KATUN ROADS — FAMILY HOMESTAY OPTION

If you’re looking for a truly different experience in the mountains of Montenegro, our Katun Roads journey could be just what you’re looking for.

Katuns are traditional Montenegrin summer pastures, where shepherds spend four or five months of the year with their livestock, following a way of life that has existed in the Balkans for centuries.

During your stay, your hosts will provide you with a warm, clean room and home-cooked food, all included, giving you the chance to experience this ancient way of life first-hand.

Your adventure companion for this journey will be a three-door or five-door Lada, depending on your needs. The vehicle is suitable for two people, with the possibility of sharing the journey with two additional travelling companions

In this version, you won’t sleep in a tent on the roof of the Lada. Instead, the shepherds will welcome you into their homes.

The accommodation is simple but clean, and you’ll be looked after with genuine care and attention. One of the great advantages of staying in a house is avoiding the cold mountain nights. All the homes have wood-burning stoves, which means this journey can be enjoyed from late May, once the roads are clear of snow, right through until late October.

Here’s what we have prepared for you!

Detailed Itinerary

Day 1 — Podgorica

Overnight stay in a four-star hotel with a spa in Podgorica. You can spend the day exploring Montenegro’s capital.

Day 2 — Sinjavina | 101 km | 80% tarmac | 3 hours

From Podgorica, the road climbs through the Morača Canyon towards the mountains. Sinjajevina is a vast, open plateau surrounded by steep mountain peaks.

Beneath the peaks of Moračka Planina lies the remote katun of Ječmen Dol. Your host family will give you a warm welcome, with specialities from the highlands and, almost certainly, a glass or two of their homemade rakija.

Once you arrive here, civilisation — and nearby Podgorica — will seem centuries away.

Day 3 — Bjelasica | 70 km | 40% tarmac | 4–5 hours

The road down towards Kolašin follows the Lipovo Valley, with a picture-perfect landscape of snow-covered peaks rising above beautifully kept green fields.

After Kolašin, the road begins to climb again, this time towards Bjelasica. Gradually, there is less and less tarmac, but the scenery becomes more spectacular with every kilometre.

The endless grasslands covering the higher ridges are a paradise for sheep and cattle, which is why the katun tradition is still very much alive here.

Tonight, you’ll stay at the Senica brothers’ katun, in a beautifully decorated room.

Day 4 — Pešter Katun | 80 km | 30% tarmac | 4–5 hours

Far from the usual tourist routes, this area gives you the chance to discover something completely different. You’ll find yourself in a region where livestock farming is still very much part of everyday life — a place well away from the beaten track, yet rich in tradition and heritage.

Pešter is a special place even for us Montenegrins. It is an immense plateau, the largest in the Balkan Peninsula, so it is perhaps no surprise that it has been nicknamed the “Balkan Tibet.”

Day 5 — Čakor Katun | 60 km | 0% tarmac | 4–5 hours

Čakor Pass was once the highest section of the main road connecting Kosovo with the Mediterranean. Imagine hundreds of Zastavas — the Balkan Fiats — making their way across this pass in the 1970s. Today, the road is almost forgotten.

You’ll climb along an even narrower road, crossing the katun pastures on the way to the pass at around 1,900 metres above sea level.

Your hosts run a thriving katun with sheep, cows and a few pigs, and in the afternoon you’ll be invited to join them in their daily work. Later, enjoy another farm-prepared dinner.

Tonight, you’ll sleep in a tent within the enclosed grounds of their property. The tent and sleeping bags are provided.

Day 6 — Prokletije, the Accursed Mountains | 82 km | 50% tarmac | 4 hours

The name may not sound particularly inviting: Prokletije literally means “the Accursed Mountains.” Whether the name comes from their remote location or the rugged, inaccessible terrain is uncertain — but they are absolutely worth the journey.

The route includes a circular drive around Hridsko Jezero, a mountain lake at almost 2,000 metres above sea level.

This mysterious region, home to both Albanian and Montenegrin communities, is rich in ancient legends and folk traditions. Along the way, there will also be opportunities for short optional hikes towards the mountain peaks.

Tonight, you’ll stay at Samel’s cottage, your final katun stay of the journey.

Day 7 — The Plav & Gusinje Valley | 50 km | 80% tarmac | 3 hours

The final stage of the tour takes you down into the valley, where you’ll discover where the katun families live when they are not high in the mountains.

Plav and Gusinje are typical Balkan towns — a mixture of languages and religions, with, above all, that wonderfully familiar sense of chaos everywhere.

You’ll explore the natural beauty of the Ropojana and Grbaja valleys. In Grbaja, you’ll spend the night in a small guesthouse. Here, for the first time on this journey, you’re likely to meet not so much tourists as hikers heading into the Prokletije mountains to climb their peaks.

Day 8 — The End | 80 km | 100% tarmac | 2.5 hours

You’ll briefly cross into Albania before following the course of the Çemi/Cijevna River back towards Podgorica, where we’ll be waiting for you, curious to hear your stories.

Booking

You can send us an enquiry for information and prices, with no obligation regarding your requested dates. We’ll process your request within 72 hours, checking the availability of our vehicles and accommodation. If we are unable to confirm your preferred dates, we’ll suggest the closest available alternatives.

We hope to see you among those joining us for Montenegro Adventures 2023. ADVVENTURES 4X4

bojan.galic@yugotravel.nl / +38269501785

AGOBATRIP

tatjanalaban.agoba@gmail.com /+393478350542