Bobotuv Kuk sits a cool 2523m above Montenegro’s hot Balkan coastline. On the border of Bosnia and Serbia the mountain rises out of Durmitor National Park, a stunning un-touched treasure in a country steeped in modern history. The main base in the area is the somewhat bizarre town of Zabejzak, a cobbled together collection of sprawling homesteads, surrounded by lush meadows leading to a pretty epic mountain range. Once we got used to the strange shaped houses, we were blown away by the ‘hills are alive’ esq backdrop.
 

 
Our first stop was a ridiculously cheap (and tasty) pizza in town followed by a leg stretch to the National Park’s number one tourist spot – The Black Lake. Admittedly the car park was full of coach tours, but we soon lost the crowds at what was a pretty idyllic spot, in the heart of the natural park.
 

Although the lake is the main tourist attraction in the area, to the more adventurous it is really the passageway to the mountain trails that sit beyond. So well-marked are these trails, the national park has actually faced criticism for making the un-hospitable alpine environment too accessible to underprepared tourists. Without wanting to fall into that category, we picked up a map from our accommodation and carefully planned our route up the famous Bobotuv Kuk.
 

With a slightly iffy forecast we opted for the shortest route up Montenegro’s highest mountain, giving us plenty of time to get off the hill before the afternoon’s thunderstorms rolled in, like they had done all week. The route started and finished in Sedlo, a 30min drive from town, and the next morning we were first to make our way through the mist to the obvious roadside car park. What wasn’t as obvious as we had expected was the start of the trail, and without realising we began climbing the wrong mountain (so much for not wanting to be tourists!). A break in the cloud and a quick peak at the map and we were soon on track and climbing steeply into the mountains. As the cloud cleared the most amazing vista opened up in front of us with a perfect blue sky back drop, this place just got more and more stunning.
 

We spent the next hour tripping over rocks as we stared all round at the panoramic views; Bobotuv Kuk’s peak towering above us as we hit its steep lower slopes. From here we faced the main slog, but after another hour of walking we reached a narrow passage leading us onto the final wall to the top. This is where things got interesting, with big drops all around every step was carefully placed as we headed on up the ledge. The scramble from here to the top was an absolute delight, not too exposed, not too difficult, but with each turn taking us further into the different world of towering alpine walls and craggy summits that surrounded us.
 

Clouds came and went as we got to the top, adding to the drama of this epic, epic mountain. From the top you soon realise quite how mountainous Montenegro is, especially here on the border with Bosnia to the North and Albania to the East. Clearly this is one of the reasons it managed to avoid the recent conflict between its neighbours.
 

The way down was equally rewarding, and gave us another chance to take in the mixing pot features of the folding strata – neither of us had seen anything like it before. Opting for the shorter route meant we were off the hill in just over five hours, which we really didn’t think possible when looking at the top from Zabeljak the day before. We definitely made the best of the weather, and the scores of late starters would have been caught in the rain that followed later that afternoon. I’d also imagine the route got quite busy on the scrambles near the top, with limited space to pass other walkers.
 

I’m not convinced the other route up the hill would have given quite the same views and from doing some reading, the route from Zabeljak was a bit of a scree train. Doing the shorter route also meant we had time to head back through town and do another quick walk to a local view point of the famous Tara valley, the world’s second largest canyon behind the Grand Canyon! Another of Montengro’s hidden gems, and a great reason for us to return, perhaps in May when snowmelt makes for some wild rafting.
 

Other highlights

You can’t visit Montenegro without hitting the lively coastal towns, we found the best of the lot was the old picture perfect historic town of Kotor, like a mini Dubrovnik, without the same footfall. The seafront heading north east has plenty of lovely restaurants and cafes and the further out of town you got, the less tourists you saw. The nearby village of Pitres is also 100% worth a trip for dinner one night.

A trip to Budvar should probably be avoided, unless you want to hit the island’s big Russian party scene, admire the super yaughts or when passing through to the amazing island of Sveti Stefan. There is another National Park closer to the coast that definitely worth a trip – Lovcen. If you can face the 25 hairpin bends leading out of the Kotor basin that is, we made a day trip here and found some hiking routes at from the visitor centre – https://www.visit-montenegro.com/tourism/national-parks/lovcen/

What a holiday, from the Med’s only Fjord to a scrambler’s paradise. Get yourself to Montenegro before everyone else finds out about it!