Lake Skadar

South > Montenegro

Huge lake that is rich in water birds. Dalmatian Pelican breed here. Here we describe the northwest side of the lake, which is only a small part of the lake.

Added* by Jonas Kraft
Most recent update 5 November 2022

Description

Lake Skadar is one of the largest lakes of the the Balkan and situated on the border of Montenegro and Albania. It is 44 km long and 14 km wide. In Montenegro 400 sq km is protected by a national park. It is stated that 270 kinds of birds inhabit this Lake. Around 90% of these birds are migratory. During migrating season anything can turn up here. It is one of the northernmost places for Dalmatian Pelican. They nest at floating peat islands in north end of the Lake. Many waders rest here, some winter here. Many species of ducks also live here. Among the birds you can see here are Pygmy Cormorant, Eurasian Spoonbill, Squacco Heron, Little Egret Glossy Ibis, Short-toed Snake Eagle, Ferruginous Duck and Red-necked Grebe. Also check the extended birdlist below.

Details

Access

The best way to observe birds is by taking a private boat trip on the lake. You can easily rent a boat with a licensed carrier, for example in Virpazar or Vranjina. In September 2022, the cost of an hour-long cruise is about 30 Euro per boat. If you want to see a larger part of the lake and visit the Monastery of Kom, get ready for a four-hour trip.

The budget version is a walk along the road situated on an artificial dike - however, in this case the possibility of successful observations will be very limited. The lake is situated between the mountains and the shores of the lake are in many places inaccessible or overgrown with reeds.

Parking places are marked on the map. Click on a P to get directions to the parking.

Terrain and Habitat

Wetland , Lake , Mountain

Conditions

Mountainous , Flat , Hilly

Circular trail

Is a telescope useful?

Can be useful

Good birding season

Spring , Summer , Autumn

Best time to visit

Summer

Route

Wide path

Difficulty walking trail

Average walk

Accessible by

Foot , Boat

Birdwatching hide / platform

Extra info

It is easy to book organized boat tours to observe birds on the lake - so if you want to see Dalmatian Pelican and almost touch Squacco Heron, Little Egret, Eurasian Moorhen, Eurasian Coot that are walking on a thick cover of floating leaves and to be right next to the birds drying their wings Pygmy Cormorant - , choose this option. See the links below for companies that offer boat trips in this area of the lake.

The description and the route on the map includes a walk along the road and a boat trip from Virpazar. These are just some of the options available.

Links