Veliki Ostros Travel Guide

 JLBG Says:  The road that goes from Vladimir to Ostros, Livari and Virpazar is a mountain road that clings closely to the steep mountainside and winds all the time, thus, do not expect an average speed higher than 20 km/h, 25 km/h to the utmost ! The landscape is great, which means that... 

 JLBG Says:  The road from Vladimir, climbs on the steep slopes of the Rumija range. The village on the right might be Sukobin, 2-3 km from the Albanian border. If you enlarge the picture, you will see in the background a lake. It is most likely to be &#352asko Jezero (Sasko Lake, see... 

 JLBG Says:  A few kilometers before Virpazar (look at my Virpazar page), instead of running on the eastern slopes of the Rumija range, which at this point is much lower, the roads stays on top for a short while and gives a view on Mount Vis, 507 m, in the background. 

 JLBG Says:  On our way back to Ulcinj, we will not visit Petrovac but drive directly to Bar and visit Stari Bar. This photo shows the village of Buljarica. Petrovac is on the right, out of the frame. The bay of Buljarica is limited by Dubovica peninsula. 

 JLBG Says:  The landscape is breathtaking all the way but the road seems endless. If you enlarge the photo, you will see strips of roads on the far right, in the middle, on the left. Everywhere, and we are going to follow it to reach the coast ! 

 JLBG Says:  Even if the road is good, you must remain very cautious as cattle is roaming freely along the road and does not always give you the way ! You are disturbing them !At one point, we saw in the ravine, underneath the road, three burned trucks, upside down and intermixed, with... 

 JLBG Says:  As soon as we have left the striking landscape on Skadar lake, we get on the other side an equally striking landscape on the winding road that we are going to follow and on the sea. Though the road is wide, driving requires permanent caution. 

 JLBG Says:  After Orahovo, the road keeps climbing and passes several villages, Sotonici, Brijeve, Buhovik and Brceli. It reaches a pass at about 500 m elevation, where stands a monument, carved in Cyrillic fonts, that reminds WWII partisans. It gives a last striking view on Skadar... 

 JLBG Says:  The road from Virpazar to Petrovac is also a steep mountain road but much wider than the previous one. It is also busier. A few mountain villages, such as Orahovo are built each time there is a mountain shelf where farming is possible on a small, suspended plain. 

 JLBG Says:  The more we drive towards Virpazar, the shallower the lake is. In this part, do not think about swimming from the coast : waters are invaded by aquatic weeds that make a thick mattress : too light for walking on it, too thick to allow any swimming ! 

 JLBG Says:  The road itself has a reasonably good surface and in the steepest places has old but strong security guardrails. It is not exactly a single lane road but I would not call it a two lanes road neither. Luckily, the traffic, though it was July 21st, was very limited and we met... 

 JLBG Says:  Until now, I have not said anything about the road. In most parts, it clings closely to the steep mountainside. If you enlarge the photo, you will see on the left a narrow strip clung to the mountain. This is the road ! If you want to do this wonderful trip, you will have to... 

 JLBG Says:  A grave stands alone on a small ridge, high above the lake, among a rocky landscape. This picture was taken with Tele lens, which means that it was not close to the road and it was so hot that I gave up going and read the writings ! 

 JLBG Says:  This island should be Starceva Gorica island with the monastery bearing the same name, Starcevo Manastir. The monastery is on the other side of the island and only the top of the church is seen from the continent. There is enough farming in the center of the island to feed... 

 JLBG Says:  When the road leaves the sheltered valley, the view on the lake is again breathtaking. On the right, a smaller (dirt) road leads to the village of Boboviste, which can also be reached by another road, paved, starting near Ostros. 

 JLBG Says:  In the short zone where the road is far from the shore, it is shaded by thick vegetation. Cattle roam freely and you must drive carefully. Cows or donkeys can walk quietly in the middle of the road. You have to wait that they chose to graze in the woods instead of along the...