Plav is a gem of a town in north east Montenegro close to Prokletije National Park, Vusanje is a beautifully situated village at the start of the Ropojane Valley, both wonderful places. The walk between them was less fun though…

To start with an exploration of Plav, which I did on a much needed rest day after illness made walking between Kuqishte and Babino Polje an exercise in endurance. Plav is a lovely place in terms of scenery, though large parts of the town seemed under construction.

The highlight is Lake Plav, which was surprisingly hard to get close to, being surrounded by marshy land, with access via boardwalk and floating pontoons. On a blue sky, still day, the reflections were quite stunning.

The water was incredibly clear, though seemingly too cold for many locals to be enticed into it.

There wasn’t a lot in town, but I do like a good mosque, and there were four to explore. The newest and largest is Djamija Sultanija (Sultanija Mosque), built in 1907 but until 2005 it was mainly used for other purposes including as a community hall, school, and police station during Communist times.

It had a lovely interior, with a beautifully decorated dome.

The oldest mosque, and the oldest in Montenegro, is the The Emperor’s Mosque (Carska Djamija), built in 1471 for Turkish soldiers. The current structure though largely dates from the 18th century when it was rebuilt to a similar design. It had a beautiful wooden minaret, which appears to be a standard design in this part of Montenegro but was unlike any other minarets I’d seen before.

Inside it was surprisingly small.

Redzepagic Mosque looked very similar.

Šabovića Džamija was also similar, though with three small domes, and was built in 1880.

Groblje Šehovića cemetery was also worth visiting. I’m always fascinated by cemeteries and how their design varies by culture. The tombstones were similar but different in a number of ways to ones I saw in north east Montenegro near Durmitor National Park.

A few more photos from around Plav.

The next day I wasn’t feeling 100% but was able to hike. The offical Peaks of the Balkans route between Plav to Vusanje starts with 9km of road walking so I got a transfer to save time and tedium. There was still a bit of road walking required unfortunately.

It got more interesting getting onto a track through the forest, but was one of the most uncomfortable 90 mins I’ve ever spent hiking. I don’t think I’ve ever been bitten by as many mosquitos before, my legs were covered with bites. This was the first and only time on the Peaks of the Balkans that I encountered them, a very unwelcome surprise.

They eased a little as I gained altitude thankfully, with views of Plav below.

I stopped for lunch at the 2,074m Bori’s Peak or Bajrak Top, enjoying the panoramic views.

This black cloud was a worry though, with thunderstorms forecast for early afternoon I needed to keep moving and made haste across the exposed high plateau.

On a clear day the panorama would have been spectacular. Even with increasing cloud it was pretty good, particularly the rocky mountainside ahead.

Thankfully I’d started to descend before the thunderstorm struck, though it was incredibly loud with multiple lightning strikes. Being outside carrying poles and electronic gear didn’t feel particularly safe. Unfortunately there were quite a lot of thunderstorms while I was walking the Peaks of the Balkans in late June, and they tended to be during the middle of the day, rather than at the end of the day as more usual, making them hard to avoid. I cancelled my planned hike in Grbaja Valley the following day due to more thunderstorms forecast and the hike being around the peaks, not a good combination.

After 45 minutes the storm cleared, though rain would return intermittently throughout the afternoon. There was yet more road walking, super muddy 4WD tracks, not much fun.

The road passed this small collection of buildings new and old with a small family cemetery.

I finally arrived into Vusanje, an ethnic Albanian community in Montenegro at the head of the stunning Ropojane Valley. They had a nice mosque, a small cemetery, and buildings both flash and half built.

I enjoyed a rest and the ever changing views down the valley, before tackling the final section of the Peaks of the Balkans to come full circle back to Theth.