Top Podgorica Adventure Tours: Reviews & Recommendations

If you’re visiting Montenegro, you might be spending some time in Podgorica. As a jumping-off point to see the whole country, Podgorica actually has a number of really terrific tours for the adventure-inclined traveler. When searching for an adventure, picking the experience that matches what you hope to see is really important. These trips feature incredible guides and really well-designed routes that will show you what Montenegro has to offer.

Choosing a tour means thinking about what kind of traveler you might be, too. Do you just want the adrenaline rush, or do you also hope to get more connected to Montenegrin nature and the way the people in the country live? Very luckily, some tours balance thrill-seeking with experiencing history and culture. It just depends on what calls to you.

Here are the five Podgorica adventure tours that should very likely top your list.

1. Tara River Canyon Rafting

The Tara River Canyon—it’s actually a destination in its own right, almost! If you’re thinking about beauty and a thrill combined, you pretty much need to consider a whitewater rafting tour. What happens, usually, is that you’ll depart Podgorica nice and early, just to head north, toward the border with Bosnia and Herzegovina. As you travel, too, you can gaze at the countryside.

The canyon itself, that’s a different thing. The Tara River carved out something dramatic through the mountains. What’s super cool is that the canyon ranks among the deepest in Europe. You could spend hours looking over the edge and taking photographs.

Rafting down the Tara River almost seems to me like entering a different, incredibly dramatic sphere of nature. The rapids can change in intensity, yet there is something for people of every experience level, so to speak. The guides are always careful to provide instruction and help, as well as pointing out spots of real scenic and ecological note. Honestly, going down the Tara with a paddle is memorable as you get soaked by icy spray, yet feel that rush as you glide over those rapids. See Prices, Availability & Reserve Now (Tara River Canyon Rafting)

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2. Skadar Lake Kayaking Tour

Skadar Lake—a world that is pretty special. Straddling Montenegro and Albania, it’s actually the biggest lake on the Balkan Peninsula. Now, unlike the rush of whitewater, kayaking on Skadar Lake is definitely much more mellow and will be something you savor. As you glide along calm waters, you’ll find that peace pretty quickly.

As you’re making your way, expect wildlife spottings of several kinds, that’s for certain. Skadar Lake serves as an important bird reserve. That means you might catch sight of Dalmatian pelicans or pygmy cormorants, just to name a couple. What’s actually so delightful is just being among this habitat and hearing those natural sounds.

Often, too, tours include a stop at small villages alongside the lake, or even little monasteries sitting on islands, very old and kind of rustic. It’s actually quite cool to stretch your legs, do a bit of looking around, and even chat with someone local. The whole experience could be called immersive, so to speak, something that goes beyond just tourism and borders on education. See Prices, Availability & Reserve Now (Skadar Lake Kayaking Tour)

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3. Durmitor National Park Hiking

For people inclined to hike, that whole Durmitor National Park can be one incredibly worthwhile adventure. While it sits a bit further from Podgorica as some others mentioned here, the trip will very much reward you. Durmitor, also, earned the designation of a UNESCO World Heritage site, on account of those striking landscapes that feature high peaks, thick forests, and glacial lakes—many photographable spots!

What many people want is the chance to hike up Bobotov Kuk, Durmitor’s tallest peak. Now, reaching that summit takes a little something; you need to be in shape and be committed. Once you have hiked to the top, though, it might feel as though you’re looking at every direction, or that you see Montenegro laid out at your feet, I think.

Yet it shouldn’t be implied that’s the only thing. Other paths cross the park. Some go close to glacial lakes, like the Black Lake (Crno jezero), so very serene as it reflects those pines around the shoreline. No matter if you want a difficult climb or more of a leisurely saunter, Durmitor almost has it. See Prices, Availability & Reserve Now (Durmitor National Park Hiking)

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4. Canyoning Adventure in Nevidio Canyon

Okay, canyoneering almost sounds crazy. This excursion gets you traveling down the Nevidio Canyon, literally through those narrow passages filled with cold, streaming water. Understand, now: Nevidio is narrow. That means that the sunlight actually rarely touches the canyon floor, I think.

For folks searching for intensity, going down Nevidio could do it for them. With your protective gear on, including a wetsuit and helmet, and a practiced guide as a point man, you’ll have to swim and climb as you move through the rock formations. Sometimes you have to abseil (rappel). This trip seems to test strength.

That said, for all the action, the sights deserve as much admiration as you can give them, which may be limited in this scenario. Over ages, water formed the stone, until weird forms occurred, so pleasing in their way. What’s sort of neat is that many claim that Nevidio Canyon was one of the very last explored spots in all of Europe, too, just discovered in 1965. See Prices, Availability & Reserve Now (Nevidio Canyon Canyoning Adventure)

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5. Ostrog Monastery and Cultural Tour

So now something completely different: think about this as a spiritual sort of quest. Ostrog Monastery rates as one of the Balkans’ absolutely key places of pilgrimage. Clinging to a cliff face, that structure makes you wonder how someone put it there. As part of your cultural tour, that visit could combine seeing some history along with enjoying amazing views.

Going to Ostrog provides insights into the life of St. Basil of Ostrog. Local citizens regard this guy with tremendous respect. And many tales get passed around of miracles people have experienced at this holy place. Just realize that a lot of folks might be here to see the icons and the decoration of the chapels here.

Also know that the location could grab your attention every bit as much, very. You will get an amazing view that looks down the Bjelopavlići Plain. This excursion almost shows how much is going on in Montenegro: the interplay between nature and those traditions, both blending into one package. See Prices, Availability & Reserve Now (Ostrog Monastery Cultural Tour)

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