Lake Skadar and the Crnojević River: That Famous Bend

One of the most reproduced photographs of Montenegro was not taken at the sea. It is the bend of the Crnojević river, where the water loops almost back on itself between green hills, shot from the viewpoint on the old Cetinje–Podgorica road at Pavlova Strana.

Group tours to Lake Skadar usually drive past it: the spot is off the route and costs half an hour. On a private tour you decide. The price here is per group, and the boat is paid separately: from €40 per hour.

Virpazar and the lake

Lake Skadar is one of the largest in the Balkans: from 370 to 530 square kilometres, depending on the season. Two thirds belong to Montenegro and the rest to Albania, with the border running across the water.

It has been a national park since 1983: around 280 bird species, including the Dalmatian pelican, the symbol of the park — the lake has one of the few colonies in Europe. Almost fifty fish species, the most valued being Skadar carp and bleak.

The guide collects you from your hotel and drives to Virpazar, a fishing village on the western shore that was once one of the main market towns in the area. There is time to walk it, look at the craft market and change into swimwear.

A motorboat leaves from here. The trip takes two to three hours: the wide part of the lake, channels through reeds, islands with monasteries, and swimming in clear water.

The Crnojević river

A separate leg of the route and the reason to choose this version.

The river rises from a karst spring at the foot of a mountain and reaches the lake a few kilometres later. Along it sits the village of Rijeka Crnojevića — once the seat of the Crnojević dynasty and the first town in the country with a printing press, which opened in 1493 and finished its first book on 4 January 1494. Today it is a dozen stone houses, a 19th-century arched bridge and a couple of waterside restaurants serving lake fish. What came off that press, and why the Crnojevićs had retreated into the mountains in the first place, is told in a short history of Montenegro.

The viewpoint at Pavlova Strana is where you see the bend. The best light is morning or sunset; at midday the water glares and the picture flattens out.

What it costs

The tour is private, so there is no fixed price per person: the form shows the guides free on your date and what each of them charges. As a rule of thumb, private tours start from €90 per group. One thing to know before you book: the company runs its private tours only with Russian-speaking guides. If Russian is no use to you, the honest alternative is to drive to Virpazar and Pavlova Strana yourself in a hire car.

The boat is paid separately and is a noticeable part of the budget:

• from €40 per hour — for a party of 1–3
• from €55 per hour — for a party of 4–6
• you need 2–3 hours

Plus:

• €5 — national park entry per adult; free for children under 15
• from €15 — lunch, optional
• €2–8 — museum tickets, optional

The request goes to your chosen guide; after confirmation a booking link and voucher arrive by email. The exact figure is quoted by the guide who runs the tour.

How it differs from the group version

The group excursion costs from €53 per adult setting off from Budva, Kotor, Tivat and Bar, runs to a timetable in season only (it is not held from October to May) and includes the boat. It is the right choice if you want to see the lake once and not count hours.

The private version costs more, but: you start when you like, the Crnojević river and the viewpoint are in the programme, the boat is yours rather than shared, and you swim where you liked the look of rather than where the schedule says.

There is a third option too — the speedboat out of the marina at Plavnica, which is about the southern island monasteries and the Morača delta rather than the village and the river.

What to bring

Comfortable shoes, swimwear, towels, water, a hat, sunscreen and a camera — there is something to photograph all day. Cash for the boat and park entry: there is no card terminal on the water.

If someone cannot swim but wants to, bring armbands or a vest — the boat anchors in open water.

When to go

May to October. May and June bring the lily bloom, high water and passable channels. July and August are hot and the level drops. September and October mark the start of bird migration, and the delta holds more of them than in summer.

Nearby

Fishing on the same lake with a six a.m. start is fishing on Lake Skadar. All destinations are on the things to do page; group tours with prices are under tours in Montenegro.

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Prices checked in September 2026.