Black Lake — Crno Jezero — is the postcard of Durmitor National Park: a glacial lake ringed by pine forest with the 2,287 m Medjed peak rising straight behind it. It is 3 km from Zabljak town center, easy enough for any visitor, and genuinely worth the walk. Here is everything you need to know, from people who pass it weekly.
Getting there from Zabljak
The lake sits at the end of a paved road from the town center. Your options:
- Walk: about 40 minutes on a straightforward route through pine forest — the classic approach. Staying centrally makes this trivial; guests at Durmitor Retreat can walk out the door and be at the lake in under an hour.
- Drive or taxi: 5 minutes to the parking area near the park entrance, then a short walk to the shore.
Entry fee
Black Lake is inside Durmitor National Park, so there is a park entrance ticket (a few euros per person, payable at the gate; multi-day tickets available). Keep the ticket — it covers other park entrances the same day(s).
The lake itself — and the loop
It is actually two lakes, Big and Small (Veliko and Malo Jezero), joined by a strait that narrows in late summer when water levels drop — some years you can see the divide clearly. The lakeside loop trail is about 3.5 km, flat, and takes around an hour at a relaxed pace. It is the best easy walk in the park: constantly changing angles on the water, the forest and Medjed above.
From the lake, marked trails continue deeper into Durmitor — towards the Ice Cave, Zminje Lake and eventually the high peaks. Black Lake is the trailhead for most of the park’s classic hikes.
Best time to visit
- Early morning — still water, mirror reflections, few people. The single best time.
- Late afternoon — warm light on Medjed, day-trippers gone.
- Seasons: June for full water and green intensity; late September–October for autumn color; winter for the frozen, snow-ringed version few tourists see.
- Midday in July–August is the busiest window — come early or late.
Photography notes
The classic shot is from the main beach looking at Medjed reflected in the water — best in morning calm. Walk the loop counter-clockwise for less-photographed angles from the far shore, and find the strait between the two lakes for something different. A polarizing filter earns its place here.
Combine it with a rafting day
The perfect Durmitor combination: Black Lake in the evening you arrive, the Tara the next day. The 14 km rafting (€60) leaves an easy half-day either side; the full 36 km canyon run deserves its own day, with the lake as your warm-up or wind-down. Questions about fitting it together? Ask us — our office is in the town center, on the way to the lake.