Advice for driving the Durmitor National Park Ring, Montenegro

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The Durmitor Ring is a panoramic road that encircles the Durmitor National Park. The scenic drive takes you through the valleys of the Durmitor ranges, and winds around the side of the mountains, offering the most spectacular views.

It is one of the most beautiful drives and shows a completely different side to Montenegro than the coastal towns and beaches.

Durmitor National Park - good to know

Where to stay: Stay in the main town of Zabljak, where you can find shops, restaurants and tourist information. Treat yourself to a luxury stay at North Story luxury chalets or opt for a cosy traditional stay at Apartments Grbovic

Driving in Montenegro: I always use Discovery cars to find the best deal for a rental car. Make sure that you select the fully covered insurance option, especially for driving the mountain roads.

Best time to go: The best time to visit Durmitor National Park is during the summer months, when the snow and ice has melted and you can access the mountains for hiking and driving the scenic road.

Good to know: Even in the summer months, the weather in the mountains is much cooler than by the coast, so bring some warmer layers.

Everything you need to know about driving the Durmitor Ring

The Durmitor Ring is one of the best things to do in Durmitor National Park, however, there are a few important things you should know before setting off. Below is some useful information, recommendations and tips that I have put together after driving the Durmitor Ring.

What is the Durmitor ring road?

The Durmitor ring is a scenic mountain drive in Durmitor National Park, Montenegro.

It is one of the most beautiful driving routes, with breathtaking views of the mountains, valleys, deep gorges and lush pine forests.

How long does it take to drive the Durmitor ring?

The drive is a 76km loop through the Durmitor mountain range. It takes about 4 hours to drive the full loop, however that depends how many stops you make and how long you spend at each viewpoint. You may also want to explore one of the hiking trails or extend the drive to Cuevac viewpoint, or Piva Lake.

We spent the best part of a day completing the loop, with a detour and lunch stop at Piva Lake.

What vehicle do you need to drive the Durmitor Ring road?

The panoramic mountain road is a (mostly) smooth tarmac road which is easy to drive. You will not need a 4×4 car to drive on the Durmitor ring road. I would recommend a mid size car as the road is very narrow and can be difficult for larger vehicles. Be mindful that a very small car may not be powerful enough if you have 4 adults in it.

Is the Durmitor mountain road safe to drive?

The mountain roads are very winding with numerous switch-backs. It is a two-way road (though it may not always look like that!) and there are a few passing places. The road does not have a safety barrier and some parts are not for the faint-hearted, with a sheer drop, so you will need to be confident driving narrow roads.

I felt completely safe on the southern section of the ring road, as most of this road is through the valley. However the northern section winds around the mountains and is much higher up. There were definitely several places where I felt quite unsafe on the northern section of road, which I’ll go in to further down.

Should you drive the Durmitor Ring road clockwise or anti-clockwise?

Some guides recommend driving anti-clockwise and completing the northern road first. However, I would recommend driving clockwise and completing the southern road first – I’ll explain why below.

The Durmitor Ring road - Northern half

As I’ve alluded to above, the northern road is much more challenging. It is narrower than the southern half of the ring and definitely felt unsafe in some places. There were some sections of road near the top of the mountain which had a sheer drop and it was pretty nerve-wracking when passing other cars. In fact, at one point, my husband had to get out of the car (tiptoeing between the car and the sheer cliff-edge) to tell me how far over I could drive to the edge to let a car pass. That was honestly an incredibly scary experience and looking back it was really ridiculous. But when you are on such a narrow road on the side of a mountain, there’s no way to go other than to continue going forward.

There were also a lot of loose rocks on the northern road, which had crumbled and fallen for the cliff face, which was a bit unnerving to see! The northern part of the ring is also not as scenic, and a lot of the road is through thick forests. So the sketchy roads didn’t even seem worth it.

The Durmitor Ring road - Southern half (Seldo Pass)

The southern part of the Durmitor ring, from Zabljak to Trsa, passes the hiking hot spots of Bobotov Kuk and Prutas Peak. It is often referred to as the ‘Seldo Mountain Pass’. This half of the ring road has slightly wider roads and more passing places. The roads do not have sheer drops either, so it feels much safer and less daunting if you are not used to mountain roads. The southern half is also much more scenic, with more viewpoints to stop at.

The southern road is busier, but we travelled in August and we didn’t feel that it was crowded at all. You could still take a leisurely drive and not see many people for ages.

Which route is best?

Personally, after driving the full Durmitor Ring, we didn’t really enjoy the second, northern part. The views from the southern Seldo Pass were so good that driving through the thick forests of the northern road afterwards was a bit dull. Also, we really didn’t feel that safe in some parts of the northern road. If I was to do this again, I would drive the southern part of the ring road (the Seldo Mountain Pass) to Trsa, then detour to Piva Lake. I would then return the same way, along the southern route, skipping the northern road completely.

If you do want to try to drive the full Durmitor Ring, I would suggest driving the southern route first, as this will also test how comfortable you are driving the mountain roads. If you feel fine, then carry on to the northern part of the ring if you want. But if you are unsure, then you can turn around and return on the easier, southern road.

Detour to Piva Lake

Piva Lake is not officially part of the Durmitor Ring, but I would absolutely recommend making a detour here. Once you reach either Pisce or Trsa on the ring road, follow signs towards Pluzine. The drive from Trsa to Pluzine is 30 minutes.

As you approach Pluzine and Piva Lake, the road will wind down the side of the mountain, to reach the lake. This section of road has sheer drops and is very winding, so take extra care here and drive slowly. But the drive is worth it and you will get the most beautiful views of the bright blue Piva Lake.

Drive over the bridge into Pluzine and park up outside Cafe bar Sidro. The parking here is free and there are some benches that overlook the river with the most beautiful views. We stopped at the café for a drink, too.

Make sure to walk to the lakefront, too. There is parking here, but it can get busy, so I’d recommend parking in town and walking down. From the lakefront you can rent kayaks, SUPs, or take a boat trip on the lake. There is also a children’s playground here and a small beach café. We enjoyed a picnic on the pebble beach. We could have stayed here for a few hours. It was so lovely. Sadly I had forgotten to take our swimsuits, otherwise we would have enjoyed a dip in the lake.

Hiking routes along the ring road

There are numerous hiking trails along the mountain pass. The most popular is the trail to Bobotuv kuk. This is a very challenging hike, with some scrambling sections and also a bit of Via Ferreta. Because of that, it is only recommended if you are an experienced hiker and have the correct equipment.

If you want an easier hike, I would recommend the Suva Lokva loop. This is a 6km loop through the valley, graded as an easy-moderate route. You’ll be surrounded by beautiful mountains and this was one of my favourite sections of the pass.The start/ finish of the trail is at the first viewpoint on the southern route (Google maps location). The route is not well marked, you need to look out for little red and white paint markers on rocks, but for most of the way, you can see the trodden down path. You can also cut it short at any time and head back to the viewpoint.

Another family friendly hike to tick off your list whilst in the National Park is the Black Lake loop. Read everything you need to know about visiting the Black Lake, here.

Hiking in Suva Lokva Valley is an easy option but with great views!

Tips for driving the Durmitor Ring Road:

Take plenty of snacks and water – There are no shops on the Durmitor ring road, so pack snacks and water with you. There are two restaurants in Trsa which is the half way point and a great place to stop for lunch. There are also plenty of shops and restaurants in Pluzine, if you decide to detour to Piva Lake.

Make sure to fill up on petrol in Zabljak – There are no petrol stations on route, so make sure to fill up beforehand. There is one petrol station in Pluzine.

Take it slowly – There are so many amazing views to enjoy and lots of viewpoints where you can pull up and get out of the car, so take your time and soak up the beautiful scenery

Pick the right car – As I mentioned above, I would really recommend renting a mid size car. Ideally, you don’t want to be driving anything too large (although I did see some small campervans on the southern half).

Is driving the Durmitor Ring Road worth it?

In my opinion, driving the Durmitor ring is one of the best things to do in Durmitor National Park. It is a great way to experience the beautiful scenery without needing to hike one of the more extreme hiking trails.

If I was to do this again, I would personally recommend driving the southern route to Trsa then taking the detour to Pluzine. Spend a few hours at Piva Lake enjoying lunch and a swim, then I would retrace the southern route from Trsa back to Zabljak. If you don’t want to take the 30 minute detour to Piva Lake, stop for lunch at Trsa instead and retrace the route from there.

For other fun activities to do in the National Park, read my blog post, here.