2021 SEASON 5 : 7 Best Day Trips From Tivat

The sun has returned and temperatures are in the 60’s during the day which is T-shirt weather! It reminds us what a beautiful country this is, and that there are some great day trips from our winter berth here in Porto Montenegro (when travel between towns opens up again). Here are 7 destinations that we hope to visit before we leave the country. As we have visited Kotor and Budva 2021 SEASON 5 : Fort Hike in Kotor (Just before Christmas), and 2021 SEASON 5 : Barely Anyone in Budva they aren’t included on the list.

1. Lipa Cave
2. Ostrog Monastary
3. Durmitor National Park
4. Lake Skadar National Park
5. Ulcinj
6. Perast
7. Hercig Novi

1. Lipa Cave

Lipa Cave is close to the old capital of Cetinji, with tours available during the usual tourist season of May to October. There are 2.5km of passages and halls extending through the mountains back towards the coastline. More info here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lipa_Cave, and here https://www.discover-montenegro.com/lipa-cave/

2. Ostrog Monastary

The Ostrog Monastery is a built into a cliff face 50 km from Podgorica Montenegro. This makes for a 2-3 hour drive from Tivat, but still doable as a day trip. The monastery is the most frequented in the Balkans and sees 1 million visitors per year. More info here https://www.visit-montenegro.com/destinations/niksic/attractions/ostrog/

3. Durmitor National Park

There are 5 National parks in Montenegro and Durmitor is the largest. It was named on the UNESCO’s list of the World Natural and Cultural Heritage Sites in 1982. The park encompasses the Tara River Canyon and “The Mountain Eyes” which are 18 glacial lakes above 4921.26 feet (1500 meters) More info here https://www.visit-montenegro.com/tourism/national-parks/

4. Lake Skadar

We caught a glimpse of Lake Skadar driving up to Kolasin in January. It’s the largest lake in the Balkans and is shared by Montenegro and Albania. This National Park is the only park with wetland/aquatic ecosystems, and has 270 species of predominantly migratory birds. More info here  https://www.visit-montenegro.com/destinations/podgorica/attractions/lake-skadar/

5. Ulcinj

Montenegro has 294 km (183 miles) of coast line, and no inhabited islands offshore. The longest stretch of beach in the Adriatic Sea is a 16 km stretch from Ulcinj to the river Bojana Budva just above Albania.

Ulcinj is also the southernmost coastal city on the Montenegrin coast. You could stop in Bar for “lunch and a looksie” on the way down. Apparently the sand has small amounts of Uranium, Thorium, and Radium, which have medicinal qualities that can benefit folks with various joint pains. More info on Ulcinj here https://www.visit-montenegro.com/destinations/ulcinj/

6. Perast

Located between Tivat and Kotor on the coastal road, Perast is an old town within close proximity to Our Lady of the Rocks and St George Islets. Local lore has it that sailors threw stones into the ocean where they had seen an image of the Madonna and Child and this gradually built the foundations of the island (our Lady of the Rocks). It looks to be a scenic drive NE of Tivat meandering around the Bay of Kotor to Perast. More info here https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Perast

7. Hercig Novi

We haven’t made it to the old town of Hercig Novi yet so it’s still on the list. It’s also referred to as the “City of the Sun”  due to having more than 200 sunny days per year. There is a festival called “Praznak Mimosa”  towards the end of January, which celebrates the green and yellow Mimosa flowers scenting the air at that time. More info here https://www.visit-montenegro.com/destinations/herceg-novi/, or here for more of the history https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herceg_Novi