Katun Roads - homestay variant

If you are looking for a real off-the-grid Montenegrin Mountain experience, then embark upon our Katun Roads trip. Katuns are typical Montenegrin summer pastures where shepherds spend 4-5 months per year with their herds, living the Balkan life as it has been lived for centuries. The shepherds will provide you with a warm & clean room, homemade food throughout your stay (all incl.) and a chance to sample this ancient lifestyle at first hand. 

On this variant you will not sleep in the roof tent. Shepherds will provide accommodation in their homes. The comfort level is basic but clean. Service provided with lot of care & attention. The great plus of sleeping in a house is that cold nights are avoided. All houses have woodstove, so the season for this trip can can be extended from late may, when all roads are fee of snow, well into October.

This offer is covered by STO Garant guarantee. You can find the conditions for this guarantee scheme on STO Garant's website (www.sto-garant.nl/en/downloads). 

Included        Rental of 1 Lada without rooftent, without camping & cooking gear, overnights at shepherd houses & lodges, tourist tax, dinners day 1-5, breakfast day 2-6, packed lunch day 2-5,full casco insurance, road book & gps support, daily hiking suggestions (incl. maps & gps support)

Excluded    Travel to / from Montenegro, fuel, entrance fees, other meals & drinks, personal expenses

Day 1  |    The Sinjajevina Highlands     |    101 km   |    80% asphalt    |    3 hrs

From Podgorica you ascend through the Moraca canyon into the mountains. Sinjajevina is a vast open plateau with steep peaks rising on all sides. Under the summits of Moracka Planina you will find the remote katun Jecmen Dol. Your host family will prepare a warm welcome that includes their highland specialties, and certainly a shot or two of their home brew rakija. Podgorica seems miles & ages away here. 

Day 2  |     Bjelasica    |   70 km    |      40% asphalt    |     4-5 hrs

The road down to Kolasin follows the course of the Lipovo Valley. You will be delighted by the picture-perfect image of snow-capped summits and neatly kept green fields below. After Kolasin the road winds up again, this time into the Bjelasica mountains. The road gets from bad to worse as the scenery gets better and better. The endless grasslands that cover the highest ridges are a paradise for sheep and cows and that’s why the katun tradition is still very much alive here. You will spend the night at the Senica brothers katun tonight, in a lovely decorated room. 

Day 3   |    Cakor Katun   |    78 km    |    30% asphalt   |    4-5 hrs

The Cakor pass was once the highest part of the main road that connected Kosovo to the Mediterranean. Imagine hundreds of Zastava’s tackling this pass back in the 70’ies. Nowadays the road is almost forgotten. You will ascend via an even smaller road through the most densely used katun pastures to reach the pass at 1900m. Your hosts run a thriving katun with sheep, cows and a few pigs. This afternoon you are welcome to help them with the daily work. Enjoy again a farm-to-table dinner as a reward. You will sleep in a tent in the fenced area of their property (we provide the tent & sleeping bags).

Day 4    |     The Damned Mountains    |    82 km    |     50% asphalt    |     4 hrs

It does not sound inviting but ‘Damned Mountains’ is how Prokletije literally translates. It is not sure whether it was the remote location or the inaccessibility of the terrain that the name derived from. But it’s damn worth a detour. We included the circular road around the volcanic lake of Hridsko, at an altitude of almost 2000m asl. This mysterious area with a mixed Albanian and Montenegrin population is full of ancient folk tales and customs. Along the ride we offer optional short hikes to summits. Tonight you will sleep at Samels cottage, the last Katun stay of this trip.

Day 5   |     The valley of Plav & Gusinje    |     50 km    |     80% asphalt   |    3 hrs

The final stage of this tour gets you down to the valley to see where katun people live when they are not at altitude. Plav and Gusinje are typical Balkan towns; a mixture of languages and religions and above all a pleasant sense of chaos all over. You explore the natural wonders of Ropojana and Grbaja valley. In the latter you will sleep in a small tourist accomodation. The first time that you will be among other tourists this trip, mostly hikers who come for the Prokletije summits.

Day 6  |    The end   |     80 km    |    100% asphalt    |    2,5 hrs

You cross into Albania briefly and then follow the course of River Çemi / Cijevna to get back to Podgorica, where we will wait you back at our storage, curious to hear your stories.