The pelicans
Dalmatian pelicans are enormous — a three-metre wingspan, among the largest flying birds alive — and there are only a few thousand breeding pairs left in the world. Skadar holds a colony that has been counted, protected and fought over for decades.
| Period | What is happening |
|---|---|
| January – March | Courtship and nest building. Adults in breeding plumage. |
| April – May | Eggs and small chicks. Colony strictly off limits. |
| June – July | Young birds on the water. Best chance of seeing them feeding. |
| August – October | Dispersed across the lake, harder to find |
| November – December | Numbers build again |
Go at dawn or do not go
Birds feed early. By ten in the morning the lake has motorboats on it, the water is choppy and the birds have moved to the quiet reaches. A boat that leaves at six sees a different lake from one that leaves at eleven, and it is the only version worth the money.
Where to launch from
Virpazar is the main village, on the Podgorica–Bar road, with a bridge, restaurants and a dozen boat operators competing on the quay. Easy to reach, easy to arrange, busier.
Rijeka Crnojevića sits at the end of a river arm to the north, under the famous horseshoe bend. Smaller, quieter, and you spend the first twenty minutes winding through a narrow channel of water lilies before the lake opens — which is the better beginning.
- Two-hour boat trip: €20 – €30 per person, shared
- Private boat, half day: €80 – €150 for the boat
- National park entry: around €4, sometimes included
- Kayak hire: €15 – €25 a day from either village
What else is on it
Pygmy cormorants in large rafts, purple and squacco herons, glossy ibis, whiskered terns nesting on the lily pads. In winter the lake fills with ducks and coot in numbers that make it internationally important. There are also monasteries on islands, a Ottoman-era fortress at Lesendro on the causeway, and drowned villages visible when the water is low.
The wine
The hills on the western shore are the Crmnica region, where Vranac has been grown for centuries. Small family cellars around Virpazar and Godinje take visitors without ceremony — a table, a jug and some smoked ham. It goes well after an early boat, which is another argument for the early boat.
