Active travel in Prokletije National Park

What there is to see

The range packs its scenery tightly. Zla Kolata reaches 2,534 m on the Albanian border, with Maja Kolata at 2,528 m and Maja e Rosit at 2,524 m close behind — part of over 50 peaks clearing 2,000 m. Glacial lakes are the other draw. Hrid Lake sits at 1,970 m, roughly 35,000 square metres in surface, 300 m long and 160 m wide, 5–6 m deep, reached by a rough 4x4 track to Veliki Hrid then a 10-minute walk. Plav Lake, at 906 m between the Visitor and Prokletije massifs, runs 2,160 m north to south, 920 m wide and up to 9 m deep; the Lim river flows out of it. Named lakes also include Visitorsko, Ropojansko and Tatarijsko. In Vusanje, at the mouth of the Ropojana Valley, the Grlja Waterfall drops 12 m into a canyon, fed by the Blue Eye spring and snowmelt. The Ali-Pasha Springs sit a couple of kilometres from Gusinje.

Walking and riding here

The headline route is the Peaks of the Balkans Trail, a 192 km waymarked circuit linking Montenegro, Albania and Kosovo across terrain between 670 m and 2,300 m. It typically takes around ten days, using the Plav–Gusinje valley as one of its access points, and requires cross-border permits arranged in advance. The Via Dinarica long-distance route also passes through the region; National Geographic Traveler has listed it among leading hiking destinations. Shorter days from Gusinje reach the Ropojana Valley, Grlja Waterfall and the Ali-Pasha Springs; Hrid Lake makes a stiffer objective given the 4x4 approach. Ascents of Zla Kolata start from the Montenegrin side near the Kolata massif and cross to 2,534 m on the border ridge.

Getting there and moving around

The nearest airport is Podgorica (TGD). By car, Podgorica bus station to Plav is about 52 miles and around 1 hour 53 minutes. Tivat airport is roughly 200 km from Plav, a taxi taking about 3.5 hours, so Podgorica is the more practical arrival point. Elan Company runs a bus from Podgorica bus station to Plav twice daily; tickets cost about €14–15 (quoted as roughly $16) and the journey takes about 3 hours 57 minutes. From Plav, a direct Elan bus to Gusinje runs four times a day and takes about 12 minutes; the two towns are 7.7 miles apart by road, around 16 minutes by car. Plav and Gusinje are the two gateway settlements and the natural bases for reaching trailheads, lakes and the Ropojana Valley. Beyond the surfaced roads, access to points such as Veliki Hrid needs a 4x4.

Ivan25 · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Fees, seasons and when to come

Entry to the national park is €3 per person. The park is effectively open-access, and no fixed 2026 calendar opening dates have been published by the sources consulted — access is governed by snow rather than a gate. Snow can lie year-round in the Prokletije mountains, particularly at higher altitudes, so the high peaks and passes are a summer proposition. For the Peaks of the Balkans Trail and ascents above 2,000 m, the reliable window is generally mid-summer into early autumn, once snow has cleared from the ridges between 670 m and 2,300 m. Lower objectives around Gusinje — the Grlja Waterfall, the Ropojana Valley and the Ali-Pasha Springs — open up earlier and hold their appeal through the shoulder months. Cross-border sections require permits arranged ahead of time.