Katun Roads

After the demanding first day, the second stage feels gentler on the legs — giving you more time to truly absorb the mountain world around you. The ride begins with a few easy, panoramic kilometres across high meadows before descending toward the valley of Babino Polje. From here the route climbs again, tracing a spectacular loop that skirts the tri-border point of Montenegro, Kosovo and Albania.

The peak that marks this frontier can be reached on foot from the trail — a short, rewarding detour for those craving an extra challenge. On clear days you can see deep into all three countries, a reminder of how connected and wild these mountains remain. A little further lies the enchanting Hridsko Lake, a volcanic jewel set at nearly 2,000 metres. Its dark-blue waters are icy-cold and perfect for a plunge on warm summer days. The descent from here brings you to Bajrović Katun, a quiet shepherd settlement surrounded by alpine pastures and grazing horses.

You’ll stay in a simple yet welcoming mountain cabin, your own room with shared facilities — comfort in its purest form. The warmth of your host, Ermina, and her home-cooked meals will linger long after you leave; everything here is local, generous and made with heart. It has become a meeting point for adventurous travellers form all over the world and evenings of socializing often end with herbal tea or a glass of rakija by the fire. It’s the kind of place where stories flow easily, and where you realise that the mountain, too, is alive and listening.

Today’s stage is all about endurance. Two major climbs await, together adding up to just over 2,000 metres of elevation, and a full day in the saddle. If you felt alone in the mountains before, today that sense of solitude will deepen — just you, your bike and the rhythm of the road. The day begins easily enough, with a 15-kilometre descent through forests and pastures, all the way down to the shimmering waters of Lake Plav. A refreshing swim here is hard to resist before turning your wheels uphill again toward the high passes.

The first ascent takes you over a wild, gravel road to the 1,960-metre Velji Vrh Pass, where the landscape opens up into vast, silent ridges. From the top, a long descent drops you into the Kuti Valley, a remote pocket of time dotted with a few villages untouched by modern life — wooden barns, hand-built fences, and the quiet smoke of mountain hearths. Then comes the second climb, gentler but unrelenting. The reward this time is not a descent, but the sight of your mountain lodge appearing among the pastures. Cold beer, a hearty meal and a real bed await — in that order.

You’ll stay in the lively Stavna Katun, one of the largest and most active shepherd settlements in Montenegro. While the shepherds still tend their herds here, the area has also become a small hub for hikers aiming for the three Komovi peaks that iconically tower above the meadow. As dusk falls, the air cools, cowbells echo in the distance, and the mountains turn gold — a quiet reminder of why you came.

The final stage brings you full circle, back to the point where your adventure began. After days of climbing and high-altitude riding, today’s route feels almost effortless — a long, graceful descent from the heights of Bjelasica back into the valley. The air is warmer, the rhythm smoother, and there’s a quiet sense of satisfaction in every turn of the pedals. For the first few hours, the trail follows a rolling highland plateau at an altitude of around 1,700 metres, weaving through open pastures and the last ridges of the range. Most of the route lies just above the treeline, where the horizon stretches endlessly and every curve reveals a new view of Montenegro’s wild interior.

You’ll pass the final shepherds’ hamlets of your journey — humble clusters of wooden huts surrounded by grazing sheep and horses. These last katuns feel like a farewell from the mountains themselves, a reminder of the people and traditions that have given this journey its soul. Further along, the trail skirts a series of crystal-clear mountain lakes, their reflections shifting with the clouds, before leading you to one of Bjelasica’s true jewels: the Bendovac viewpoint. From here, the world seems to unfold beneath your wheels — the deep green of the Biogradska Gora primeval forest and the silver-blue surface of Biogradsko Lake.

From Bendovac, gravity takes over. The road dips and winds gently downhill toward Jelovica, closing the loop of this unforgettable ride. By the time you roll back to your starting point, your legs will be tired, your clothes dusted with the colours of the mountain, and your mind full of quiet pride. It’s more than the end of a route — it’s the completion of a story written in gravel, altitude and silence.

There are various options to shorten this stage in case you start to feel tired or in case you are just longing for the swimming pool at the Jelovica lodge.

After a hearty breakfast, it’s time to say goodbye — not just to your hosts, but to the mountains themselves. The bikes are dusty, your legs pleasantly heavy, and the air still carries the scent of wood smoke and wild herbs.

As you move on by car, you realise how much these days have changed your sense of distance and time. The pace of the highlands lingers — the silence between the peaks, the laughter around the table, the steady rhythm of pedals and wheels.