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Zminje jezero

Photo: Alexkom000 · CC BY 4.0

Montenegro · Durmitor · Northern Montenegro

Zminje jezero

Directions

Part of Durmitor Lakes

Zminje jezero, the Snake Lake, is a small glacial lake hidden in old spruce forest in Durmitor National Park, below Crvena greda at the head of the Mlinski stream. It is one of the most popular short walks from Žabljak and Crno jezero.

How it formed

The basin was shaped by glaciers, with the limestone below adding karst features. Three small springs, rain and snowmelt feed the lake, and a sinkhole at its edge keeps its level fairly steady. The water is cold, dark green and clear to a few metres.

History

Legend says that long ago snakes fled here for warmth, but an early winter froze them, and the melting snow formed the lake; the forest mirrored in its water still looks like snakeskin. Others say the name comes from the snake-like roots on its shore.

Visit

Swimming

No reliable information

Tips

A marked trail, no. 102, links the lake with Crno jezero in about an hour or a little more, past old watermills, and the lake also lies on the Three Lakes Circuit with Barno jezero. There are benches for a picnic and a cold spring nearby; a forest road near Bosača lets you drive close and walk the last stretch.

The lake lies in Durmitor National Park, so keep to the marked trails and the park’s rules.

Nearby lakes

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More lakes in Durmitor

Guides

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Sources & data

  1. OpenStreetMap: Zminje jezero (way 63314316), OpenStreetMap contributors
  2. Wikipedia: Zminje Lake, Wikimedia Foundation
  3. The ‘mountain eyes’ of Durmitor (2018), Montenegro for Me

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