Plužine – Nature Park, Piva Lake and Tara

• Piva Nature Park covers 39 percent of the territory of the Plužine Municipality.
• Boat trips are offered on Piva Lake; peaceful kayaking is also an option.
• Rafting on the Tara is considered the municipality’s most attractive tourist product.
• The M18 main road connects Šćepan Polje with Podgorica via Plužine and Nikšić.

Piva Nature Park covers a significant part of the municipality. It has more than 15 marked hiking and/or cycling routes with information boards. If you’d like to include a specific outing in your trip, you can follow the marked Plužine–Stabna–Veliki Vito mountain trail. Its name identifies it as a mountain trail, making the type of route clear as a starting point for choosing your own outing.

The park also has two platforms for observing wild animals and one birdwatching platform. These offer different ways to take in the natural surroundings. Another destination for nature enthusiasts is the Stabanska Lakes, glacial lakes about 20 kilometres from the town of Plužine. From Plužine, a path along the Vrbnica and Stabanski streams leads to the lakes. They are rich in trout and are frequently visited by sport anglers.

Another type of body of water is Sušičko Lake on Durmitor. It is seasonal: when the Sušica River dries up, the lake’s water disappears too. This feature sets it apart from the offerings at Piva Lake and makes it a distinctive natural feature of the region.

Piva Lake offers particularly good conditions for watersports on calm water. Boat trips are available as a visitor activity, and kayaking on the lake is suitable for travellers who prefer gentle paddling. If you’re looking for another activity on the lake, you’ll find a zipline there with a cable length of 1,400 metres.

This is distinct from kayaking on the fast-flowing waters of the Piva and Tara rivers, which is offered as an adventure activity for adrenaline enthusiasts. Rafting on the Tara is also one of the municipality’s main tourist offerings. When planning your trip, you can therefore distinguish between calm waters on the lake and activities on fast-flowing rivers without treating these experiences as the same.

Piva Monastery was moved to Sinjac because the Piva River was flooded and a hydroelectric power plant was built. The original frescoes were also transferred during the relocation. The monastery’s treasury is one of the richest in Montenegro. Its valuable collections include old manuscript books and books printed early in the Balkans, including the only surviving Psalter from the Obod printing house.

Kula Lazara Sočice is also part of Plužine’s cultural heritage and has protected cultural property status. The monastery and the Kula are different points of interest for a trip where nature activities and culture both play a role.

The M18 main road connects Šćepan Polje on the border with Bosnia and Herzegovina to Podgorica via Plužine and Nikšić.

For further orientation within the area, see the pages for Plužine, Donja Brezna, Crkvičko Polje and NEDAJNO. If you’d like to compare other destinations, you can also find Mojkovac, Berane, Kotor and Bar.

What watersports are available on Piva Lake?

Boat trips are offered on the lake. It provides good conditions for watersports on calm water; kayaking there is particularly suitable for travellers who prefer gentle paddling.

How far are the Stabanska Lakes from Plužine?

The glacial lakes are about 20 kilometres from the town of Plužine. From Plužine, they can be reached by a path along the Vrbnica and Stabanski streams.

What cultural features are associated with Piva Monastery?

The monastery was moved to Sinjac because the Piva River was flooded and a hydroelectric power plant was built; the original frescoes were transferred as well. Its treasury includes, among other things, old manuscript books and the only surviving Psalter from the Obod printing house.

For the wider travel overview: Montenegro.