Grand Tour
The Adriatic Balkans
Four days from Dubrovnik to Sarajevo over Montenegro’s wildest roads.
The hinterland behind the Dalmatian coast hides some of Europe’s last genuinely wild driving. This run starts on the Adriatic, climbs the cliff above the Bay of Kotor on a wagon road of twenty-five hairpins, then disappears into the canyons and glacial plateaux of Montenegro before crossing into the primeval forests of Bosnia. Four days, almost no traffic, and scenery that has no business being this empty.
Peninsula to the bay
Overnight: KotorFrom Dubrovnik, detour out and back along the Pelješac peninsula, then cross into Montenegro and climb the old Kotor serpentine at golden hour, the whole bay unfurling below each of its twenty-five bends.
Lake and canyon
Overnight: KolašinBack up the serpentine in the cool of the morning and over the flank of Lovćen to the old royal capital at Cetinje, then skirt the reed beds of Lake Skadar before the Morača carves north through its limestone gorge to the highlands.
The roof of Montenegro
Overnight: ŽabljakOver the Trešnjevik pass between Bjelasica and the Komovi, then north to the Đurđevića Tara bridge, high over the Tara canyon, and up onto the Durmitor plateau at Žabljak.
Into Bosnia
Overnight: SarajevoLeave Žabljak over the Sedlo road, Montenegro’s highest tarmac, through its unlit rock tunnels, then follow the Piva canyon’s chain of tunnels down to the border at Šćepan Polje. Drop through the Sutjeska canyon past one of Europe’s last primeval forests, then follow the turquoise Neretva down to Konjic and on to Sarajevo.
