Montenegro Cycling Tour

Summary

Join ME and tour the whole of the incredible mountainous country of Montenegro by bicycle. As an added bonus, you will also have a chance to cross the border and venture into Albania!

There are very few countries that are as geographically diverse as Montenegro, yet small enough to cycle around in 8 days. While getting increasingly popular, Montenegro can still be considered as a hidden gem where cycling tourism is underdeveloped.

Don’t miss your chance to be one of the few privileged to cycle tour some of the incredible, unfrequented, hidden away roads that others don’t get a chance to experience.

Legs of this tour have been hand-picked by ME to collectively encompass most of the iconic landscapes and natural landmarks the country has to offer. They include cycling along some of Montenegro’s most beautiful rivers, lakes, fjords and obviously mountains, as well as several epic historic sites!!!

Highlights

Bespoke cycling tour holiday
Experience cycle touring in some of the Balkans’ most beautiful nature
Tour across entire Montenegro and venture into Albania
Cycle using our state of the art e-bikes, or use your own bike

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Itinerary

During the tour with us, your accommodation will be in clean and comfortable B&Bs, guesthouses and hotels. You will either share a twin, triple or a double room. If you would like your own space, you can choose the single room option, or sole occupancy of a double. Most of the rooms are en-suite, however, there may be some nights where your room isn’t en-suite (sole occupancy of a double has guaranteed en-suite).
The tour covers approximately 630 km over 8 days of cycling, with a number of challenging ascents.
All the breakfasts and lunches are included. Lunches will be provided in a cafe, restaurant or as picnic. Evening meals can be bought at your accommodation or in a nearby restaurant. We also provide 2 brew stops in the day, one in-between breakfast and lunch and the other mid-afternoon, to keep you powering up the climbs.
You will follow an experienced tour leader along the route, who will also be on hand to help with any possible bike problems. A GPX file will be provided so, if you wish, you can go slower or faster than the leader. A back up van will leap frog the group a number of times each day so that help is never far away.
We carry a range of spare parts so that repairs can be made en-route and we will have a spare bike available in the event that your bike has a serious breakdown.

Day 1: Meeting in Podgorica.
Day 2: Cycle day – Podgorica to Nikšić.
Day 3: Cycle day – Nikšić to Tara Canyon.
Day 4: Cycle day – Tara Canyon to Žabljak.
Day 5: Cycle day – Žabljak to Kolašin.

Day 6: Cycle day – Kolašin to Plav.
Day 7: Cycle day – Plav to Shkoder.
Day 8: Cycle day – Shkoder to Virpazar.
Day 9: Cycle day – Virpazar to Kotor.
Day 10: Departure.

Day 1: Arrival

Our meeting point is a hotel in Podgorica, the capital, where we will have an informal group evening meal at 19:30 and chat about the tour.

Day 2: Podgorica to Nikšic

We cycle out of Podgorica towards Nikšić, the second largest town in Montenegro, using the quiet, auxiliary roads. This initial journey will give you a taste of the Montenegrin landscape, where you’ll start to observe endless mountains along the way. As we approach Nikšic, we will cycle past the famed Ostrog Monastery.

Podgorica to Nikšic leg of the tour is approximately 59 km long, with an elevation gain of 1360 m.

Day 3: Nikšić to Tara Canyon

The second leg of the tour will take us towards the Bosnian border and the Tara Canyon. We cycle past the second largest lake in Montenegro, Piva Lake, created with the completion of a huge dam in 1975, Mratinje Dam, which we will cross. The lake itself is of a deep turquoise colour and cycling along it is magical.

Once we cross the dam, we descend into the awe-inspiring Piva Canyon. The canyon is several 100s of metres deep and the road along it passes through numerous tunnels. This scenery is breathtakingly wild! Piva Canyon will finally lead us onto the Europe’s largest and arguably the most beautiful canyon, Tara Canyon.

Nikšic to Tara Canyon leg of the tour is approximately 93 km long, with an elevation gain of 2120 m.

Day 4: Tara Canyon to Žabljak

During this leg of the tour we climb steeply out of the Tara Canyon, towards Durmitor National Park. The journey is characterised by wilderness and a few small, remote, traditional villages along the way.

During a large part of this day’s tour we will cycle along the Durmitor Ring Road. This road, found in the mountains, high above rivers and lakes, is famed for its breathtaking views. On the ring road, we will reach the highest point of the tour, Sedlo Pass at 1903 m. From this point, we descend into Žabljak, a mountain town, where we will spend the night.

Tara Canyon to Žabljak leg of the tour is approximately 68 km long, with an elevation gain of 1860 m.

Day 5: Žabljak to Kolašin

From Žabljak we descent again into the Tara Canyon, cycling the remaining part of it and moving closer to the river’s source. The canyon will lead us all the way to Kolašin, the country’s biggest ski resort town. The journey is not short of the usual wilderness and the surrounding mountains. The night in Kolašin will be spent in a spa hotel, with the possibility of a well-earned massage at that midpoint through the tour.

Žabljak to Kolašin leg of the tour is approximately 85 km long, with an elevation gain of 1428 m.

Day 6: Kolašin to Plav

On this day there is a gentle start which gradually turning into a climb along a bendy road. The road captures the centuries-old tradition of Montenegro’s village life combined with spectacular nature. You will also have great views of the Komovi Mountains, which reach a height of 2487 m and forms part of the Dinaric Alps.

Kolašin to Plav leg of the tour is approximately 70 km long, with an elevation gain of 1340 m.

Day 7: Plav to Shkoder

From Plav, on our way to Albania, we will cycle past the Accursed Mountains. They are found in Prokletije National Park, one of the least commercially exploited national parks, yet one of the most beautiful ones in Montenegro.

Accursed Mountains are truly imposing and cycling past them is an unforgettable experience. We will then cross into Albania and descend to its former capital and present day cycling capital, Shkoder.

Plav to Shkoder leg of the tour is approximately 110 km long, with an elevation gain of 1580 m.

Day 8: Shkoder to Virpazar

We start with some nice flat riding, as we cross back into Montenegro. We then begin to climb to eventually look down onto Montenegro’s largest lake, Skadar Lake. Set in a valley, this lake is different to mountain lakes, like Piva Lake, we observed earlier in the tour.

Skadar Lake offers magical sunsets and is home to 270 different kinds of birds, most of which are migratory. The journey will take us around this lively bird sanctuary, finally reaching Virpazar. This is a small fishing town where we will spend the night.

Shkoder to Virpazar leg of the tour is approximately 76 km long, with an elevation gain of 1428 m.

Day 9: Virpazar to Kotor

Our final day in the saddle, but again an amazing one, taking in the former royal capital Cetinje, before descending the famous Kotor Serpintine Road. This road has 16 hairpin bends to glide around, before dropping into the magnificent Kotor Bay. Here, where we will have a group meal taking in Europe’s most southerly fjord.

Virpazar to Kotor leg of the tour is approximately 73 km long, with an elevation gain of 1800 m.

Day 10: Departure

On the last day, the departure is scheduled for after breakfast. Transport is available for those wishing to travel back to Podgorica, along with your luggage and bikes.

If you are staying in Montenegro for longer you can always go on another adventure with us 😊