Guided Walking at Petrovac

• Our experienced leaders offer the choice of two different walks each day
• Choose the option which best suits your interests and fitness
• We provide flexible holidays. Choose easier walking one day and harder the next or just explore independently or relax around the resort
• Our leaders are friendly and welcoming making your holiday fun and sociable
•  Easier Walks   Harder Walks

Easier Walks are generally on good paths and tracks; on Harder Walks terrain can be rougher underfoot with some steep ascent and descent.

Day 1: Arrival day

For guests who arrive via Dubrovnik Cilipi airport there is a scenic 2½ hour drive south on the Adriatic Highway. We enter Montenegro by the border area of Prevlaka Peninsula, north of the terraced gardens of the town of Herceg Novi (New Duke), strategically placed at the entrance to the Bay of Kotor. At Kamenari a ferry is taken across the narrow Verige channel to Lepetane on the Tivat Peninsula with a view east to Perast and the island of Our Lady of the Rock. The route continues on the western shore of the peninsula to reach the Adriatic coast north of the Budva Riviera. We pass the photogenic peninsula hotel of Sveti Stefan (St Stephen) as we continue to Petrovac and the Hotel Rivijera.

Day 2: Monasteries and the coastal traverse

On the slopes of the mountains above the coastal highway are numerous small communities, Orthodox monasteries and small farms with summer grazing called katuns. These introductory walks both use panoramic paths close to Petrovac and both walks visit highly decorated churches typical of the area.

Easier Walk: 3¾ miles with up to 575 feet of ascent and descent

Harder Walk: 6¾ miles with up to 735 feet ascent and 2,410 feet  of descent.

Day 3: The Tivat Peninsula and the Bay of Kotor

The dramatic Bay of Kotor is flanked to the west by the wooded Tivat Peninsula culminating in Vrmac Hill. Among the trees lie the ruined 12^th century Slav settlement of Pasiglav and the bucolic 14^th century village of Gornja Lastva. Both walks enjoy a delightful path along the wooded slopes of Vrmac, and enjoy truly scenic views of one of Europe’s most dramatic fjords opposite the medieval towns of Perast and Kotor as a taster for a possible excursion on the free day.

Easier Walk: 6¼ miles with 370 metres of ascent (1,215 feet) and 630 metres of descent (2,065 feet).

Harder Walk: 8¼ miles with 1,460 feet of ascent and 2,315 feet of descent.

Day 4: Rijeka Crnojevića & Lake Skadar

Between Petrovac and the capital, Podgorica, to the east lies the national park of Lake Skadar, a huge wildlife reserve shared between Albania to the south and Montenegro. Surrounded on three sides by Montenegrin mountains, Skadar is one of the largest lakes in Europe with 40 different kinds of fish and 270 bird species including the rare Dalmatian Pelican and Black Ibis. To the northwest of the lake lies the neglected village of Rijeka Crnojevića, once the summer refuge of the court of King Nikola. Both walks drive over the mountains to visit the hidden gem of Poseljani where 14 water mills once flourished, north of the lakeside community of Virpazar and finish the morning in Rijeka Crnojevića for refreshments. In the afternoon we enjoy a relaxed and attractive 2½ hour boat ride back to Virpazar before the bus journey to our hotel.

Easier Walk: 2¼ miles with up to 425 feet of ascent and 785 feet of descent

Harder Walk: 5½ miles with up to  ascent of 1,215 feet and 1,590 feet of descent

Day 5: Free day  

Each week there is a free day when no guided walks are offered. This is an ideal opportunity to relax around the hotel, walk independently, or visit local places of interest.

• Perast and Kotor
• Budva
• Beaches

Day 6: Loška and Stari Bar

Southeast of Petrovac, towards the border with Albania, the Rumija range of mountains separates the Adriatic from Lake Skadar. This is a landscape where mosques sit alongside Orthodox churches and hillside farmers scratch a living. We pass the industrialised sprawl of Bar, the terminal on the Adriatic for the railway from Podgorica, and head up into the hills to start our walks near Loška. The easier group have a shorter walk to allow time to explore the spectacularly sited Stari Bar or Old Bar.

Easier Walk: 6½ miles with an ascent of 1,000 feet and descent of 2,130 feet.

Harder Walk: 5 miles with an ascent and descent of 2,130 feet.

Day 7: Cetinje and the Lovćen National Park

Towering over the Bay of Kotor and dominating the northwest of Montenegro are the two summits of Mt Lovćen – the out-of-bounds Stirovnik at 1,749m and Jezerski Vrh crowned with the Mausoleum of Petar II at 1,657m – the target for today’s harder walk. Both walks finish at Krstac on the boundary of the national park and at the head of one of the most spectacular roads in Europe. Both these walks, at over 4,000ft, may be affected by early season snow.

Easier Walk: 6¼ miles with an ascent of 690 feet and a descent of 1,770 feet.

Harder Walk: 7 miles with an ascent of 1,380 feetand a descent of 2,360 feet.

Day 8: Departure day

Please note that the itinerary outlined below is provisional and could be subject to change. A finalised itinerary will be available at the resort and your leaders will brief you every evening about the next day’s walks.

Local transport

On some days the walks start and finish at the hotel. On other days we’ll use the hired transport to explore the surrounding area. The cost of transport to and from the walk is payable locally.