Spend a day with real Durmitor highlander nomads, learn their customs, traditions, way of life, and in one day totally detach yourself from the modern and material. Enjoy the opportunity to experience rural life of Durmitor highlanders up close.
Experience all this in a real semi-nomadic environment, while absorbing centuries-old stories about the way of life in these isolated areas. Experience what Durmitor means to the local population, and how generations have grown up living in harmony with nature.
Pickup Time Tour from Žabljak departs at 6 AM, meaning we are picking you up at your accommodation.
Pickup Locations We shall pick you up in whole region of Žabljak or Durmitor National Park.
Activity Note: Our Durmitor hosts have spent their entire lives in harmony with nature, living on the slopes and peaks of the Durmitor massif. From nature they took only what she generously gave them, without disturbing the harmony.
In the perception of people from urban areas, this way of life has so many virtues but also flaws that are often invisible to the average observer. That is why the goal of this universal experience is to show all the beauties of rural life, but also to point out those shortcomings that unfortunately today in the entire Balkans cause domestically and abroad, mass emigration of people from rural areas to urban areas.
When Funky Tours works in tourism, it tries to work in accordance with the interests of local communities, and gladly directs its share of income to these communities, because these local communities are our main stakeholder, and the guarantor of thriving life in this area.
This is a daily tour, and since the important activities of life in the village begin with the first rays of the sun, it is necessary to be in the village of Trsa, as early as 7 am. In case your accommodation is in Žabljak, it will mean that we leave at 6 AM in the morning, because we have a little more than an hour’s drive to the village of Trsa, or if you decide to sleep in the village, you can consider and book our two-day tour.
>Trsa village and Piva river canyon at Piva mountain
In the early morning in the village we work with cows. The cows are milked twice a day, early in the morning and later in the afternoon, usually 12 hours apart. Morning milking usually happens around 6 in the morning, and afternoon around 6 in the afternoon. Our first activity that morning will be to milk the cows, partly with modern pumps, and for those who want to, with manual milking techniques.
>With the first rays of sun in the morning, around 7 AM we are learning how to milk cows. Today villagers use modern techniques for milking, but every once in a while use of hands and traditional techniques must be applied.
After that we use milk to learn how to make cheese, cream and whey. Every technique we use is a centuries-old, authentic Durmitor way of preparing dairy products.
>Durmitor locals use milk to produce cheese, kajmak and other dairy products – Trsa village
After an early morning work around the cows and milk, we are ready to make breakfast. Durmitor breakfast is powerful. Since ancient times man has been engaged in physical work, for which he had to make up for this huge loss of calories. And how else than a traditional Montenegrin breakfast.
We learn how to make “priganice” (eng. doughnuts), which are traditionally eaten with cheese, “kajmak” (eng. cream), dried meat and various types of homemade sweet spreads.
>When to Durmitor locals host you for a breakfast make sure to know you will taste plenty of food.
We shall also learn how to make traditional “kačamak” (eng. porridge), as one of the most popular local dishes in Montenegro.
We serve all this with traditional coffee, tea made of local herbs and homemade juices.
In addition, during the morning we will make dough for homemade bread, which we will bake in the afternoon and have the best mountain bread you can imagine for lunch.
>Learning process on how to make traditional Durmitor bread and other food products.
After a delicious and powerful breakfast, the rest of the morning and the middle of the day is reserved for activities in the countryside.
Rural activities depend a lot on the season (month of the year), and according to the time of your visit, we will choose a set of activities that are the best choice for that time of year.
For example, during the month of May and part of June, we have the opportunity to work on vegetable crops: black and white onions, carrots, beets, potatoes, beans, peas, zucchini, spinach, etc. Here we will learn all about tillage and soil preparation, and the sowing techniques themselves.
>Planting and picking up local vegetables with local families.
In the month of July we will learn all about mowing and preparing hay for cattle for the winter. An indispensable part will be the active stacking of hay in the traditional Durmitor way.
In August, it is the best time to pick and collect blueberry berries and prepare juices, liqueurs and jams in a completely natural way.
>Picking up blueberries and other types of fruits or herbs at Durmitor mountain is very common activity local people do.
September is the month when we harvest all the vegetables we sowed during May and prepare it for the coming winter.
In October, winter preparations go further and we go into the woods to cut firewood and pull them out of the woods with oxen, a century-old technique. This is done in small quantities, as the state has introduced limits on logging.
>Pulling out the fire wood by oxen, with Durmitor locals – Durmitor National Park
In any case, no matter which part of the year you plan to visit Durmitor, we will always prepare a great mix of activities and work in the countryside, with the aim of understanding the life of Durmitor rural communities.
In the afternoon, after a very active day, we are back to the village and we start lunch preparations.
Lunch will be made in the traditional way, where we prepare food under the “sač” (eng. under the bell). The traditional technique of preparing food under a metal bell, on which a burning wood or ember is placed, and the food is slowly baked for a couple of hours, is still the best and most delicious way of locally preparing food.
>Meat and potatoes stewed under the “sač” and served with kajmak and cabbage salad
Under “sač” we bake all kinds of meat with vegetables, bread that we prepared in the morning, and of course, the most popular thing in the Balkans that is prepared under “sač”, is “pita” (eng. pie).
In the wider region of the Balkans, known as burek, the pie is made from thinly stretched dough, which is rolled and filled with meat, potatoes, cheese, spinach, pumpkin, and thus becomes one of the world’s most popular dishes.
We serve a delicious lunch with a tasting of locally produced brandies.
>Traditional “pita” (eng. pie) is one of the most beloved dishes of Balkan people.
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