Description
An adventurous, active holiday that’s also suitable for those with younger children!
Staying at three gorgeous locations across Montenegro, you and your kids will get to try a variety of trips that have been custom-designed for younger children – a little hiking, kayaking, rafting, canyoning and even zip-lining, all under the watchful eyes of a fully-qualified guide. If you’ve always been adventurous and have been waiting for your little’uns to come of age so you can enjoy a holiday together that doesn’t involve a week lounging around a pool, this might be the family activity holiday for you!
NB – our recommended minimum age for this holiday is 8 – but we can make exceptions for exceptional kids. Please don’t hesitate to check with us if you think your kids fall into this category!
Highlights
- canyoning
- kayaking
- rafting
- hiking
- zip-line
- via ferrata
- stunning scenery
- natural beauty
Arrival at Podgorica or Tivat airport. Transfer to Virpazar (arrivals to other locations would incur an extra charge). Lake Skadar is one of 5 national parks in Montenegro, the biggest lake in Southern Europe with beautiful surroundings and real natural preserve for 272 different bird species. Enjoying terrific views, we’ll take an afternoon cruise through fields of water lilies, have several swims in the lake’s warm waters and chat about local culture and tradition. Overnight and dinner at Virpazar.
Stari Bar is an ancient place near the Adriatic Sea whose remains convey the long and turbulent history of the local community. Nearby is Rikavac Canyon, a child-friendly rappelling and abseiling course which contains about 2 hours of canyoning through the waterfalls and jumping into deep natural pools. Highly experienced guides make this trip 100% safe and enjoyable! After this adventure, we’ll come down to the village under the old fortress to enjoy local delicacies for lunch – a mix of local and eastern styles. Before we return to Virpazar, we’ll visit another landmark of this area – one of the oldest olive trees in the world, allegedly more than 2.000 years old!
Get a taste of lake safari with a paddling trip up the Morača delta! River swimming in bright green waters, rope swings, and visits to secret beaches are all included, as is a tasty packed lunch and an optional visit to an island monastery. It's the perfect trip for children of all ages, adaptable and with loads of swimming!
Time to visit the Tara Canyon for one of the most popular activities in Montenegro. The Tara is the longest Montenegrin river, flowing through Durmitor National Park down to the Bosnian border. Because of its untouched nature and amazingly high rocks above (the highest point of the canyon rises more than 1,300m above the river) it became part of UNESCO World’s Heritage. The total length of the route is roughly 16 km – about 2.5 hours of rafting, including some nice breaks for swimming in icy-cold river waters (don’t worry, we provide wetsuits!), drinks and a visit to some waterfalls on the Bosnian shore. On the way back we’ll enjoy the view over Piva River Canyon, beautiful Piva Lake, visiting one of the highest dams in the Balkan Peninsula.
This stunning drive takes us right through the centre of Durmitor National Park, with amazing scenery as standard, with views of the famous Sedlo and Prutaš peaks, among others. If you want, you and your guide can even listen to a free audio guide narrated by company co-founder, Ben! Afterwards we’ll head to the town of Žabljak to visit one of the biggest natural attractions in the whole country – Black Lake in Durmitor NP, the most beautiful of 18 glacial lakes in this area. We’ll take a walk around it, enjoying stunning views.
Time for a relaxing, leisurely walk (even the most reluctant will love it!). We’ll pass through Dragišnica forest, walking down Durmitor’s foothills to an astonishing valley situated under (unofficially) the longest single piece of rock in Europe – Boljska greda is more than 2.5 km long and on average about 900 meters high; Definitely one of the highlights of this program! On the same day, we’ll visit the old cemetery of Stećci – tombstones related to the medieval Bosnian empire and surrounding areas. As well as more than 200 other necropolises, this one is under UNESCO protection, as a part of World Cultural Heritage. The cemetery is situated next to Barno and Vrazije lakes, giving one of the most beautiful views onto the Durmitor massif.
Time to visit the Tara once for a “flight” over the world’s second deepest canyon! The zip-line is one of the longest in Europe, and a real must-do for even the most junior of thrill-seekers. After this, you have a well earned day of rest at your accommodation or in the town of nearby Žabljak.
Return to Podgorica/Tivat airport (other destinations would incur an extra transfer charge)
Inclusions
- all accommodation
- all activities
- all meals
- full time English-speaking guide
- all transport from start point to end point
not included:
- International Flights
- Non-airport transfers
- Drinks and alcohol
Active Rating
Moderate
Requires a spirit of adventure and reasonable level of fitness to complete tours such as hiking, kayaking or canyoning, usually taking 4-5 hours including breaks. You will need to be able to hold a paddle and walk uphill for 30 minutes without a break (on kayaking day trips, adults can paddle for younger children, but this is not recommended on the week-long kayaking holidays!). Activities may take place in challenging conditions such as hot sunshine.
For Families – moderate trips can have challenging elements depending on the children’s experience of the outdoors and level of fitness. Consider the amount of physical activity expected and how long they will need to participate. There will be less downtime than resort-style holidays. All our multi-centre trips are moderate due to the travel time between locations.
Pre-arrival information and kit list
There are some useful items we recommend you bring along to get the best from the holiday.
- Sun cream
- Hiking boots (for walks early/late season & anyone with weak ankles), otherwise trainers or hiking sandals
- Mosquito repellent
- Water bottle – we recommend a LifeStraw Go 2-stage Filtration bottle, or a similar model from Purewell, which can turn 1000 litres of any freshwater into clean drinking water. You can find them on ebay, Amazon, etc.
- Towel for the beach & wild swims, ideally one of those quick dry sports ones
- Jelly shoes or trainers for kayaking/canoeing
- A fleece and/or light jacket, essential for those also journeying to the north of Montengro and/or Albania
- Sun hat & sunglasses
- Headtorches
- Some warm clothes (for visits in April/May and Sept/Oct)
- Binoculars - essential if you enjoy bird watching!
- Rain jacket / kagoul
- 1st Aid Kit including any medications you will need during your stay
- Cash – many places don’t accept card payment
- Any required printed out documents, eg. boarding pass for airline (there are no printing facilities during your trip)
- Tea bags (black tea bags are available locally but they are very weak)
- Filter coffee (only for true coffee afficionados as Nescafe is available)
- Tampons – these are not always available locally
Also, just a reminder to make sure you have the right travel insurance to cover outdoor/water activities – a condition of booking with us.