Biogradska Gora national park is one of the most beautiful natural areas of Montenegro. It is also very diverse for such a small area, beautiful mountain lakes, expansive grassy plateau, virgin forests and traditional mountain pastures. All this makes hiking in Biogradska Gora a memorable experience. Here is a trip report from my summer family vacation where I hiked to Crna Glava peak at sunrise.
Šiško Jezero
First time I heard about Šiško jezero (lake) was when I was researching for cool places to stay in Biogradska Gora. I found a small, family run place called Koliba Simonović. The Simonović property consists of a few wooden huts where one can stay overnight, a communal eating place, a bon fire area and shared bathrooms. A simple but very clean and efficient setup. The best things about it are the location next to Šiško jezero, the warm hospitality of the whole family and yummy, homemade food.
When we navigated to Šiško Lake, navigation led us to a dead end. The road suddenly ended in the middle of nowhere and we had to walk another 45 minutes to get to the place. Our hosts explained we should have navigated via Berane town, the road from there is drivable with regular cars. Nevertheless, Nidžo, the son of the owners was super helpful and took our backpacks on the back of his mare. Thank you!
The Šiško Lake is small but very beautiful. The main tourist trails are more to the south, so one can enjoy peace and quiet even in peak summer season. There are numerous hiking trails around. Short ones to Small Šiško lake or Katun Šiška and longer trails to Crna Glava or Zekova Glava peaks. We enjoyed hiking in the nearby area with our children.
Hiking in Biogradska Gora – Crna Glava
One of our days in Biogradska Gora I took a longer hike to Crna Glava (2139m asl). This is one of the highest peaks of the national park. It offers 360 views on surrounding area as well as farther to Prokletije, Komovi and even Sinjajevina and Durmitor to the west.
I started walking when it was still dark. The moon was strong, creating almost magical atmosphere. After the initial ascent to the top of the ridge, most of the trail was following the mountain road on the top. The farther I got, the better the views. Soon I was enjoying views on Troglava and Zekova Glava, the other two prominent peaks of the Bjelasica massif. Later I saw the Crna Glava for the first time. Since the light was still decent, I spend a lot of time photographing. Here are some photos from the hike.
Most of the way to Crna Glava is an easy terrain and the ascent is slow and gradual. The last part, the final 10 minutes, there are finally a few places that make hiking fun. Some rocks where one has to scramble and that reminded me of the usual Slovenia hikes. The peak is rewarding in terms of views. I simply enjoyed the scenery and didn’t do much photography. The light was already flat and there was noticeable haze in the valleys around. After an hour of relaxing I headed back. This time I walked fast, the sun was strong and harsh so I wanted to be bask as soon as possible. A good reminder that even if you are not a photographer, it pays to start early!
Conclusion
Crna Glava is one of the nicest peaks of Biogradska Gora national park. One of the best things about it is that it is off the usual itineraries. -One can enjoy peace and quiet even in peak summer season. I want to climb it in Autumn next time. Surrounding beech forests and expanse blueberry fields must look amazing when they turn colour at the beginning of October!
Here are a few resources that will help you with hiking and photography when visiting Biogradska Gora.
GPS trail from my hike to Crna Glava on Outdoor Active.
Photography spots in Biogradska Gora and Montenegro on PhotoHound.
My other Montenegro blog posts.
Thank you for reading and see you next time!
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