Durmitor, Piva, Tara and Moraca canyons - the fabulous north of Montenegro. The beer river and the picturesque town of Pluzhine

All beautiful rivers that I have ever seen in my life are far from Piva. It is located on the border of Montenegro and Bosnia, making this sparsely populated region even more attractive and wild due to its emerald color and crystal clearness. Beautiful, romantic, sometimes calm, and at certain times stormy, as if trying to escape from someone. I come here every summer, I have already collected several dozen pictures of this river in different years. It's time to show them and compare the changes.

For the first time I saw this wooden bridge in June 2010, then my mother and I came to the north for two days to rest. We came to Scepan Polje for rafting, a Montenegrin friend said - take a walk along the river through the village / field and come to the bridge, it's very beautiful there. He didn't cheat.

The next summer in 2011, I took my sister and her husband along a familiar path, I had only moved to Montenegro for a few days, and for the first time they traveled around the country with me. As you can see, the bridge has already partially collapsed.

Fast forward two more years to July 2013. I have already brought my cousin Lera here. As you can see, they managed to patch the bridge over the river :)

Now let's take a look at the changes. And note that in this photo the Piva River is calm.

Photo from dv. sister looks different. The bridge is back in working order and the river is raging and has a different color.

Why is this happening? The first reason is the dam. If you go towards the town of Pluzhine, you will cross the dam, that's when it is turned on - the river turns from calm to noisy in this place. Why a different color? I think the absence of the sun is to blame here, in the photo on the right it is already evening, the sky is gray. And on the left - early morning and the sun shone. Although both pictures were taken from the same bridge, the view is radically different.

The Piva River, like the Tara or Moraca, flows in a beautiful canyon. New in 1975, a hydroelectric power station was built on the river, Piva lost part of the canyon, we will never see it the same.

We cross the dam and get into the tunnel. There are 52 of them in this area...

The river looks different on both sides. Most of the river flows in the canyon, and in general its length is 34 km.

The river originates on the slope of Mount Sinyats. It flows in Montenegro, and on the border with Bosnia and Herzegovina merges with the Tara River and forms the Drina River. This place can be seen in the village. Scepan Polje, here on the edge of the hill there is a restaurant and houses for tourists. This place is located in the corner on the map , on the border of 2 countries and at the confluence of 3 rivers.

The territory belongs to a Montenegrin, who was the very first in the country to offer rafting, now he has huge possessions, many professional workers. He is the only one in the country who has the right to take exams at the helmsmen, and former students and workers sometimes bud off from him and go into free swimming. If you are going on your own to those parts for the sake of descending the Tara, I advise you to apply for to Tara-Tour agency. They are safe, inexpensive, have the opportunity to stay overnight, eat, see the surrounding beauty. About rafting on Tara, I somehow.

In the photo you can already see the last meters of the Piva River, it quickly turns into the Drina around the corner.

Throughout the Piva is not navigable.

The catchment basin covers 1270 sq. kilometers.

I like to admire the emerald rivers in Montenegro both up close and from the window of an airplane. The beauty is simply indescribable.

In this area, you can safely drink water from the rivers without fear of going to bed with a sick stomach.

And I'll show you a little beer of a different color, that evening it was a pale blue hue.

The current was very fast. My sister and I sat on the bridge and for a very long time just looked at her, listened to the birds, looked at the waves.

All the canyons of Montenegro are amazing, diverse and beautiful in their own way. If you ask local residents or among tourists, which canyon they consider the most beautiful and interesting in this small mountainous country, then without a doubt the vast majority will call it famous all over the world, some will remember the canyons along the rivers and, but only real connoisseurs of the natural beauties of Montenegro will say that one of the most beautiful is Piva river canyon in . The streams of the mountain river Piva go through the western regions of Montenegro, which are dotted high mountains and magnificent forests, forming breathtaking landscapes.

The Piva river canyon is located in the northwestern part of Montenegro, on the territory of the Piva plateau in the municipality of Pluzine. Not far from the canyon is stunning, with its many natural attractions, magnificent nature and clean mountain air.

The length of the canyon of the Piva River is about 34 kilometers, And his depth reaches 1200 meters. The canyon is sometimes crossed by high-lying pedestrian, automobile and railway bridges, which give it a special charm.

The Piva River flows first through the territory of Montenegro, then enters Bosnia and Herzegovina, where it merges with and forms the Drina River. The sources of the Piva river are on the slopes majestic mountain Sinyats, not far from, the interior of which is decorated with ivory and very old frescoes. Thus, nature lovers can see not only natural beauties, but also ancient sights. The tributary of the Piva is the Komarnitsa River, which originates in the mountains of Sinyaevina.

lifehack: Due to the fact that this tributary has a total length of about 86 km, exceeding the length of the Piva Canyon itself, the Piva itself is often called the "river with 5 names". It may include the names of the rivers of the water flow with a length of almost 120 kilometers: Tushina, Bukovitsa, Komarnica, Bijela and Piva.

The Piva River itself flows along the Piva Plateau, which consists of the mountains Bioce, Voluyak, Maglich and Pivska Planina, and the total river catchment area - almost 1270 km². The energy power of the Piva River is successfully used to operate a hydroelectric power station.

In 1975 the Yugoslavs blocked the high canyon ( 220 meters!) by the Mratinje dam near the settlement of Shchepan Pole, which led to the creation of a reservoir - which became the second largest lake in Montenegro. The turquoise color of the water of the Beer Lake, the depth of which reaches 200 meters, already from afar, catches the eye and causes true delight and pleasure on every observation deck. In addition, the "Lake of Beer", as well as the river itself with a name reminiscent of an intoxicating drink, are objects for numerous harmless jokes both among tourists and local residents.


Journey to the Mratinje Dam on the Piva River will become really useful and interesting for everyone, as it will allow you to see the untouched natural beauty of the mountains and forests of Montenegro, while below the completely transparent waters of the mountain river continue their unhindered path through the canyon.

Piva river canyon is one of the most breathtaking in Montenegro, great for for active rest and tourism. emerald green clear water, mighty rocks, on which golden eagles settle and wild chamois graze, lush mountain vegetation - all this can cause true admiration for every visitor. These stunning locations are ideal for river fishing, hunting, cycling, rafting, mountain climbing and hiking, during which you can fully enjoy all the local natural beauties. The river area is also famous for its medicinal herbs that can help in many cases, as well as homemade products. highest quality and taste, which can be tasted in the villages located along the entire canyon.

The Piva River Canyon is one of the most picturesque natural places in Montenegro, which explains its huge popularity among tourists from all over the world at any time of the year.

Photo review about a trip to the north of Montenegro in national park Durmitor, to Lake Piva, the canyons of the Morachi and Tara rivers, the Dzhurdzhevich bridge.

In the north and northeast of the country are the main natural ones, so if you want to see other landscapes (not the same as on the coast), you can safely go towards Durmitor.

What to see in the north of Montenegro

The map shows places and viewing platforms, which are described in the article

Piva lake and monastery

Pivsko jezero- an extremely picturesque artificial reservoir, the largest reservoir fresh water on the territory of Europe. You can rent a boat and swim on Lake Piva.

Piva Monastery 16th century stands on the banks of the Piva River on the way to Lake Piva. The monastery looks very simple, the church has no dome.

The monastery is unique in that it was built during the rule of the Turks. This explains the simple appearance of the building, which can be mistaken for ordinary house. This was done on purpose so as not to attract the attention of the invaders. But inside, all the walls and ceilings of the monastery are painted with frescoes.

Piva Lake

National Durmitor park

Entrance - 3€ per person
Parking - 2€ per car

After admiring the Piva Lake and the monastery, we go to the nat. serpentine Durmitor park to see the most high peaks Montenegro.

In the national you can walk around the park Black Lake(circle 4 km, you can walk in an hour and a half). In summer, people swim in this lake, but the water is icy.

Black Lake in the national Durmitor park

There are other marked walking routes in the Durmitor park with a total length of more than 100 km.

You can climb to the top of the mountain Bobotov cook(from here, in clear weather, almost all of Montenegro is visible), go to caves, waterfalls and other lakes. There is a map of routes to attractions in the park.

Such a map hangs in the park, you can take a picture and walk along it. Time and distance marked

You can eat in a cafe, buy food in a store and stay overnight in the city of Zabljak at the entrance to the national. Durmitor park.

Zabljak stands on top 1450 meters above sea level, in Durmitor park maximum height - 2523 meters. In the mountains it is cool even in summer, often overcast, it can rain.

Even in summer, be sure to take it with you. warm clothes(bike, jacket) and closed shoes if you plan to walk around Durmitor.

Hotels near Durmitor Park

Canyon of the Tara River and Dzhurdzhevich Bridge

After Durmitor we go again 20 km to the Dzhurdzhevich bridge and descend to the Tara River.

The Dzhurdzhevich Bridge is a concrete arched automobile bridge across the Tara River, 365 meters long, 172 meters high from the ground. It is considered the highest automobile arch bridge in Europe.

The bridge has several cafes (on one and the other side of the bridge) and souvenir shops. Parking near the bridge is free.

Photos are best taken from the observation deck, which is located on the side of Durmitor Park. If you cross the bridge, the view will be worse.

The Dzhurdzhevich Bridge is full of people from sightseeing buses
Canyon of the Tara River from the Dzhurdzhevich Bridge
You can go down to the river along the path (about an hour round trip from the bridge)

The river Tara flows under the bridge. You can fly over it on a zip-line ( 10€ from below, fast and scary or 20€ from above slowly and not so scary) or on a hang glider.

Rafting is also popular (long route 4 hours - 80-90€ or short route 1.5 hours — 45-60€ ) along the Tara River.

Rafting tours are sold in the city of Zabljak, and in order to fly on a bungee, it is enough to come to the Dzhurdzhevich bridge and buy a flight on the spot.

Bungee flight over Tara

Moraca river

After the canyon of the Tara River, you can go towards the city of Kolasin and further south along the highway to Podgorica to see the national. Biogradska Gora park, Moraca river, monastery, Moraca river canyon and suspension bridge. All these places are marked on the map.

We didn’t have a goal to see everything at once, so we didn’t go to the canyon of the Morachi River, instead we visited it.

Travel route on the map

Distance from to Zabljak one way — 190 km

If you go only to nat. Žabljak park from Budva through Podgorica non-stop, one way road will go 4 hours.

How long does it take for the whole trip? At least 1 daylight to travel from the resorts of the coast to the north. It took us a trip from Budva to the north and back 12 hours on beautiful roads. If you plan to walk around the nat. park, it is better to go with an overnight stay.

If you want to drive the whole circle around the sights marked on the map, then the road without stops will take more 9 o'clock(Total 519 km, most of the way along mountain serpentines).

Add to this the time to stop at viewing platforms, walks in the mountains, lunch, bungee - get a few more hours.

Landscapes of provincial Montenegro
Lake Slansko on the way to Durmitor

How to get to Durmitor Park

1. By car

The best option. We were inexpensive and drove north by car to stop where we wanted and have time to see the most interesting things.

The trip from Budva to the north by car cost us 83€ (25€ car rental + 50€ gasoline + 8€ entry tickets to Durmitor Park and parking) + lunch at a pizzeria in Zabljak for 8€ .

By car you can drive on any paths
Traffic jam on the road to Durmitor park

Canyon location

If you ask the inhabitants of Montenegro which canyon can be called the most interesting and beautiful, most of them will name the Tara canyon, but some may remember Mrtvica and Moraca. Only people who are true connoisseurs of the beauties of the nature of Montenegro will be able to say that the canyon of the Piva River in Zabljak is one of the most beautiful. The Piva River Canyon is located on the territory of the Piva Plateau, which belongs to the municipality of Pluzhie. This amazing canyon is crossed in some places by high bridges, which add a special charm to the canyon.

Canyon features

The Piva River first flows through the territory of Montenegro, after which it enters Bosnia and Herzegovina, where it merges with Tara, forming the Drina River. The sources of the Piva River are located on the slopes of the majestic Mount Sinyan, located next to the Piva Monastery. Thus, nature lovers can see not only natural beauties, but also ancient sights. To do this, it is sufficient to include excursion program in Zabljak visit the canyon of the river Piva. This trip, without a doubt, can really please.

A tributary of the Piva River is the Komarnitsa, which begins in the Sinyavina Mountains. Due to the fact that the length of the tributary is approximately 86 kilometers, exceeding the length of the Piva Canyon, Piva is often called the “river with five names”. It may include the names of the rivers of the water flow with a length of 120 kilometers: Tushina, Piva, Bukovitsa, Komarnica, Biela.

The canyon of the Piva river is one of the most beautiful and in order to see it, you need to go to the Piva plateau, which consists of the Pivska Planina, Bioče, Maglic and Voluyak mountains. This entire region allows you to understand the beauty of the nature of Zabljak and, of course, appreciate it. In addition, the length of the canyon of the Piva River is approximately 34 kilometers. In some places, the depth reaches 1200 meters. total area Piva's catchment area is approximately 1270 square kilometers. The energy power of the Piva River is successfully used to operate a hydroelectric power station.

In 1975, the gorge of the Piva river canyon in Zabljak was blocked by the Mratine dam, located next to Scepan Polja. As a result, a reservoir was formed, known as Lake Piva. This reservoir is the second largest in all of Montenegro. Of course, the nature of these places can only cause delight, so during a trip to Zabljak, it is important to visit these amazing regions.

The Piva River is one of the most interesting rivers in Zabljak and Montenegro. It is ideal for outdoor enthusiasts. Many people are sure that the Piva canyon is one of the most wonderful in Montenegro: the water is of a pleasant emerald green color, the rocks on which chamois graze and golden eagles live, rich vegetation. All this fills Montenegro with the beauty of the virgin nature of Zabljak, which can cause true admiration.

Every tourist who comes to Zabljak can visit these places, enjoy the natural beauties and have an interesting time, for example, hunting and fishing, rafting, mountaineering, going to hiking or on a bike ride. Regardless of the type of pastime, the nature of Zabljak reveals its beauties.

The Piva River Canyon is also famous for its unique healing herbs that can help in many cases.