Montenegrin Riviera

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Tour Itinerary

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Day 1
We meet at our accommodation just metres from the water. After a chance to relax, you meet your guides and fellow swimmers for a discussion of the week ahead. We will then hold an acclimatisation swim nearby.

Day 2
After breakfast, our first swim is out to the two islands lying just off Perast; Saint George Island and “Our Lady of the Rocks” Island. It’s an excellent and exciting way to start the trip. The afternoon is given over to stroke improvement, where the guides video and analyse your stroke above and below the water, which will be reviewed later in the evening. The second swim of the day is along the coast to the oldest settlement of Kotor Bay, the city of Risan. The view from here is unrivalled as the whole of Kotor Bay is laid out.

Day 3
We travel out of Kotor Bay through the narrow Verige Strait into Tivat Bay but before we do so, we have time to stop and visit the church on ‘Our Lady of the Rocks’ island. Then on to swim between the islands of Prevlaka, Sveti Marko and Gospa od Milosrda. Sveti Marko is known for its flowers and the whole swim is both intriguing and varied.

After lunch near the white-stone village of Bjelila, we swim up the Luštica Peninsula, a sparsely inhabited finger of land dotted with hilltop and seafront villages, finishing at the small fishing village of Franciskovici.

Day 4
Back in Kotor Bay and our first swim crossing is to the picturesque hamlet of Stoliv nestled on the Gulf’s remote western shore. From here there is a 45 minute walk to the Church of Gornji Stoliv located on the slopes of Mt Velji Vrh. The views at 300M above the Gulf are inspirational.

Following lunch, it’s time for a swim crossing to the lovely beach of Dražin Vrt, which is situated half way between the medieval towns of Perast and Kotor.

Following this you can either stay at the beach bar or be boated back to Perast. This is certainly a full and exciting day.

Day 5
This day is significantly different from the others as we travel to Lake Skadar located on the Albanian border for a unique experience of lake and river swimming in fresh water. We make our escape from Grmožur, the “Montenegrin Alcatraz,” to the deepest part of the lake, the old fishing village of Raduš.

The afternoon is spent swimming upstream in the cooler waters of the Moraca River and ending at the 8th century Monastery of St Nikola.

On the way back to Perast we visit the picturesque village of Sveti Stefan, perched on a rocky outcrop and joined to the mainland by a narrow isthmus, both sides of which contain two beautiful sandy beaches. This is an ideal place to relax after the exertions of the week.

Day 6
Travelling through the Verige Strait we head to the Adriatic shoreline of the Luštica Peninsula and to the coastal village of Žanjica, which is only 4km from the Croatia border. From Žanjica we head to the fortress island of Mamula, built by the Austro-Hungarians and strategically guarding the entrance to the Gulf of Kotor.

The afternoon is taken up swimming in and out of caves along the Adriatic coast and ending in the largest locally famous “Plava Špilja” (“Blue Grotto”), a cave over 9 metres high. The water temperature inside the cave is often a few degrees warmer than the outside sea temperature.

Day 7
There is time for a final morning swim in Perast before the trip finishes in the late morning.

Swimming Caveat

Swimming in the sea is a fantastic experience but you need to be aware that certain marine life such as jellyfish, sea urchins and coral could be present during the swims. In all cases we will work on reducing your contact with these creatures. However if you do suffer from anaphylaxis please consult the office prior to booking.

For obvious safety reasons we rely on decent weather conditions when carrying out the swims. As a consequence, open water swimming does require an inherent degree of on-trip flexibility, so required changes in the planned itinerary will not be uncommon and will undoubtedly add to the uniqueness of each tour.

Image Gallery

Perest

Kotor Bay

"Our Lady of the Rocks" & "Saint George Islands"

Sveti Stefan

Perast

Our Accomodation

Typical Room

Room with a view

SwimTrek Guide Swimming

Swim guide safety cover

SwimTrek main boat

Relaxing in the sun

Montenegrin Riviera

SwimTrek safety boat

Scenic swim crossing

Orange swim buddies

Swim along the coast

Swim in a group

Swim guides, Yves & Kelly

Montenegro SwimTrekkers

Customer Feedback

A wonderful experience
Overall it was a wonderful experience. I feel enriched by having done it. I also met some wonderful people.

Bernie P, September 2012, Ireland

I love you SwimTrek
I love you SwimTrek, you make all the laps’ I’ve ever swum in the pool worthwhile. I’ve met lovely people who are as dotty as me about swimming. You provide challenge, adventure, fun, good company with a totally professional infrastructure.

Ida T, June 2012, UK

Thank you
Thank you for a wonderful vacation. I’ll be back next year.

Pete F, September 2012, United States

Montenegro is a stunning place to swim
Montenegro is a stunning place to swim and the Swimtrek guides made this a truly memorable week!

Fiona M, July 2012, Ireland

Thank you for another excellent week
Thank you for another excellent week - SwimTrek holidays just keep getting better and better - I'll definitely be back for another one!

Catrin S, August 2012, UK

The SwimTrek team looked after everything
I can honestly say it was the first time I was so utterly focused on my swimming as the SwimTrek team looked after everything else, so I felt a real sense of achievement on the final day. A fantastic opportunity to meet new people, and make new friends. A big thank you to you all.

Patricia K, September 2012, Ireland

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Tour Highlights
Swim in the Gulf of Kotor surrounded by Mountains.

Explore the groups of islands around Perast

Visit the locally famous Plavea Spilja (Blue Grotto).

Swim in Lake Skadar on the Albanian border.

Accommodation

Perast Palace

The Perast Palace is a former palace and is totally refurbished in a traditional Montenegrin style.

Montenegrin Riviera Overview

Trip Schedule