Holiday Journal: Montenegro and Croatia

We have finally reached the mid of our touristic calendar.. the much awaited summer holiday! And we chose to spend our holiday in Montenegro and Croatia. We were really anxious to leave this time, or much more than usually because we had a small list of objectives we wanted to check and the good thing is that by the end we managed to achieve them all.

Here is the short version of what we have done during our 11 day holiday (9 days of actual visiting time) in Croatia and Montenegro:

• Distance traveled: 1930 km by car;
• Total time 11 days: 2 days hiking, 4 days at the seaside, 3 days relaxation, yoga and cultural tourism, 2 day on the road;
• Visited countries: Montenegro and Croatia;
• National Parks: Durmitor and Biogradska;
• Conquered peaks: Bobotov Kuk – 2523 and Kučki Kom – 2487 m;
• Lakes: Crno Jezero, Biogradsko Jezero, Pivsko Jezero, Valovito Jezero, Veliko Škrčko Jezero;
• Touristic objectives – cities: Dubrovnik and Kotor;

Long story short

Before we get into the details of each objective we saw during our July – August 2016 Holiday we thought it would help to do a short summary for each day and the overall costs we had.

Day 1

• Departure from Timisoara, a long road in terms of time not actual distance because it took us 9 hours for about 600 kilometers. We had no motorways for the whole trip. In the evening we slept and drank a beer at Ivan Do Camping – Pitomine, Montenegro.

Day 2

• Hiking trip to the highest peak of the Durmitor National Park – Bobotov Kuk 2522 m. Accommodation at Ivan Do Camping.

Day 3

• Relaxation day – zip line on the Tara Canyon. First time experience, woohoo! Departure to the Croatian seaside – Mlini Village, Camping Kate.

Day 4

• Let there be sea! Snorkeling all day long. Accommodation in Mlini, at Camping Kate.

Day 5 

• Visiting Dubrovnik and the daily dose of snorkeling. Accommodation in Mlini, at Camping Kate.

Day 6

• SUP day! Beginning of a new adventure – Stand Up Paddleboard close to Dubrovnik and some evening swimming. Accommodation in Mlini, at Camping Kate.

Day 7

• Time to move on and to visit the ancient city of Kotor and then to get the high life… up in the mountains. Hut accommodation at Eko Katun Stavna, Katun Vulića, Andrijevica, Montenegro.

Day 8

• Hiking on Kucki Kom peak – 2487 m, pretty hard mountain that gave us some hassle. Cheap accommodation options at a camping somewhere downhill of Eko Katun Stavna named Katun Eco Dom.

Day 9 

• Kayaking in Biodradska National Park and after back to Durmitor National park at Ivan Do Camping – Pitomine, Montenegro.

Day 10

• A morning jog around Crno Jezero (lake). We drove the whole length of the Durmitor National Park on some alpine road that is simply stunning and on which we plan to return with our bikes. We visited the Pivsko Jezero lake – the stunning color of the water! Superb!

Day 11 

Expenses

Transport: ~ 170 € (4 persons)

• Gas/car/1700 km: 135 € (4 persons)
• Vignette / Road taxes – none for this trip
• Parking fees – 35 € (30  € / 6 hours parking in Dubrovnik)

Accommodation: ~ 140 € (2 persons, one car, one small tent)

• Camping Ivan Do, Durmitor, Montenegro – 32 € / 4 nights
• Camping Kate, Mlini, Croaţia – 70 € / 4 nights (2 persons, one car, small tent)
• Eko Katun Stavna, Montenegro – 26  € / night / 2 persons
• Katun Eco Dom Camping, Montenegro – 7.5 € / night (2 persons, one car, small tent)

Food and groceries cost: 250 € 

• ~150 € groceries and ~ 100 € on restaurants

Touristic objectives and other costs: ~ 100 € (2 persons)

• Dubrovnik citadel defense wall tour: 12 €
• Entrance fee (one day) Durmitor National Park 6  € / 2 pers
• Entrance fee (one day) Biogradska National Park 6  € / 2 pers
• Zip Line Tara Canyon: 20 € / 2 pers
• SUP rental: 32 € / 2 pers for 4 hours
• Kayak rental: 10 € / 2 pers
• Beach bed: 4  € /  pers / day

Travel Insurance: ~ 20 € (2 persons) 

• 30 € / pers per year. We bought a travel insurance for one year that covers extreme sports which is cheaper if you leave the country for at least 2-3 times, compared to individual insurances for each trip.

Total estimated budget: 600 €   (transport, accommodation, touristic objectives, food) / 2 persons.

Conclusion

As an ending point, I would like to say this has been the first time I go to the seaside and return back home with lots of joy, not because of the sun, sand or such stuff, but because of the elusive Stand Up Paddle Board that I finally managed to experience.

Overall the holiday was great and the company we had was even better! Montenegro is a country that most definitely deserves your attention especially if you are searching for a cheaper destination and Croatia is… well… let’s say a bit more exquisite (both to your taste and to your wallet) and it is more appreciated for its seaside.

Other great adventures