Orjen

The limestone massif rising behind Herceg Novi and the outer Bay of Kotor, shared between Montenegro, Bosnia and Croatia. Its highest point, Zubacki kabao, reaches 1,894 m, and it stands directly above the sea with almost nothing in between.

It is one of the wettest places in Europe. The massif catches the moisture coming off the Adriatic and receives more than 4,500 mm of rain a year in places, yet the surface is bare karst — the water disappears underground almost immediately.

Yes, on marked routes from Vrbanj and the Crkvice side, with mountain huts at Vratlo and Orjen sedlo. The going is rocky and exposed, water sources are scarce, and cloud can close in quickly off the sea, so take more water than you expect to need.

A hamlet on the Orjen slopes that holds the record for the highest annual rainfall ever measured in Europe. It was a garrison village under Austria-Hungary and is now nearly abandoned, with barracks ruins among the rock.

May to October. Snow lies late in the hollows despite the mild coast below, and winter storms here are severe. Spring brings the flowers and the running water; late summer is dry, hot and best started early.

By road from Herceg Novi up through Vrbanj, or from Risan on the bay side. Both climb steeply in a short distance. There is no public transport onto the massif, so a car or a taxi to the trailhead is needed.