Khaleey Times: Marvellous Montenegro

The online UAE portal in English gave a mini guide description of abaut Montenegro. He especially emphasized the places Kotor, Budva, Perast, the Ostrog monastery, as well as Durmitor....

If you are looking for a quiet, scenic and a 'wild' place to visit in the Balkans, then Montenegro must be on your bucketlist. For the tiny country that it is, Montenegro is a package. The fairytale-like region located south of Croatia on the Adriatic coast is welcoming tourists from 'green list' countries including the UAE. However, masks and social distancing are mandatory.

Kotor
Kotor is famed for its charming Old Town replete with cobbled streets, crumbling churches and narrow lanes strung with picturesque laundry lines. Kotor is characterised by its authentic Old Town: A maze of cobbled streets, stone churches and orange-roofed houses encased in a fortification wall and set against a backdrop of towering mountains. It has a similar vibe to nearby Dubrovnik in Croatia, otherwise known as King's Landing from 'Game of Thrones'.

Budva
Of Montenegro's seemingly never-ending chain of picturesque coastal towns, Budva is by far the most popular. Filled to the brim with restaurants and limestone houses, its Old Town is almost as pretty as the one in nearby Kotor, and there's plenty of fun to be had on the beaches, as well as at the seafront bars which pop up in the summer. But Budva is also an ancient settlement, with history and culture that dates back some 2,500 years, and it's one of Montenegro's must-see places. Whatever your holiday style, there's plenty to do here.

Ostrog Monastery
Ostrog monastery was carved out of a vertical mountainside of of Ostroska Greda. Founded by Vasilije, the Bishop of Herzegovina and later known as St. Vasilije of Ostrog, his body is enshrined in a reliquary kept within the cool dark walls of the cave-church. Word spread quickly of the supposed miraculous healing powers of his mortal remains, and the monastery become a centre of pilgrimage not only for Orthodox Christians, but Catholics and Muslims as well.

Durmitor National Park
The impossibly rugged and dramatic Durmitor is one of Montenegro's - and Mother Nature's - showpieces. Carved out by glaciers and underground streams, Durmitor stuns with dizzying canyons, glittering glacial lakes and nearly 50 limestone peaks soaring to over 2,000m.

Perast
Perast is often called the quietest town in Boka. Its narrow streets and numerous mostly abandoned renaissance, and baroque palaces, testify about the former richness of the Kotor Bay. Perast was a town of sailors, and it was known by that even outside the space of Montenegro. There are 16 preserved palaces in Perast, among them is the baroque palace Bujovic at the very entrance of Perast.

Cetinje
Cetinje is the historical capital of Montenegro. A preferred destination for travellers and tourists, especially in the summer period, is Ivanova korita (Ivan's riverbeds), where a hotel complex and a children's rest home is situated, as well as a recently adapted mountain home. Another must-visit place near Cetinje is Rijeka Crnojevica.

Skadar
The lake is located in Zeta - Skadar valley and is surrounded by mountains, and it's 7 km away from Adriatic Sea. Skadar Lake is the largest lake at the Balkan Peninsula, with fresh water and one of the largest national parks in Montenegro. It's extremely famous for its diversity of flora and fauna.

Mount Lovcen
Nestled within the Dinaric Alps, lies Mount Lovcen National Park, a national park in Montenegro based around the iconic Mt. Lovcen. This distinctive peak holds great significance to the Montenegrin people, as the place where their beloved hero, Petar II Petrovic Njegos, is laid to rest. Though it is in the southern part of the country, Lovcen National Park (LOV-chen) is the heart of Montenegro. The country derives its name from this mountain. Established in 1952, Lovcen is also full of the rich historical, cultural and architectural heritage protected by the national park. The area has numerous elements of national construction such as the old houses and village guvna. The cottages in katuns, summer settlements of cattle breeders are also typical for this part of Montenegro.

Original Text : Kaleey Times