We’ve settled into our third stop of the trip, in the lovely Apartments Grand just outside of Sveti Stefan.
First on the too do list. A boat trip to the incredible Lake Skadar.
Lake Skadar – also called Lake Scutari, Lake Shkodër and Lake Shkodra – lies on the border of Albania and Montenegro, and is the largest lake in Southern Europe
It’s the perfect place to take to the water for a few hours. Whether that is by boat, kayak or canoe.
Arriving in the tiny lake side village of Virpazar there are boat hawkers everywhere.
Don’t do what I did and blindly accept the first offer, in this case from the tiny hut in in the car park! We paid over the odds for a group tour, at the same rate that others online offered one to one…
That being said, it was still amazing and didn’t take away from the majesty of the surroundings.
The lake’s size fluctuates dependant on the season, with a surface area that varies from between 140 sq miles to 200 sq miles.
It is approximately 44 km (27 miles) long – so that’s a big ole lake!
The lake has some small islands like Beška, with two churches on it and Grmožur, a former fortress and prison can be found on the southwestern side of the lake.
Dependant on what length of tour you book, you can get close up and even walk on some of these.
The Montenegrin part of the lake and its surrounding area were declared a national park in 1983. It’s not hard to see why as it is simply incredible.
From the rugged hills to the floating mats of water lilies, this is a beautiful place.
As the heatwave continues to mercilessly roast us, feeling a little breeze on the lake is wonderful, although the water itself is as warm as a bath!
Skadar is one of the largest bird reserves in Europe with 270 bird species, among which are some of the last pelicans in Europe. The twitcher is in seventh heaven!
I am a bit obsessed with all the waterlilies that form dense floating mats across the lake’s glassy surface.
We then pull onto a lake beach for refreshments and a quick dip in the very warm waters!
After a tense few minutes when the engine refused to start, we are heading back to the end of our marvellous boat trip.
I can highly recommend setting aside at least 3 or 4 hours to explore the lake and then putter around Virpazar too.
Now I am determined to find the iconic view of the horseshoe bend!! . .