Things to Do in Lake Skadar National Park

Boat trip through the lily pads to Kom Monastery

From late May through July, the northern reaches of the lake erupt into a green-and-white carpet of water lilies so dense your boat parts them like a curtain. The wooden longboats putter through narrow channels to the 15th-century Kom Monastery. A single monk often greets visitors. The frescoes inside have faded to dusty pastels. You'll hear the slap of water against the hull. Not much else.

Wine tasting at Plantaže Šipčanik cellar

The cellar sits inside a converted Yugoslav-era jet hangar carved into a hillside near Podgorica. Cool and cavernous inside. Two million liters of Vranac age in oak along the walls. The Vranac itself? Dark, plummy, faintly smoky. It pairs surprisingly well with the smoked fish coming straight out of the lake.

Kayaking from Murići beach

Murići is the lake's only proper swimming beach, a pebbly stretch on the southern shore where the water turns turquoise over limestone shelves. Rent a kayak from the dock. You'll reach the smaller islands of Beška, Starčevo, and Moračnik, each with its own crumbling monastery and a stillness you simply don't find on the more touristed northern shore.

Birdwatching at Pančeva Oka

The lake hosts around 280 bird species. One of Europe's last remaining colonies of Dalmatian pelicans lives here. They're enormous and prehistoric-looking. They have nine-foot wingspans. Pančeva Oka, a flooded karst spring on the western shore, is the reliable spot to see them, along with pygmy cormorants and squacco herons stalking the shallows.

Hiking the old Ottoman trail to Godinje village

An old caravan path threads up from the lake through abandoned stone hamlets to Godinje, a village famous for its winemaking dynasty (the Mašanović family has been pressing here since the 17th century). In summer, the trail smells of wild fig and oregano. Views back over the lake's bays open up. They widen with every switchback.

Virpazar is the main hub. Boat docks, restaurants, and most lodging. Convenient. But the most touristed.

Murići sits on the southern shore. Pebble beach, quietest of the lake settlements. Best for swimming.

Rijeka Crnojevića has the photogenic horseshoe bend. Slow and atmospheric. Walking distance to the famous viewpoint.

Godinje sits up in the wine villages. Stone houses converted to guesthouses. Good for wine-focused stays.

Vranjina is a tiny island village connected by causeway. Fewer tourists. A working fishing community.

Donji Murići is even quieter than Murići proper. Family-run stone houses. Terraces over the lake.