Toronto_Serb
Shared between Montenegro and Albania, Skadar Lake National Park is one of the most magical places you can visit in Montenegro. It is a great place to visit for those who are looking to explore natural beauty such as: small fishing villages, medieval monasteries, secluded beaches, wineries, flora and fauna. I recommend visiting Skadar Lake on your own: go to Virpazar, cute little village where you can find a few cafes and restaurants, walk around and chit-chat with locals. Stay overnight and take a tour with Boat Milica early in the morning. Family Dabanovic owns this recognizable wooden boat called Milica. It is a couple with three children who named their boat after their oldest daughter, Milica. Andrija and Jelena are the owners and we had a pleasure to spend half day on their boat, while exploring wild beauty of the Skadar Lake. Andrija and Jelena were right on time. They brought some refreshments (nice touch) and we started our trip at 8 o’clock in the morning going under the bridge towards our left. Right next to the bridge is Lesendro fortification. We went through numerous “water ways” between the islands while hearing stories about the lake, history, nature. We saw some great flora and fauna including birds and beautiful white and yellow water lilies. Our first stop was one of the magical medieval monasteries called Kom, established by the rulers of the Crnojevic dynasty from the 15th century. We were really impressed by this place; there is only one monk and another person living on this island. Marko is a friendly young man who left the modern world and decided to join the monk on the island and spend his life there. He gave us a nice tour and told us unforgettable stories about the royal family who was buried here. He offered us some apricots grown on the island and homemade rosehip juice. I recommend making some small donations to their tiny church with beautiful frescoes from the 15th century if you end up going, this is the only type of income they make.Our next stop was Karuc, fishing village where you will feel like you went back to the 19th century. Stone houses are so well preserved in their simplicity; it felt so relaxing sitting there and sipping our coffee at “Sloba’s”. We had such a great laugh listening to some stories from locals while overlooking the most stunning panoramic scenery you can imagine. Unseen Wonder movie was filmed here, you can find it on youtube. I contacted Jelena way before our trip and was really impressed with her professionalism and willingness to go out of her way to accommodate our requests, answer all the questions we had and make us feel welcome. Jelena also offered to be our point of contact for finding an overnight stay in Virpazar which we are really grateful for. Andrija, the captain, was born around Lake Skadar and knows every little corner of it. A lot of skill and experience is required to maneuver these boats through lake currents and hidden pathways, Andrija appeared to be exceptionally skilful and made us feel safe. He surprised me with a little water lily necklace, made within a minute. Very cute. Boat Milica has flat bottom, it is very stable and goes through spots where big boats can’t reach. Jelena also helped us to purchase some local honey and called the lady to bring it over to us directly. I can’t tell you how impressed we were when we went back to Virpazar and realized that the charge for this trip was what we agreed for originally, although it took almost two hours longer than originally planned. Andrija and Jelena are not there just for the money, they care and become your friends. And they certainly make you feel that you want to come back and continue sailing which we will do one day. A few tips: • Stay overnight in Virpazar and take a boat tour as early as possible to avoid tourists coming with travel agencies. I recommend either Jovanovic apartments across the bridge for 30 Euros (very nice, bright and clean) or if you are looking for just a simple room, there is a place right above the Virpazar Pub for 20 Euros.• Do your homework and don’t explore Skadar with just any boat. If you arrive in Virpazar, you will notice many people offering day trips. Most often those are not licenced and not insured. Boat Milica is both insured, licenced and stable. Members of this family speak excellent English and they also offer services in French and Spanish. • Take at least 3-4 hours boat trip to get the real vibe of the area• Visit Virpazar Visitors Centre and ask for a Catalogue of the Region, Lake Skadar which is sold for 1 euro. Really great buy. • If you are hungry, go to a little shack called Ribolovac, just next to the bridge, it is about 5-10 min drive from Virpazar going towards Podgorica, just before the bridge. You eat what they catch that day. It is a finger licking food and the best fresh water fish I tried ever. We took this trip 3 days ago and although we are enjoying our swimming and sun bathing in Herceg Novi, I feel like I want to go back to Skadar Lake and continue feeling it's magical energy......You can reach Jelena at +382-68-702-376.
DraganMNE
Hello to all! i was with my old friend and now I know we decided the best - the boat Milica! Nice and hospitable hosts helped us to tour the many beautiful and hidden places on the Skadar lake. It was fascinated me as much as it has undiscovered, at one point I thought we had reached the end of the world - beautiful beaches, the island is full of birds, a remote island-castle, old and new ideas about how to live on the lake, water snakes, birds (pelicans! i couldn't believe!!!), fish, wild and calming beauty. I was especially happy that I managed to touch the water that I feared earlier. Next trip will be longer, and on the other side of the tracks. See you soon! Thanks to Jelena and Milica!
