Stroll in Montenegro, on the shores of Lake Skadar

The Rijeka Crnojevica is one of the rivers that feed Lake Skadar in Montenegro.

After an "enchanting crossing" of Croatia in 2009, Yves Maillière and his family wanted to rediscover the charm of the Balkans by exploring a new destination: Montenegro. Last summer, they took the plunge: a dry flight to Dubrovnik, a hire car, no accommodation bookings. They set off for a fortnight's adventure, with a travel guide, a road map, a compass and a GPS covering 44 European countries. The first surprise was that when they arrived, their GPS only showed a few towns and the main roads of the country! "As if, in France, the GPS only indicated Paris, Lyon, Marseille and Strasbourg, without any details, and the four motorways that link them together...", comments Yves. After a few days of sightseeing and lounging in the mouths of Kotor, they decided to explore the inner Montenegro. To do so, Yves went to the newsstands and bought a local road map. "When I discovered the Montenegrin road network, which was quite worrying in terms of infrastructure, I couldn't see myself taking my wife and daughter without some sort of map to guide us. This viatical will open the doors to a peaceful and admirable region. On the shores of Lake Skadar, the largest body of water in the Balkans, they will discover breathtaking landscapes, still preserved from mass tourism. "After a dream trip to Croatia the previous year, we decided, with Isabelle, my adventurous wife, and my little daughter Romane, a 6-year-old apprentice explorer, to discover Montenegro. The idea was to rediscover the beauty of the Balkans in a more authentic, wilder and less touristy atmosphere... "Interview by Thomas Vitry.See photos of Montenegro Discover also our travel guide to MontenegroFind all Yves Maillière's reports, currently looking for a publisher, on his website.Photo 1 / 13 - It all started with the spellbinding photo of a landscape on the cover of the Montenegro road map I had bought on the spot: a river arm covered with water lilies winding between green mountains. This image, which reminded us of the Amazon or the Bay of Along, was in fact the Rijeka Crnojevica (the Cernovic river in Serbian), which feeds the Skadar lake. Spectacular! Next photo: Isolated house

A house on the banks of Lake Skadar, between the village of Rijeka Crnojevica and Virpazar in Montenegro.

Photo 2 / 13 - This enchanting landscape is well known to Montenegrins, but it must be earned! To have the chance to admire it, you have to go to Podgorica, a big industrial city without much interest, then take the road to Cetinje, towards the west. I like to say "towards the west" because, as soon as we left the very touristic Adriatic coast to go inland, without GPS and most of the time without any signpost or person to inform us, we spent our time navigating by compass! Between Podgorica and Cetinje, we had to leave the four-lane road after about fifteen kilometres and take the direction of Rijeka Crnojevica, a small heavenly village (with the same name as the river) at the source of the Skadar lake. Then, for about ten kilometres, we followed a bumpy and perilous road, where two cars could rarely pass each other, along vertiginous and unsecured ravines... It is in front of the hotel Gavidoza that the view of the river, winding between the mountains, is the most extraordinary.Next photo : Stunning beauty

The magnificent view from the Hotel Gavidoza in Montenegro.

Photo 3 / 13 - Isabelle and I are stunned by one of the most beautiful landscapes we have ever seen. It is decided that we will sleep at the hotel Gavidoza to enjoy this grandiose view for twenty-four hours. I walk up the steps of the hotel in search of a human presence, and am surprised by a rather ferocious guard dog. The huge animal was as frightened as I was, in fact, and Isabelle, in the car, is hilarious at seeing me leap a metre. In my defence, "Serbian" guard dogs are known to startle! The owner of the hotel, an old lady out of an Alfred Hitchcock film, tells me that the establishment is closed... It's really amazing. The view is breathtaking, we are in the middle of August, and there is no way to find accommodation within an hour's drive, including in the nearby paradise village of Rijeka Crnojevica...Next photo: Clouds and water lilies

The Rijeka Crnojevica, which feeds Lake Skadar, Montenegro.

Photo 4 / 13 - The river branch we are looking at is the Rijeka Crnojevica, named after the enchanting village that awaits us four kilometres away.Next photo : At the source

Lake Skadar in Montenegro is the largest in the Balkans.

Photo 5 / 13 - The Rijeka Crnojevica is one of the sources of Lake Skadar, which is the largest in the Balkans.Next photo: Lake Skadar

Lake Skadar, Montenegro.

Photo 6 / 13 - Lake Skadar, whose surface area varies between 370 and 550 km² depending on flooding and the season, straddles two countries: Montenegro and Albania.Next photo: International jewel

The Skadar Lake National Park in Montenegro is listed as a wetland of international importance.

Photo 7 / 13 - The Lake Skadar National Park in Montenegro is listed as a Wetland of International Importance and offers breathtakingly beautiful scenery.Next photo: Lake village

The village of Radus on Lake Skadar in Montenegro.

Photo 8 / 13 - Despite its beauty, the "Cernovic River" only feeds the lake to a limited extent. The Moraça River from the north supplies two thirds of the water. The rest of the water comes from about thirty underground springs. Against all expectations, the average depth of the lake is only 6 m. But in some places, the bottom drops well below sea level, as near the lakeside village of Radus, where a fault called "Oko" (the eye, in Serbian), sinks into the crystal-clear waters to a depth of 61 m, from which one of the lake's underground springs emerges.Besides the pleasure of sailing on a sea of oil, a boat trip allows you to see colonies of birds and to discover the surrounding villages, notably Godinje, in the heart of the Crmnica hills, which is renowned both for its wine and for having been the summer residence of the Balsic family, who ruled the region from 1360 to 1421.Next photo: Montenegrin Alcatraz

The island of Grmozur in Montenegro was mainly used as a prison.

Photo 9 / 13 - Opposite Godinje, about 100 metres from the shore, is the small island of Grmozur, nicknamed the "Alcatraz of Montenegro". The fortifications that can be seen are the remains of a Turkish fortress dating from 1843, which was mainly used as a prison. Legend has it that "non-swimming prisoners" were sent there... Next photo: The port of Virpazar... and its sharks

Virpazar is the largest port on Lake Skadar in Montenegro.

Photo 10 / 13 - The visit of the lake by boat is easily organised from Virpazar. If the curly pelican, more discreet than the Loch Ness monster, is the symbol of the Skadar lake, a piece of advice: in Virpazar, avoid the "Pelican Business". In other words, walk past the Pelican Hotel and avoid its salesman, Marco, the owner's son. Shamelessly selling his hotel rooms and the hovel he presents as his "private house" at exorbitant prices, Marco hugs tourists at the entrance to Virpazar in polite, schoolboy English. If he's not the one to tease you, it's his father, who looks like a worked-up old sea dog; he drives around the village square 24 hours a day to intercept tourists before they get to the other half-price inns and fishermen's guesthouses, offering their services with the respect and dignity that suits the people of the Balkans so well. Listen with a distracted ear to Marco sell you his boat trips, of which you won't make it halfway, and just keep going to easily find a cheaper and more authentic room. "The word is worth the man or the man is worth nothing", in the Balkans more than anywhere else. And the Pelican Hotel business is the indelible stain that keeps Lake Skadar from being a perfect match.Next photo: Corner of paradise

The entrance to the village of Rijeka Crnojevica, Montenegro.

Photo 11 / 13 - We continue on our way to Rijeka Crnojevica, enjoying the scenery. Halfway along the road, we see a shepherd pulling his cows and sheep up from the green banks of the river, whispering sweet nothings to them in Serbian. I signal to the Montenegrins we pass to reduce their speed and avoid hitting the herd on its way to the peaks. I have rarely seen a country where people drive so fast, overtaking without visibility, even on the narrow and bumpy roads. It's a miracle that we didn't have an accident in fifteen days of crossing Montenegro... Rijeka Crnojevica is a little corner of paradise away from the world. A peaceful village, which was one of the most important trade centres of the country until the end of the 19th century. But what drew us to this place was not that it was a holiday resort for princes and princesses of the royal court, escaping the harsh winters of the Black Mountains; it was the carp and the fish soup, which bring all the inhabitants of the country here! Historic bridge

This bridge in Rijeka Crnojevica, Montenegro, was built by Prince Danilo I.

Photo 12 / 13 - We enjoy our fish soup and a delicious smoked carp at Mocina. This restaurant, with its terrace along the river, is next to the historical bridge of the village, built by Prince Danilo I in 1854. The place is run by a young Russian woman who works as a law professor in Moscow the rest of the year. Her Montenegrin friend organises very pleasant kayak and boat trips on the Rijeka Crnojevica. True to their reputation, the smoked carp and fish soup at Mocina are a taste journey in themselves.Next photo: Peaceful twilight

Night falls on the village of Rijeka Crnojevica in Montenegro.

Photo 13 / 13 - As night falls over Rijeka Crnojevica and we enjoy our fish dishes, the bridge delicately glows honey-coloured, and eels ripple on the surface of the water between the water lilies. The children, led by Romane, have fun throwing bread balls into the river and marvel at the fish jumping on them like piranhas. The inhabitants of the village slowly move towards a small illuminated stadium which is to host a big football derby between Rijeka Crnojevica and Virpazar that evening. Our only regret is that we have to leave tonight and that we did not bring a tent to camp by the river and wake up the next day in the middle of this peaceful, immaculate and luxuriant nature...Back to the beginning of the slideshowDiscover other dream trips on GEO.fr

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