Zabljak: climate, attractions and entertainment

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

Zabljak was founded in the 1860s and at that time had a different name - “Varezina water” due to the presence of a large number of sources with clean drinking water. The city acquired its current name in the 1870s. Like many years ago, today Zabljak is the 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. Here is one of the best ski resorts in Montenegro, although not particularly well known in comparison with Italy or France.

The ski resort in the city is open all year. In winter, you can ski or snowboard, and in summer rafting, cycling, hiking, mountain walking, including horseback riding, and much more are available for tourists. Durmitor National Park offers horseback riding all year round. The park has the cleanest Black Lake, the beautiful mountain river Tara and the beautiful Dzhurdzhevich bridge. Experienced guides will tell a lot of interesting things about the park, the town itself and show 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 here are much lower.

The ski slopes in Zabljak are comfortably equipped. There are several of them: 4 “blue”, 4 “red” and 4 “black”. There are also children's tracks, equipment rental, and instructor services. Mountain rescuers and medical facilities are located here. In the town itself there are a lot of restaurants, cafes and shops.

And also in this part of Montenegro there are several huge canyons. The Tara River Canyon is the largest in Europe; it 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. On the shore of the Boka Kotor Bay in Zabljak is the ancient city of Kotor. You can also come here with a guided tour and visit beautiful and picturesque places.

You can come to Zabljak to relax 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 is 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 the end of December to the end of March. In March, the positive temperature is already set - about +2.4 degrees Celsius. In summer, there is no strong heat and stuffiness - the temperature maximum is +20.23 degrees during the day. In this weather, tourists go for rafting or for a walk along the mountain routes.

In the town there are many hotels of various levels - 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 rents are very low. Villas within the mountains are more expensive, but they can be rented by an entire company. Many independent travelers rent housing upon arrival in Zabljak - just walk along the streets and ask residents about the availability of a free room. This housing option is the most budget one.

It is also possible to 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. Hotels are located both in the city center and in its environs, but getting to the center of Zabljak or ski resorts is not 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 stay in Zabljak.

• Condominium Family Apartments. It offers tourists clean, comfortable rooms, a kitchenette, Turkish coffee brewing equipment, a washing and drying machine for common use. Price per night - from 2400 rubles. It is a 10-minute walk from the center of Zabljak.
• Hotel Soa 4 *located in the Durmitor National Park. Superb rooms, excellent cuisine, free Wi-Fi and more. Price per night - from 6800 rubles.
• Hotel Polar Star 4 * - A popular destination for tourists from all over the Earth. 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. The price for a room is 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 bungalows in the style of a chalet, located also in the territory of Durmitor Park.
• Pension B&B Javorovaca. Small family-run hotel with free Wi-Fi, a restaurant and a bar. There is also parking, a kitchenette, a playground and other amenities. The 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. On each floor there is a shower cabin, there is free Wi-Fi, air conditioning, a TV and other amenities.Price - from 1000 rubles.

In Zabljak and its environs there are quite a lot of attractions 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 in some cozy restaurant with local cuisine. Interestingly, 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 walk to the Black Lake, it takes about 20 minutes. And you can also get here by car. The Black Lake is unusually beautiful; it is surrounded by mountains and the highest pines.

The Durmitor National Park itself is a mountainous massif with alpine meadows, a plateau and beautiful peaks. Mount Bobotov Cook at the highest points reaches 2500 meters in height.

Dzhurdzhevich’s bridge is another attraction of Zabljak. This giant with 5 arches was built in the 1920s, during the war it was almost destroyed, but then rebuilt again. The 170-meter-high bridge passes through the canyon and the Tara River. The canyon itself is a tourist attraction 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 steep cliffs.

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

In the summer, Zabljak also has a lot of entertainment: hiking along mountain routes with and without a guide, car trips to distant peaks and plateaus, excursions along the Boka Kotor Bay, swimming in the Black Lake and much more. In the Boka Kotor Bay, you can see the city of Kotor itself, a closed Catholic monastery, the city of millionaires Perast, 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 almost equidistant from Zabljak, the distance does not exceed 300 km in both cases.

From Podgorica airport to Zabljak can be reached by comfortable comfortable bus, taxi transfer or car. You can rent it directly at the airport, only for this you will 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. On these roads you can reach the ski resort 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, anti-tow chains and products should be taken with you in the trunk in case the car gets stuck in the snow. A bus ride to Zabljak will be more budget. Buses run every hour, and travel time is about three hours. The route passes with stops.

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

• There is a direct bus flight 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 transfer by bus to Zabljak.

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

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