Montenegro · Durmitor · Northern Montenegro

Jablan jezero

Directions

Jablan jezero, also called Malo jezero, the Small Lake, is a glacial lake high in Durmitor National Park, at the foot of the Crvena greda cliffs. Larger and deeper than many of Durmitor’s small lakes, it lies among conifer forest and alpine meadows and feels far more secluded than Crno jezero.

How it formed

The glaciers of the Ice Age left a scattering of small lakes across the Durmitor massif. The geographer Jovan Cvijić, who began studying them in 1899, called them gorske oči, the mountain eyes, and noted how much they differ in origin, size, colour and depth. Jablan’s water is highest in spring and early summer and drops noticeably by late summer.

History

The name is linked to jablan, the word for a poplar or ash, though the trees around the lake are mostly conifers.

Visit

Swimming

No reliable information

Tips

The shortest way in starts near the Momčilov grad restaurant at Bosača on the panoramic road, a walk of about 2 km one way through forest and pasture. From Žabljak and Crno jezero a full-day loop of 14–15 km passes Pitomine and Bosača, with optional detours to the Crvena greda viewpoint and Zminje jezero.

The lake lies in Durmitor National Park, so keep to the marked trails and the park’s rules. Late spring to autumn, when the trails are free of snow, is the season.