One of the most impressive mountains in Montenegro is the Komovi massif, situated in eastern Montenegro, bordering the Tara river to its west and the Prokletije mountain range to the south. Unlike the peaks of Durmitor, Komovi is greener, its lower reaches covered in green pastures, perfect for the grazing of lifestock. To get there, we drove down from Kolašin, circling around Bukumirsko Lake further south of the massif, before climbing the winding roads that lead up to the peaks of Komovi.
The weather wasn’t the best when we got to Bukumirsko lake – it was cold, windy and foggy. However, a patch of sun opened up while we were there and that was enough for us to enjoy its beauty. Like so many features in Montenegro, the lake was a place lost in time, surrounded by rolling hills and the little cottages which dotted those hills. The Shire from Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings could have come straight out from here.
Our guide, Vanja, told us he had wanted us to spend a night camping by the lake. Unfortunately the weather had not been the best, and he had to change our plans. It was one of the few times I felt really let down by the weather.
Instead, we continued on towards the peaks of Komovi, to where we would spend the night, at the Eko Katun Štavna. To get there, we drove up the winding roads that circled around the massif, cutting deep into the forests of the mountain, which was covered in a thick fog. The ride was exhausting, and I was glad when we finally arrived at the lodge, with its charming little chalets laid out in two neat rows on the Katun plateau at the foot of the peaks.
It was around mid-afternoon when we got there. By this time, the fog had become so thick we could barely see the massive peak that was supposed to be a mere twenty minute walk away from the Eko Katun Štavna. The entire area was dead silent and imbued with a deep sense of mystery. We had a lovely time being captives in our wooden chalet, with nothing else to do but read until it was dinner time. When we left the next morning, the fog had only intensified and the blur of the main peaks was no longer even there. We could barely see past the end of the row of chalets.
Although we had had a lovely time on Komovi, we felt like we’d missed out on quite a bit because of the weather and the bad visibility. However, after having driven all the way down to the bottom of the massif, we realised we’d left Danijel’s brand new rain jacket back up at the Eko Katun. Vanja told us not to worry about it – this gave us the perfect excuse to double back up Komovi a few days later. “Hopefully, the weather will be better then and you’ll get to see the peaks,” he told us.
A few days later, the weather was indeed much better – bright and sunny, accompanied by a crisp cool mountain breeze. This time, the plateau was filled with life – grazing sheep and horses were loitering everywhere. The horses were particularly interesting. They were gathered in family groups, with a few calves being watched over by their mothers and protected by the herd.
Without the fog, we could see how close the peaks of Komovi were, with respect to the plateau on which we were on. The main peak loomed large over us, at the end of the straight path we were on, which followed a low ridge all the way to the base. Vanja said it wouldn’t take us much time to climb it if we felt like – but it was already midday and the winds were getting stronger, so we opted for simply enjoying the view and the company of the horses instead.
Komovi is definitely one of Montenegro’s must visit natural attractions. Although we didn’t get to explore it as much as we would have liked, I felt we got a rather unique experience of the massif and of the plateau at the base of its peaks.
We’ve created a compilation of timelapses from a few of the best lookout points in Montenegro. In this collection is a timelapse we took on Komovi.
