Nature park Orjen

The nature park is located in the southwest of Montenegro, in the hinterland of Herceg Novi, on Mount Orjen. In the west, it abuts the state border with Croatia, and in the northwest and north, the border with Bosnia and Herzegovina (RS). Along with neighboring Lovćen, Orjen forms a distinct mountain ring around Boka Kotorska, one of the most beautiful bays in the world.

Since the time of the SFRY and beyond, there have been numerous initiatives aimed at the protection and valorization of the unique nature of this karst mountain full of interesting things, so that the "Orjen" Nature Park finally started its work in 2018. It gained its status primarily thanks to numerous plant endemic species, among which the munika dominates.

The Orjena massif is very unusual, full of raw beauty. On it, we will not see alpine-type landscapes, glaciers, pointed peaks, lakes and timid streams. No, the central part of Orjen is full of stone plateaus, cracked rocks and deep pits. It is interesting that the mountain, along with the gray limestone, is also filled with the green color of dense forests. Thanks to the large amount of both snow and rain in the cold half of the year, and despite the surface aridity, the area corresponds to the growth of forests. Once limited by the intensive use of every nook and cranny for summer livestock and agriculture, the forests have been growing again for half a century. Beech trees are the most common, while the central ridge is adorned with an endemic species of pine, for which this mountain is known outside of professional circles. Munika thrives on limestone terrain, which is extremely unfavorable for other vegetation, and growing slowly but persistently, some specimens on Orjen reach an age of even 650 years! Deep below the munika belt, on the marginal parts of the mountain, there are also significant grassy areas, which arose on glacial deposits from the Ice Age. Those parts of Orjen were mostly used in the economy of the sub-Orjen villages for animal husbandry, and in that way a special eco-system was formed over time, based on the cooperation of nature and man.

Apart from the living world, Orjen is more interesting for its limestone kingdom, both above ground and underground. Among the geo-heritage sites, Subra (1679 m) dominates, formed on large layered limestone surfaces, divided by countless cracks and pits, and Ljuti Krs at the very entrance to the Nature Park, which looks like an undulating sea full of the most fantastic micro-forms of relief.

The cultural heritage of Orjena preserves valuable material remains from the Eneolithic, in which the Vranjaj cave is dated. The peripheral parts, more suitable for life, have a higher density of archaeological sites, Illyrian mounds and fortifications, but traces of occasional human habitation can also be seen on the peaks themselves, where the remains of ceramic vessels have been found. However, the most visible material remains are related to the recent era and the massive use of the mountain for the summer raising of livestock and agriculture. These are stone huts, terraced fields and fenced gullies in the dry area. Among the individual buildings, the former windmill, Vjetreni mlin, stands out, as well as Gaja Murišić's distillery in Žukovica, known for its stone dome made using the dry-fire technique. There are also the remains of former summer apartments in Vučje dol, on Poljice, Kamenska and Ubaljska planina. The Austro-Hungarian period left a special mark on the architectural heritage, when Orjen got stone pedestrian roads, and immediately after that the first vehicular roads, still functional buildings that today represent museums of construction techniques under the open sky. In this regard, the upper part of the military-strategic road Vrbanj-Orjensko sedlo is particularly interesting.

The nature park has a dense network of marked trails, from those for easy walks to those that are a challenge even for experienced mountaineers. However, Orjen was not created for people who are used to easy and quick access to mountain beauty. Hidden beauty reigns here, beauty that is worth fighting for and fighting for, so visit places such as snow pits, mountain hajduk caves, Austro-Hungarian military positions, old shepherds' dwellings... Among the most attractive, but not among the most difficult, is the path to Veliki kabao (1894 m), the highest point of Orjen, the coastal Dinarides and the entire coast, on both sides of the Adriatic. It was built for a more leisurely outing of the Austro-Hungarian heir to the throne, Prince Rudolph Habsburg, and is the oldest purpose-built hiking trail in Montenegro. For hiking lovers, trails lead from Vrbanje to the Murišić bistjerna on Žukovica, the Snow Jame below the monumental Subra amphitheater (the most interesting detail of the coastal Dinarides), and the Vučji do katun, Poljica and Kamenska ravan.

In addition to walking and hiking, the Park can also be visited by mountain biking, using the historical, Austro-Hungarian cart roads, or today's macadam roads that lead to practically all the former Orjen katuns.

On Orjen it is also possible to practice many other activities that are in line with nature conservation, such as bird watching, mountain running, paragliding, alpinism, speleology, and on Vrbanje there is also one of the most equipped and modern adventure parks in the region, a real treat for adrenaline lovers!

Nature Park "Orjen" is connected by the main road Herceg Novi-Trebinje, so from the exit from the Adriatic highway on the coast to the entrance to the Park is only a twenty-minute drive by car, or less than 2 hours of walking along a marked path from the center of Herceg Novi. For arrivals from longer distances, the nearby airports of Tivat and Podgorica (CG) and Ćilipi (HR) are available.

Address: Njegoševa 46, Herceg Novi, Montenegro

Phone: +382 31 321 600

Email: parkprirodeorjen@gmail.com

Website: https://orjen.me/