The Paddler ezine WW kayak collection 2013 | Page 136

ThePaddler 136

Climate:
Mediterranean.

Beaches: There is
293km of coastline
with 117 beaches
covering 73km.

Sunshine: Average
240 days per year.

Language: Serbian,
but English is widely
spoken.

Main cities: Podgorica
- the capital, Kotor and
Budva.
Time zone: + 1 hour
GMT, + 2 hours in
summer.

Visas: Tourist visas are
not required, but work
visas are required.
Area: 13,812 km2

Population: 672,000

Flying time: 2.5 hours
from the UK

The name
Montenegro: Means
Black Mountain which
was probably derived
from the thick ‘black’
forests that in the
mediaeval times
covered Mount Lovcen.

Montenegro has
always been a problem
for cartographers as it
is almost impossible to
write all the letters of
its name into the small
space it takes up on the
map.

Montenegro was
declared an Ecological
State in 1991.

According to the
World Tourism and
Trade Council 2004
report, Montenegro is
the fastest growing
tourist destination in
the World.

Flights fly to Dubrovnik with
Monarch or Easy Jet: Both carriers
will take kayaks for a price. We figured
the overall Monarch package was
slightly cheaper from Manchester but
I’m sure this will vary from time to
time. Both our outgoing and incoming
flights were delayed (but at least I got
to watch some of the Champions
League final!) and Easy Jet claim to be
more reliable. EJ only gives you 32kg
max weight allowance and a boat is
around 26kg! Cost is around £220 per
head. Flights exist to Podgorica (MN’s
capital, but they are more expensive,
but it would certainly be more
convenient).

ORGANISE YOUR OWN TRIP

Currency: Euro.

Car hire or get picked up: We
booked a car with Auto Europe and
took roof bars on the assumption that
the Skoda estate we’d booked would
have suitable rails… of course it didn’t
and we had to upgrade to a VW
Touran – you could see the car hire
staff’s eyes light up at the extra income
involved! You could negotiate a pickup
with Miro, but it would limit your
flexibility and might mean you only
paddled the Tara… worth an email
though (www.miro-tara.com)! Around
£400 in total with about £70 fuel.

Where to stay: Plenty of rooms to
rent – see signs on houses by the road,
like our B+Bs but without the breakfast
at about £10 per head. Campsites
seemed closed and it would be wet and
cold and not much cheaper!

Shuttles: We hitched and used taxis
(which were very cheap compared with
Britain – our section of the Lim, (about
25 kms, cost £10) and paid Miro for the
Tara transfer (about £100 for the three
of us and our boats… good value for a
three hour trip!)

The bad bits: £60+ to the Durmitor
National Park for two-days access on
the Tara gorge, and no access to the
upper Devil’s canyon. Plus the
rubbish… bags of trash liberally thrown
into the rivers with not a thought to
environmental sustainability, or the
future of tourism!

THANKS: TO PALM, PYRANHA, SURF-LINES AND PADDLEWORKS FOR HELPING US WITH DISCOUNTED GEAR.