JOURNEY
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BY SARAH
Coasteering in Montenegro is an adrenaline-filled adventure where you can cliff-dive and discover hidden sea caves while exploring the rugged beauty of Montenegro's coastline.
You’d be forgiven if you’ve never heard of coasteering because it's such a new sport. But if you’ve ever described yourself as an ‘adrenaline junkie’ or love adventure, you’ll want to put coasteering in Montenegro on your list of things to do – along with canyoning!
Watch the video to see my experience on the Arza Fort to Wolfs Cove tour.
Exhilarating is the word I would use to describe coasteering. I had a mile-wide smile on my face for the whole day. There's just something life-affirming about jumping off a cliff. And it doesn't hurt that it's into gorgeous, warm, azure water.
I took my bestie and we loved it so much we can't wait to do it again!
Like canyoning, coasteering is a water sport where you navigate a natural path any way you can – that means climbing, swimming, cliff-jumping, wading and hiking your way from the start to the finish.
While canyoning follows the path of a canyon, when you go coasteering you’re following the coast.
Montenegro’s rugged and wild Luštica Peninsula coastline is the perfect place to try this sport. It’s rocky, has some amazing cliff-jumping spots and even has lots of hidden caves, just waiting to be explored.
There's also a great team work aspect to coasteering. Your whole group works together to help each other scale the cliffs and get out of the water.
Sometimes someone needs a little encouragement to summon up the courage to do a big jump and the group rallies around to help them.
It's a beautiful thing!
If you can't do both coasteering and canyoning and you're on the fence about which to choose, here are some of the differences:
There are two coasteering tours available in Montenegro:
Both tours take you to see the famous Blue Cave, so this is a great, adrenaline-filled alternative to the boat trips that go there.
All the coasteering tours are run by Montenegro's king of adventure travel - Marko from Active Travels Montenegro. Marko's tours are meticulously planned and executed. With Marko at the helm, and his adventure-loving guides Danilo and Janko by your side, I know you'll have a fun and safe adventure in Montenegro.
If you're interested in doing more adventure activities in this outdoor paradise, Marko can also help you with a tailor-made itinerary that includes more activities like canyoning, hiking, and white-water rafting. You can find his itineraries here.
This tour is a great introduction to coasteering if you’ve never done it before. Since the minimum age is 14, it’s also great for families with teenagers.
It starts out with a trip from Herceg Novi marina (in the centre of town) and you can stop at the old submarine caves along the way. These caves were used by the Yugoslav Army to hide submarines.
Then you continue on to Arza Fort, where you’ll swim to shore and start traversing the shoreline by rock walking, cliff-jumping and squeezing through narrow passages to explore caves. A final cliff-jump at Wolfs Cove seals your adventure and then you hop back on the boat and head over to see the Blue Cave.
The return journey to Herceg Novi takes about an hour, during which you can replenish with drinks and snacks.
Start time: 10am.
Start point: Herceg Novi Marina.
What’s included: 2mm wetsuit, helmet, buoyancy aid, drinks, snacks, two coasteering guides, local taxes and insurance, boat ride.
Itinerary: 10am meeting Herceg Novi, issuing of equipment, 45 minute boat ride to Fort Arza with optional submarine cave visit, safety briefing, 2-3 hours adrenaline-filled tour, visit to the Blue Cave, 1 hour return boat trip to Herceg Novi.
Who it’s for: The minimum age for participation is 14. Participants under 18 years must be accompanied by an adult. Participants must be confident swimmers.
Important: Drinking alcohol before taking part in the tour is strictly prohibited.
Price: €95 per person. There’s a minimum of four people required per tour. If
there are less than four in your group, you can ask to join another. Groups of
six or more qualify for a discount.
This is the more challenging of the coasteering tours and is for adults only.
It starts out with a scenic boat trip from Herceg Novi Marina, out of the Bay of Kotor and along the Luštica Peninsula coast. There’s an optional stop at the disused submarine caves along the way.
At Golden Port Cove, you hop out of the boat and make the short swim to shore. Then you navigate the coastline by rock walking, climbing, cliff-jumping and swimming your way to the Blue Cave. Along the way you’ll explore the narrow tunnels of hidden sea caves.
After a swim in the Blue Cave, it’s time to get back in the boat, refuel with some snack and enjoy the boat trip back to Herceg Novi.
Start time: 10am.
Start point: Herceg Novi Marina.
What’s included: 2mm wetsuit, helmet, buoyancy aid, drinks, snacks, two coasteering guides, local taxes and insurance, boat ride.
Itinerary: 10am meeting Herceg Novi, issuing of equipment, 1 hour scenic boat ride to Golden Port Cove with optional submarine cave visit, safety briefing, 2-3 hours adrenaline-filled tour, visit to the Blue Cave, 1 ½ hour return boat trip to Herceg Novi.
Who it’s for: The minimum age for participation is 18. Participants must be confident swimmers.
Important: Drinking alcohol before taking part in the tour is strictly prohibited.
Price: €95 per person. There’s a minimum of four people required per tour. If
there are less than four in your group, you can ask to join another. Groups of
six or more qualify for a discount.
Canyoning Adventures in Montenegro
White Water Rafting in the Tara Canyon
Via Ferrata in Durmitor National Park
More Things to Do in Montenegro