Montenegro UNESCO Bike Tour

Arrive in Tirana, the capital of Albania, and meet your guide at 10 AM. Tirana is known for its coffee shops and its fine coffee. In fact, the city boasts of having the most coffee shops per square kilometer of any city in the world.

We then take a 90 minute transfer to Shkoder, an important town in northern Albania located close to the border with Montenegro, and along the banks of the Lake Shkodra, the largest lake in southern Europe.

After a welcome lunch during which we get introduced to our guide, we are free to explore Shkoder on our own. Considered the cultural capital of northern Albania, Shkoder has several historical cathedrals and mosques, and an ancient castle dating back to the 4th century BC.

In the evening, we convene once again for dinner to celebrate the start of a fabulous adventure.

We begin the day with a bike fit, followed by a one hour transfer to the majestic Rrapsh pass, known for its serpentine switchbacks. Riding down the pass, and into the valley through these very same switchbacks is an experience to remember.

We cross the border into Montenegro at the village of Vermosh, and continue riding towards our destination for the day, Andrijevica. Beautiful gorges, quaint villages, and high plateaus will be our constant companion as we wrap up this eventful day of biking. Andrijevica is a sleepy Montenegrin town which sits in the shadow of Mt Komovi (2,487 m/8,159 ft). The mountain is classified as a protected natural area due to its abundance of flora and fauna.

We start the day by biking a 2-lane road north of Andrijevica and then turn off on a quiet forest road that climbs through the spectacular Komovi Mountains to Tresnjevik Pass at 1,565 meters (5,135 ft). From the pass, we descend into the Tara River Valley to another 2-lane road leading into Kolasin, our lodging for the night.

Nestled in the shadow of imposing mountains, Kolasin is a popular destination for walking and skiing in the nearby Bjelasica and Sinjajevina mountains.

Given its popularity as a ski resorts, Kolasin has quite a few options for trying our local cuisine, and on this day, you are free to explore the local restaurants for dinner.

Today promises to be one of the most eventful days on tour, and we begin the day with a short 25 minute shuttle transfer to the village of Mojkovac.

Our starting point also serves as a spectacular vantage point to enjoy breathtaking views of the Tara River Gorge, the deepest and longest canyon in Europe. At 78 kilometres (48 mi) in length and 1,300 metres (4,300 ft) at its deepest, the canyon is also the third longest canyon in the world after the Grand Canyon in America and the Fish River Canyon in Namibia. Little wonder, then, that is called the "tear of Europe".

We continue riding through the canyon to the Tara Bridge which stretches across the canyon 165 meters above the river.

After lunch, we have a 9 km climb through scenic mountains to enter the Durmitor National Park, our first UNESCO World Heritage Site of the tour.

Before ending the day's riding at the town of Zabljak we take a fantastic secondary road towards yet another UNESCO site, the Stecci Tombstones, known for their intricate carvings dating back to the 12th to 16th centuries CE.

We stay for the night in Zabljak, located at the heart of the Durmitor mountains. At 1,456 m (4,776 ft), Zabljak has the distinction of being the highest town in the entire Balkans region.

We continue our adventure into the heart of the Durmitor National Park. A challenging 8 km climb brings us to the Prevoj Sedlo Pass, which at 1,907m (6,256ft), is the highest paved road in Montenegro. The views all around, however, promise to make the climb well worth the effort.

Durmitor National Park is home to several glacial lakes and is rich in flora and fauna endemic to the region. These include forests of the European Black Pine, and animals such as the grey wolf and the peregrine falcon.

While cycling, we get great views of the Bobotov Kuk (2,522 meters), one of the highest mountains in Montenegro. We enjoy a picnic lunch in the company of the imposing limestone mountains and rest our legs on the velvety green pasture.

What goes up must come down, and as we ride the inevitable descent, we get to ride through hairpin bends and tunnels as the crisp, clear mountain air rising from Durmitor's glacial lakes ruffles our hair.

Our stay for the night is the town of Pluzine, situated on the shores of the Piva Lake. We are now in northwestern Montenegro, close to the border with Bosnia and Herzegovina. For those looking for some extra cycling, there is the option to add another 11 kms ( 7 mi ) of riding to the Lake Piva and return to Pluzine.

Having reached the northern edge of Montenegro, we now strike a southwesterly course towards the Adriatic Sea. The terrain consists of rolling hills and gentle rivers. We have lunch at Niksic, the second largest city in Montenegro. By this time, we will have cycled around 48 kms, and we'll now hop in to our van for a breezy 90 mins transfer to Cetinje.

Cetinje is the former royal capital of Montenegro, and still serves as the home to several important institutions including the official residence of the President of Montenegro. Mt Lovcen, the legendary mountain once covered in black forests, and which gives Montenegro its name (Montenegro is Italian for the black mountain), is located close by.

To this day, Cetinje is referred to as the cultural cradle of Montenegro. Due to the presence of several historic buildings in its old quarter, Cetinje has been proposed as a future UNESCO World Heritage Site.

We take a guided tour of the city and relax in one of its several open-air terraces that date back to several centuries ago.

Today is a day of contrasts as we descend from the limestone mountains towards the turquoise blue of the Adriatic coast.

We start the day with an uphill ride through the Lovcen National Park, before descending through a series of switchbacks to the Bay of Kotor. The ride, with glimpses of the gleaming blue of the Adriatic on one side, and Alpine slopes of Mt Lovcen on the other is one of the most scenic in Europe.

We end the day's biking in the famous town of Kotor, our third and final UNESCO World Heritage Site of the tour. In the evening, we enjoy a guided walk of the old town of Kotor and have dinner in the city itself.

Today is a rest day, so you're free to enjoy yourself in Kotor. The scenic Bay of Kotor is one of the most indented parts of the Adriatic Coast, and for this reason, is often called the southermost fjord in Europe. However, it is, in fact, a ria, or a submerged river canyon.

The massive limestone cliffs of Mt Lovcen and Mt Orjen overlook the town.

You can hike up to the old fortress in Kotor or take a walk through the food market. Other activities to do on this day include:

1. A boat trip to Our Lady of the Rocks and/or The Blue Cave
2. Kayaking or Paddleboarding
3. A bike and ride around the bay

Alternatively, you can just enjoy a relaxing day at the beach.

Since Kotor has plenty of restaurants serving great local food, you are free to enjoy lunch and dinner on your own on this day.

In the morning we bid farewell to beautiful Kotor and hop onto our van for a 2 hour transfer to the picturesque coastal village of Dobra Voda. We are now in southeastern Montenegro, with the Adriatic to our west, the Lake Shkodra to our east, and Albania due south.

The region is known for its fruit orchards of oranges, lime, pomegranates, figs, and olives. We ride through picturesque Balkan villages through a rolling terrain until we reach the Albanian terrain. Once we enter Albania, the terrain flattens out. We ride till we reach the River Buna where we stop for lunch. This is also where we end our cycling and load our bikes into the van.

Post lunch, we take a 90 minute transfer to reach Tirana. We meet again for dinner to celebrate the culmination of a fabulous adventure through the Balkans.

We depart according to our travel plans. Tirana is the capital of Albania, and the Tirana International Airport is well-connected to major European destinations.