Durmitor

Durmitor National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in northern Montenegro, a limestone massif of bare rock, pine forest and high pasture that glaciers carved into shape. Forty-eight peaks rise above 2,000 metres; the highest, the dramatic Bobotov Kuk, reaches 2,523 metres and makes the classic long day out for hikers. The town of Žabljak sits at about 1,450 metres in the middle of it all, the highest town in the Balkans and the natural base for everything here. Eighteen glacial lakes are scattered across the massif, known locally as gorske oči, mountain eyes. The largest and easiest to reach is the iconic Crno jezero, the Black Lake, a twenty-minute walk from Žabljak and ringed by a level circuit through pine woods with the walls of Meded and Savin Kuk reflected in the water. Others - Zminje, Jablan, and the Škrčka lakes in their deep cirque - take real effort and repay it. The Crna Poda reserve protects a stand of black pine, some of the trees around four centuries old. Below the northern rim the Tara cuts the deepest gorge in Europe, more than 1,300 metres at its greatest depth, and the river carries Montenegro's best-known rafting through it. The park road that loops the massif links the villages, the Sedlo pass and a series of viewpoints that need no walking at all. Bears, wolves and chamois live in the forests and above them; you are far more likely to see golden eagles. Summer, from late June to early October, is the hiking season, with wildflowers in July and stable weather deep into September. Winter brings reliable snow and skiing at Savin Kuk above Žabljak. Spring arrives slowly at this altitude and high trails hold snow into June. Durmitor suits hikers, skiers, rafters and drivers - anyone who wants mountains rather than coastline - and its pristine alpine landscapes, dense pine forests and mountain meadows make it one of the most spectacular natural destinations in the Balkans.