Zabljak: climate, attractions and entertainment

Zabljak is a small town in the northern part of Montenegro, located at the foot of the Durmitor mountain range. The city is located at an altitude of about 1460 meters above sea level and is considered one of the highest. The area is famous for a large number of clean lakes and a magnificent canyon, the deepest in Europe.

Zabljak was founded in the 1860s and at that time had a different name - "Varezina Voda" due to the presence of a large number of springs with clean drinking water. The city acquired its current name in the 1870s. Like many years ago, today Zabljak is an administrative center, despite its small size.

The population of the city of Zabljak is about 2-4 thousand people. Moreover, the city has a developed infrastructure and is popular with tourists. It is home to one of the best ski resorts in Montenegro, although not particularly well-known compared to Italy or France.

The ski resort in the city is open all year round. In winter you can go skiing or snowboarding, and in summer you can enjoy rafting, cycling, hiking, mountain walks, including horseback riding, and much more. Horseback riding is possible in Durmitor National Park all year round... The park has the purest Black Lake, the beautiful mountain river Tara and the beautiful Djurdzhevich Bridge. Experienced guides will tell you a lot of interesting things about the park, the town itself, and show you places that an independent tourist is unlikely to get to. By the way, the park is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. Compared to well-known European resorts, prices are much lower here.

The ski slopes in Zabljak are comfortably equipped. There are several of them here: 4 "blue", 4 "red" and 4 "black". There are also tracks for children, equipment rental, instructor services. Mountain rescuers and medical aid stations are also located here. There are many restaurants, cafes and shops in the town itself.

And also in this part of Montenegro there are several huge canyons. The Tara River Canyon is the largest in Europe and is worth seeing with your own eyes. If you go to Zabljak in the summer, then you should definitely swim in the Black Lake and Tara. The water here is clean, clear, pleasant, albeit cool. The ancient city of Kotor is located on the shore of the Boka Kotorska Bay in Zabljak. You can also come here with an excursion and visit the most beautiful and picturesque places.

You can come to Zabljak to have a rest all year round, and the weather contributes to this. In winter, it is a paradise for skiers and snowboarders - the weather is warm and clear, in December-January the air temperature during the day ranges from 0 to –1.3 degrees Celsius, at night the thermometer does not drop below –10 degrees. The best time for winter sports in Zabljak is from late December to late March. In March, a positive temperature is already established - about +2.4 degrees Celsius. In summer, there is no extreme heat and stuffiness - the temperature maximum is +20.23 degrees in the afternoon. In such weather, tourists go for rafting or for a walk along the mountain trails.

There are many hotels of various levels in the town - from 4 to 2 stars. But you can also rent an apartment, houses, a room. In the private area of ​​Zabljak, the prices for such rent are very low. Villas within the mountains are more expensive, but they can be rented by the whole company. Many independent travelers rent accommodation upon arrival in Zabljak - for this it is enough to walk the streets and ask the tenants about the availability of a room. This housing option is the most budgetary.

You can also rent a hotel room or apartment in advance via the Internet. Arriving in the city, you will be sure that you will have somewhere to spend the night and relax. There are many proven services for this. The hotels are located both in the city center and in its surroundings, but getting to the center of Zabljak or ski resorts will not be difficult. Hotel prices start at 2500 rubles per night. Apartments in guest houses can be rented for 1000 rubles (1 night).

We list the best places to stop in Zabljak.

• Family Apartments condominium. It offers tourists clean, comfortable rooms, a kitchenette, Turkish coffee-making equipment, a shared washing and drying machine. Price per night - from 2400 rubles. is a 10-minute walk from the center of Zabljak.
• Hotel Soa 4 *, located in the Durmitor National Park. Superb rooms, great food, free Wi-Fi and more. Price per night - from 6800 rubles.
• Hotel Polar Star 4 * - a popular destination among tourists from all over the world. The hotel is located on the border of two natural parks at the foot of the mountains. Great views, stylish rooms, Montenegrin cuisine - all this and much more can be found here. Price per room - from 3400 rubles.
• Villa Borje - located in the national park itself, it is a cozy wooden houses with all amenities and a kitchenette as well. The ski lift of one of the resorts is just 6 km from the villa. Price - from 10,000 rubles per house.
• Etno Village Sljeme - cozy chalet-style bungalows, also located in the Durmitor park.
• Pension B&B Javorovaca. Small family hotel with free Wi-Fi, a restaurant and a bar. There is also parking, kitchenette, playground and other amenities. Rooms are small but comfortable and clean. The cost is from 3600 rubles per night.
• Lalovic - a private house in the center of Zabljak with rooms and a shared kitchen.Each floor has a shower, free Wi-Fi, air conditioning, TV and other amenities. Price - from 1000 rubles.

In Zabljak and its environs there are quite a lot of sights and picturesque corners. In the town itself, you can walk for a long time along the beautiful European streets, visit the traditional home market and some cozy restaurant with local cuisine. It is interesting that there are no traffic lights in the city, even at a single intersection. Outside the city, the main attraction is, of course, the mountains and the Durmitor National Park.

On foot from the city you can reach the Black Lake, it will take about 20 minutes. You can also get here by car. Black Lake is extraordinarily beautiful, it is surrounded by mountains and the highest pines.

The Durmitor National Park itself is a high mountain range with alpine meadows, plateaus and beautiful peaks. Mount Bobotov Kuk at the highest points reaches 2500 meters in height.

The Djurdzhevich Bridge is another attraction of Zabljak. This 5-arch giant was built in the 1920s and was almost destroyed during the war, but then rebuilt again. The 170-meter high bridge crosses the canyon and the Tara River. The canyon itself is a landmark and one of the most visited places in the country. The Tara River Canyon is the deepest in the European part of the world, picturesque and amazing. It is surrounded by relict forests and sheer cliffs.

In Zabljak itself there are many places where you can spend time, even though the town is quite small. It has only one supermarket, one bank, but many cafes and restaurants for every taste, including play areas for children of all ages. In addition, there are houses with saunas, which are especially in demand in the winter season after long hikes or skiing. In winter, in addition to skiing and snowboarding, you can go on hiking trails around the lakes, or ride horses.

In summer, Zabljak also has a lot of entertainment: hiking on mountain routes with and without a guide, car trips to distant peaks and plateaus, excursions along the Boka Kotorska Bay, swimming in the Black Lake and much more. In the Boka Kotorska Bay, you can see the city of Kotor itself, a closed Catholic monastery, the city of Perast millionaires, the ancient Church of the Virgin Mary on the cliff. Such a trip will be comfortable in the summer.

If you decide to relax in Zabljak, it is best to first fly from Moscow to Podgorica or Tivat. These international airports are practically equidistant from Zabljak, the distance does not exceed 300 km in both cases.

From Podgorica airport to Zabljak can be reached by comfortable scheduled bus, taxi-transfer or by car. You can rent it right at the airport, only for this you need an international driver's license. There are 2 roads leading to Zabljak: through the small town of Shavnik and through the canyon of the Tara River. Along these roads, the ski resort can be reached at any time of the year.

The roads to Zabljak are good, but often winding, there are steep serpentines and descents, so you need to be careful, especially in the winter season. At this time, you should take anti-towing chains and food with you in the trunk in case the car gets stuck in the snow. The bus trip to Zabljak will be more budgetary. Buses run every hour, and the travel time is about three hours. The route passes with stops.

If you are on vacation in Budva and want to get to Zabljak, then you can do this in two ways, since Budva is connected by bus routes with other cities.

• There is a direct bus service to Zabljak from Budva. You will have to spend about 5 hours on the road. The bus travels with stops for sanitary needs and a snack.
• The second option is to get from Budva to Podgorica (taxi, bus or rented car) and then take a bus to Zabljak.

The easiest way to travel around Montenegro is by car, the rental price starts from 20 euros. But the bus is also a good budget option, especially if you are traveling without children. Travel or excursion to Zabljak will not leave you indifferent.

In the next video, you will find a presentation of the Zabljak ski resort.