooking the bridge and they seemed to be a popular spot to stop for a few other motorcyclists and several cars. Below the bridge and alongside the river there were a couple of options for camping or cabins with the touts guaranteeing fabulous traditionally local food.
Tara River Canyon
I was tempted by the offers of the accommodation and food on the banks of the Tara River, however, I was keen to get to Zabljak so that I was close to a few other attractions located within Durmitor National Park.
Tara River Canyon
I left the Durdevica Tara Bridge behind and headed the short distance to the small town of Zabljak.
Durdevica Tara Bridge
On my way into Zabljak I noticed several options for accommodations ranging from small cabins to larger hotels. I had done some research and read some reviews in advance and most were not complimentary of the larger hotels. When passing by it was easy to see why one, or two, of the hotels had received poor reviews. They looked rather run-down from the exterior and their doors looked closed - it seems they are open for the skiers in the winter.
Once into the centre of Zabljak I was able to seek out some suitable, and open, accommodation. I ended up in a small hotel (MB Hotel) that was full, although it had additional rooms in a nearby house. I was happy to have a centrally located, comfortable room close to the small hotel that had a reputation for quite good mountain food.
Following my rather expensive lamb meal the night before at Aman Sveti Stefan I decided it would be a perfect time to sample the more local and traditional lamb from up in the mountains. The lamb was slow cooked in a mixed vegetable stew and had a wonderful flavour, was tender and simply fell from the bone. It was a stark contrast from the exclusive hotel meal in both flavour, tenderness and of course price.
Welcome to the mountains.