JOURNEY
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BY SARAH
Taking a Lake Skadar bird watching tour is the ultimate way to get up close and personal with the lake's extremely varied bird life.
Lake Skadar and its connected Bojana Delta is one of Europe's top 5 sites for wintering birds and is also an Important Bird Area. It's home to the rare Dalmatian Pelican and the world's second largest colony of pygmy cormorant. Come here at any time of year and you'll have the chance to see wetland life in all its glory - from glossy ibis and squacco herons to bitterns, grebes, egrets, terns and more.
Here's a short video about the Dalmatian Pelican on Skadar Lake.
The wetlands cover an area of more than 200 square kilometres and include open water, floating vegetation, rocky shores, marshland, rushing rivers and forested hinterland.
All of this makes the area home to over 280 different bird species!
On these Lake Skadar bird watching tours you can go by boat or kayak to the best spots to see a thrilling array of birds while taking in some of Montenegro's most stunning scenery. You can also hire an English-speaking (or other language) birding expert to go with you.
Spring and early summer will showcase the flamboyant mating rituals of breeding season and during autumn you'll be treated to the wonder of migration.
The following tours are available any time except July and August. If you're visiting during these months, we recommend selecting from a Lake Skadar kayak tour or Lake Skadar boat cruise instead.
There is a yearly bird watching holiday in Montenegro. Click here for details.
Leave no avian unidentified as you head out onto the lake for the day with a National Park birding expert. Cruising to all the top birding sites, you can track down pygmy cormorants, herons, bitterns, grebes, egrets, terns and more with the help of the birding expert who speaks fluent English (or another foreign language).
Start point: Virpazar
Length: 3 hours
Price: €250 per trip. Up to 6 people can go on each trip.
Paddle to the Manastirska Tapija and Moraca Delta reserves by kayak. This 100% eco-trip includes a 4 hour circular kayak trip which circles the twin-peaked island of Vranjina. You'll paddle through two of the lake's best bird reserves while enjoying sightings of herons, bitterns, grebes, kingfishers, egrets, terns and more.
Led by a UK-qualified kayak instructor, you can get closer to the bird life than you'd ever imagine!
Start point: Vranjina
Length: 4-5 hours
Difficulty: Moderate
Price: From €40 per person
What's included: Kayak equipment and packed lunch
Take a boat trip to see the famous Dalmatian pelicans - with a 3m wingspan, the Dalmatian pelican is one of the world's heaviest flying birds.
You'll be ferried by private boat to the lake's remote northern shores, where you'll have the chance to see this rare and magnificent bird's breeding grounds.
Just bring a book (it's a 6 hour round trip) and your best binoculars!
Start point: Virpazar
Length: 4-5 hours
Difficulty: Moderate
Price: From €30 per hour. The tour takes at least 6 hours.
What's included: Lunch
Whether by traditional river boat or by kayak, taking a Lake Skadar bird watching tour will showcase for you the amazing array of bird life in this area - with the bonus of the stunning Lake Skadar scenery in the background!
Please note the Lake Skadar bird watching tours aren't available in July or August. If you're visiting during these months, we recommend selecting from a Lake Skadar kayak tour or Lake Skadar boat cruise instead.
To enquire about or book a tour, you just need to fill in the form below and we'll get back to you right away.