Plužine: Piva Lake, Nature and Culture
Accommodation in Plužine
Plužine offers different ways to enjoy the outdoors: Piva Lake is ideal for peaceful water sports and boat trips, while the Tara and Piva rivers are also known for kayaking on fast-flowing waters. There are also hiking and cycling routes, wildlife observation sites and a monastery with an extraordinary history. If you are looking for an apartment in Plužine, you can therefore consider whether water activities, nature watching, exercise or culture should shape your stay.
Blick auf den Piva-Stausee bei Plužine, Montenegro.
Photo: Julian Nyča via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Piva Lake and Piva Nature Park
Piva Nature Park covers 39 percent of the territory of the Municipality of Plužine. The park has more than 15 signposted hiking and/or cycling routes with information boards. For nature watching, there are two platforms for observing wildlife and another platform for birdwatching. These options offer different focuses: you can choose a route that gets you moving or make observing animals and birds your priority.
The lakes in the area also each have their own character. Sušičko Lake is a seasonal lake on Durmitor. When the Sušica River dries up, the lake disappears too. The Stabanska Lakes are glacial lakes about 20 kilometres from the town of Plužine. They can be reached from Plužine by a path along the Vrbnica and Stabanski streams. The lakes are rich in trout and are often visited by sport anglers—a different way to experience nature than at the observation platforms in the nature park.
Calm waters or fast-flowing rivers
Piva Lake offers particularly good conditions for water sports on calm waters. Activities for visitors also include boat trips; kayaking on the lake is suitable for people who prefer a peaceful paddle. By contrast, kayaking on the fast-flowing waters of the Piva and Tara rivers is offered as an adventure activity for adrenaline lovers. The main consideration when choosing an experience is therefore the difference in water conditions.
Rafting on the Tara is considered the most attractive tourism product of the Municipality of Plužine. There is also a zipline at Piva Lake, with a cable length of 1,400 metres. When planning a stay, you can weigh up activities on the water, a boat trip and an experience above the lake area.
Hiking, climbing and culture
One of the named routes is the Plužine–Stabna–Veliki Vito mountain trail, designated as a marked mountain path. For climbing enthusiasts, the Piva climbing area in the Municipality of Plužine has two sectors with a total of 61 routes; two of them are multi-pitch routes. These figures give an idea of the range of climbing options, while the signposted routes in the nature park also offer hiking and cycling as separate activity options.
Piva Monastery has a remarkable history: it was moved to Sinjac due to the flooding of the Piva River and the construction of a hydroelectric power plant. The original frescoes were also transferred. The monastery treasury includes valuable collections of old manuscript books and books printed earlier in the Balkans. Among them is the only surviving psalter from the Obod printing house. Kula Lazara Sočice is also of cultural interest in the municipality; it has the status of a cultural monument.
Choosing where to stay
The main road M18 connects Šćepan Polje on the border with Bosnia and Herzegovina to Podgorica via Plužine and Nikšić. When looking for an apartment, you can first decide which of Plužine’s features matters most for your trip: Piva Lake and calm-water sports, the rivers and their fast-flowing waters, routes in the nature park or the cultural history of the monastery.
Sub-areas and other destinations
For orientation within the area: Plužine, Donja Brezna, Crkvičko Polje and NEDAJNO. Other destinations at the same level: Nikšić, Danilovgrad, Žabljak and Podgorica.
For the higher-level travel overview: Montenegro.
