Zabljak: climate, attractions and entertainment

Zabljak is a small town in the northern part of Montenegro, located at the foot of the Durmitor mountain massif. The city is located at an altitude of about 1460 meters above sea level and is considered one of the highest located. The area is famous for the large number of clear lakes and the 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 sources with clean drinking water. The city got its present name in the 1870s. Like many years ago, today Zabljak is the administrative center, despite its small size.

The population of the town of Zabljak is about 2-4 thousand people. At the same time, the city has a developed infrastructure and is popular with tourists. Here is one of the best ski resorts in Montenegro, although not very famous compared to Italy or France.

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

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 hire, and instructor services. Mountain rescue and medical aid points 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 canyon of the Tara River is the largest in Europe, it is worth seeing with your own eyes. If you go to Zabljak in the summer, you should definitely swim in the Black Lake and in Tara. The water here is clean, clear, pleasant, albeit cool. The ancient city of Kotor is located on the shores of the Boka-Kotor Bay in Zabljak. You can also come here with an excursion and visit beautiful and picturesque places.

In Zabljak, you can come to rest all year round, and the weather contributes to this. In winter, there 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 fall below –10 degrees. The best time to practice winter sports in Zabljak is from the end of December to the end of March. In March, the positive temperature is already set at about + 2.4 degrees Celsius. In the summer there is no strong heat and stuffiness - the maximum temperature of +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, 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 housing on arrival in Zabljak - it’s enough to walk along the streets and ask residents about the availability of a free room. This housing option is the most budget.

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 be where to spend the night and relax. For this there are many proven services. The hotels are located both in the city center and in its vicinity, but getting to the center of Zabljak or the ski resorts is not difficult. Prices for hotels 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.

• Condominium Family Apartments. For tourists there are clean comfortable rooms, a mini-kitchen, Turkish equipment for brewing coffee, a washing and drying machine for general use. Price per night - from 2400 rubles. located 10 minutes walk from the center of Zabljak.
• Hotel Hotel Soa 4 *, located in the national park Durmitor. Superb rooms, great food, free Wi-Fi and more. Price per night - from 6800 rubles.
• Hotel Polar Star 4 * - a popular place 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, is a cozy wooden houses with all the amenities and a kitchenette as well. The ski lift of one of the resorts is only 6 km from the villa. Price - from 10,000 rubles per house.
• Etno village sljeme - Cozy chalet-style bungalows, also located on the territory of Durmitor Park.
• Pension B & B Javorovaca. A small family 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 cozy and clean. Cost - from 3600 rubles per night.
• Lalovic - a private house in the center of абabljak with rooms and a common kitchen. On each floor there is a shower, free Wi-Fi, air conditioning, TV and other amenities. Price - from 1000 rubles.

There are quite a lot of sights and picturesque places in Zabljak and its surroundings. In the town itself, you can walk for a long time through 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 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 pine trees.

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

Bridge Dzhurdzhevicha - another attraction 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 a canyon and the Tara River. The canyon itself is a landmark and one of the most visited places in the country. The canyon of the Tara River is the deepest in the European part of the world, picturesque and amazing. It is surrounded by relict forests and cliffs.

In ляabljak itself there are quite a few places where you can spend your time, even though the town is quite 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 hiking on lakes, or ride horses.

In summer, Zabljak also has a lot of entertainment: walking along the mountain routes with or without a guide, car trips to distant peaks and plateaus, excursions around the Boka-Kotor bay, swimming in Black Lake and much more. In the Bay of Kotor, 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 a 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 you can be reached by comfortable bus, taxi transfer or by car. You can rent it right at the airport, only for this you will need an international driving license. Two roads lead to Zabljak: through the small town of Shavnik and through the canyon of the river Tara. On these roads to the ski resort can be reached at any time of the year.

The roads to Zabljak are good, but they often wind down, there are steep serpentines and descents, so you need to be careful, especially in the winter season. At this time, you should carry anti-towing chains and products with you in the trunk in case the car gets stuck in the snow. The 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 relaxing in Budva and want to get to Zabljak, then you can do it in two ways, as Budva is connected by bus routes to other cities.

• There is a direct bus flight to Zabljak from Budva. On the road will have to spend about 5 hours The bus travels with stops for sanitary needs and snacks.
• The second option is to get from Budva to Podgorica (taxi, bus or rented car) and then transfer to Zabljak by bus.

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 travel without children. A trip or a trip to Zabljak will not leave you indifferent.

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