About the Area
The lodge is situated in Durmitor National Park. This covers an area of 39,000 hectares and includes magnificent mountains, alpine lakes and high pastures. It is bordered by two deep canyons, the Tara to the east and the Piva to the west. The Durmitor range has 27 peaks over 2,200 metres high and in all there are 48 peaks over 2,000 metres high, 5 canyons and 18 glacial lakes, amoung which the Black Lake is the best know. There are 748 springs of pure mountain water and forests in which trees are over 100 years old. Along the 2,000km of climbing and hiking trails you can find many caves such as Ledina Pecina (Ice Cave) which is below Obla Glava peak. Close to the Durmitor Massif is the Tara river, the longest river in Montenegro. It flows at the bottom of the Tara Canyon, the longest and deepest in Europe, reaching at points 1,300 sheer metres.
Along with Durmitor, the canyon has been UNESCO protected since 1977
Zabljak is the administrative centre of Zabljak municipality, which has a population of 4,200. The town of Zabljak itself has a population of around 2,000. It is located at an altittude of 1,465 metres making it the highest settlement in the Balkans.
Zabljak has a selection of shops, bars and restaurants. The shops are limited to small local traders and supermarkets. There is also a market on a Thursday. There is a tourist office, chemist, post office, National Park office, internet cafe, petrol station and medical centre. Restaurants serve a variety of local dishes, with two course meal for two, with a bottle of local wine and coffee costing around €20. There are also around half a dozen large hotels which also have bars and restaurants, however these may not a be open all year round. The town has a small fleet of taxis and some local buses.
