"Are you sure this is the way?" I shout over the engine to my boyfriend, Jake. We're following what Google Maps claims to be a road from the town of Kotor to a nearby ferry port. It feels more like a hiking trail. The narrow dirt path is crevassed and covered in rocks, but glimpses of the turquoise-blue bay through the trees ahead keep us going. The Royal Enfield Himalayan we’re riding makes short work of the tricky terrain, and soon, we’re back on asphalt, weaving our way down to the Bay of Kotor.
Exploring Montenegro by Motorbike
We’re on a motorbike tour of Montenegro, a trip that will take us from alpine peaks to Mediterranean sands, through primeval forest, and past Europe’s deepest canyon. We collected our rental bike a day earlier near the airport of Podgorica, Montenegro’s capital city, and made our way out of town, stopping for cevapi - grilled meatballs served in a flatbread the size of my helmet. We soon found ourselves riding across Lake Skadar, the Balkans' largest lake, dotted with lily pads and green islands. In the background is a range known as the Accursed Mountains, forming a wall of stone between Montenegro and Albania.
We join a near-empty road that snakes its way along a meandering river. The blue water and green hills are so vibrant they look photo-shopped. We pass old villages. Some are abandoned, others full of life, with chickens wandering about and colorful laundry hanging from lines. Classic Zastava cars, left over from communist times, dot the quiet streets.
Montenegro, the best of Europe in one small country
We stop for a break in Rijeka Crnojevića, a picturesque riverside town known for being Montenegro's capital during the Ottoman occupation - and the first place to have printed a book in Cyrillic script. A cluster of centuries-old merchant houses surround a delicate stone bridge, and the riverside restaurants make it an ideal break spot.
From here, we wind our way to Lovćen National Park, an area of mountain meadows with yellowing scrub and rocky peaks, including the so-called “black mountain” that gave Montenegro its name. It isn’t black, more of a dappled green and grey, and it is topped with a stone Mausoleum with sweeping views across the whole of Montenegro—from the turquoise Adriatic to the distant, forested peaks of the Dinaric Alps.
Looking at this panoramic view, it hits me just how much diversity this tiny country packs into its borders. You can drive across Montenegro in just four hours, but along the way, you’ll go from Mediterranean coastal scenes through sub-tropical micro-climates and into alpine mountain ranges. It is one of the countries in Europe with the most diverse ecosystems, which explains why protecting its nature has long been a priority. In 1990, when Montenegro was still a part of Serbia, it became the first country to enshrine the “Ecological State” in its Constitution.
Exploring Montenegro’s Best Motorbike Routes
This diversity makes it a dream for bikers, and the tourist board has made it easy to plan an itinerary by developing “panoramic routes,” which take you through the country’s five national parks and along its most spectacular stretches of asphalt. Photos from our motorbike trip to Montenegro look like a highlights-reel of Europe’s best sites: peaks that could be in Switzerland, old towns in Venetian style, Soviet monuments, and the fjord-like bay of Kotor.
We leave Lovćen via a road known as the Serpentine, which has 16 hairpin bends, descending a steep cliff and looking out over the bay. The turquoise water is ringed by towering mountains that look like waterslides plunging into the sea. Terracotta-roofed villages defy gravity on their steep sides. At the base of the hill, we see the busy road leading to Kotor and decide to take a shortcut across the inlet to the ferry port. This is how we end up on our sketchy, rocky off-road trail, arriving at the boat slightly worse for wear. From the opposite side of the bay, we head north into the mountains. The narrow roads cling to the edges of cliffs, and we spot a car dangling with two wheels off the side—a three-point turn gone wrong. Peaks with stripes of stratified rock surround us as we enter Durmitor National Park, winding through a narrow valley. The hills glow in the light of the setting sun as we head down a side track to find a quiet place to camp.
Safe and Welcoming for All Travelers
The picturesque Himalayan, next to our tent, in the golden hues of sunset, paints a rather beautiful scene, and Jake waxes lyrical about our noble steed. “It’s the most approachable, sure-footed adventure bike you could ask for.” He pats the motorbike fondly and would have brought it into the tent for safety if I had let him.
Not that there is any need. Montenegro is a very safe country, and bike thefts are almost unheard of. Wild camping is allowed in most areas, and I never felt uncomfortable, even on a separate trip I took on my own. I got no particular attention as a solo female traveler, just friendly waves from locals.
We had a magical evening watching the stars and the Milky Way traced against the sky before making the less poetic discovery the following morning that we had forgotten to fill the tank before heading into the wilderness.
Luckily, after coasting through the final stretch of the valley, our road led us down a steep canyon, passing through tunnels hewn into the rock. At the bottom was a petrol station and a cafe filled with friendly bikers enjoying a morning pint.
Why Montenegro Is Perfect for a Motorbike Adventure
After refueling our bike and ourselves, we set off for the final part of our journey: an empty road up the other side of the canyon. The road winded its way through thick forest and across a mountain plateau, with kilometers upon kilometers of empty, smooth, and curvaceous road.
This is the point of the journey where I am the most frustrated to be riding pillion: the twists and turns are incredible, and I make a mental note to return to Montenegro for a solo female motorbike trip. With its incredible, diverse landscapes, hospitable locals, and quiet roads, it might just be the best place in Europe for a motorbike adventure.
To discuss Montenegro motorbike rental or custom tours of Montenegro by motorbike, contact Wild Sherpas today!
Wild Sherpas is based in Tivat. Bike pick-up from Podgorica can also be arranged.
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