Lake Skadar National Park

Lake Skadar National Park protects the Montenegrin part of Lake Skadar, the largest lake in the Balkan Peninsula and in Southern Europe, which lies on the border of Montenegro and Albania. It is a karst lake named after the Albanian city of Shkodër on its south-eastern shore, and about two thirds of its surface belongs to Montenegro. Its level and area change with the seasons. The Albanian part of the lake is a nature reserve and a Ramsar site, and the Buna River connects the lake with the Adriatic Sea.

Visiting Skadar

Virpazar, on the western shore, is the main gateway, about 30 minutes by road from Podgorica, with a station on the Belgrade–Bar line. The park entry fee is paid separately from your boat trip (about 4–5 euros a day), and a two-hour group boat trip typically costs 15–25 euros; book ahead online. April to June is the pick, with Dalmatian pelicans nesting and water lilies in bloom; July and August can top 35 °C. Kom monastery, the Besac fortress and the Pavlova Strana viewpoint are the classic stops, and Crmnica wines and fried ukljeva are the local treats.