kayak tour on kotor bay

We Went Kayaking in Kotor Montenegro

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kayak tour on kotor bay Where is Montenegro and How Did We End Up Here?

Good question. Montenegro is part of the former Yugoslavia. It borders Croatia (a tiny bit) on the northwest, Albania on the southeast, Serbia on the northeast, and Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia to the north and northeast. It’s in the Balkans and the western border is the Adriatic Sea. Across the Adriatic is Italy. Still not clear? Take a look at the map.

It’s a tiny country at 13,800 square kilometers (8, 582 square miles) and 685,000 residents. Montana, our home state of one million people, is 380,000 square kilometers (147,000 square miles). You can fit 27 Montenegros in Montana.

After the break up of Yugoslavia, it became part of Serbia and Montenegro and then became it’s own country in 2006. So, it’s pretty new. Until now, the youngest country we had been to was Slovenia (also a former Yugoslav state), which gained independence in 1991.

Montenegro is a republic, has a prime minister (the man shoved by Donald Trump at a NATO meeting), is part of NATO, and uses the Euro. They speak Montenegrin, which is almost the same as Serbian/Bosnian/Croatian/Slovenian.

Where is Kotor, Montenegro? The Bay of Kotor is in the northwestern part of the country and it’s a huge, deep bay. Mountains rise up around it, framing the Venetian fortified city of Kotor. When we decided to explore Montenegro, we thought this would be the perfect place to start.

There are a lot of beautiful places to stay on Montenegro’s coast. We are staying near Kotor, but in a residential neighborhood where our patio backs up to Kotor Bay. In the morning, I sit on a deck chair watching the still water reflect the mountains and in the evening the sun sets and the sky turns orange and pink. In between those two times, we leap off our patio and into the Adriatic Sea for at least one swim a day. Of course, we sit behind our computers a lot, too, but I can still see the ocean above my screen.

Why Montenegro? We were looking for a place to meet some friends from Livingston (they get here in less than three weeks!!) and they wanted a sunny, beach-type location. We needed to get out of the Schengen Area. And we were deciding all this back in December when we were in Croatia, just a hop, skip, and a jump from where we are now. Somehow I thought about Montenegro, started doing a little research, and decided that Montenegro travel was the way to go.


kayaking with montenegro plusThings To Do in Montenegro

There are a lot of things to do in Montenegro, most of them focused around its natural beauty. There is rafting in the Tara River, hiking in Durmitor National Park, strolling through UNESCO designated towns, and my favorite (so far) kayak trips. Since it’s a small country, these are all things to do in Kotor, or from Kotor.

I think people who take kayak vacations come here just to go kayaking, but there is so much more.

There will be more to come on Montenegro things to do, as we do them, but for now know that most of them are outside—just how I like it!


kayak in kotor

Kayaking in Kotor Bay

Since we are staying right on the Bay of Kotor, I wanted to go kayaking or paddleboarding or both! We were invited on one of the Montenegro+ kayak tours and jumped at the chance to visit the famous Blue Cave. Little did we know, our kayak excursions would involve several caves, stunning views of the Montenegro coast – the Karst limestone!—and a little snorkeling adventure.

Our guides Igor and Charles picked us up right in front of our apartment for our Blue Cave Tour and drove us, along with a couple from Wales, to a gorgeous beach on the open sea just outside the Bay of Kotor Montenegro.

We started at Uvala Veslo, the awesome swimming beach that the kids really want to go back to. The bottom of the little bay is smooth and visible, meeting Finn’s criteria of only swimming where you can see the bottom and there is “no growth.”

swimming in montenegro before kayaking in kotor

Henry and I each shared a double kayak with one kid and pushed off into the small turquoise bay. The color of the water here is amazing—it looks so tropical. From there we paddled along the edge of the Lustica Peninsula.

It was easy paddling along the shore—kayak travel is the way to go. Even though my paddling partner did more sightseeing than paddling, I could almost keep up with the group. Charles and Igor would stop from time to time and tell us a little about the history of Montenegro and specifically the area around the Bay of Kotor. You know I like a little education with my physical activity.

The cool thing about kayaking near Kotor with Montenegro+, is that we went into several caves. There are many speedboat tours to the Blue Cave, but they can’t get into the smaller caves so we had them to ourselves.

The first cave we entered, we paddled through and came out the other side. We explored another little cave, also amazingly beautiful, before entering the Blue Cave.

kayaking through caves in montenegroThe Montenegro Blue Cave (there are Blue Caves in other places) is so called because the way the light reflects through the water. When you put your hand in, it gets and eerie blue glow around it.

We stayed in the Blue Cave for a while and swam around. Had we brought snorkeling gear, this would be the place to use it. Boats came in and out, but we took our time swimming and appreciating how lovely it was.

paddling in the blue cave while kayaking in kotorunderwater caveswimming in the blue caveAfter leaving the Blue Cave we snuck into another cave. We had to lean back in our kayaks and limbo through the small entrance, but once we were in, this cave was huge. It was so dark and bats were chirping above our heads. It was so cool sitting in the dark, listening to the bat songs. Eventually, our eyes got more used to the darkness and we could see how big the cave really was. Plus the colorful walls came to life.

We squeezed out of the “Bat Cave” and paddled back to the take-out. It was just two hours or so, but it was a lovely two hours. Now all I want to do is kayak Montenegro. If you are planning a Montenegro vacation, I highly recommend this.

Other Day Tours in Montenegro

Montenegro+ does a lot of other Montenegro adventures besides the sea kayak tour. There is paddleboarding on Kotor Bay to a wildlife refuge or even to the Blue Cave if the conditions allow. In fact, they kayak and SUP all over Montenegro, including Skadar Lake in Skadar Lake National Park.

If you are into biking there is the all downhill ride of Vrmac Mountain — a half-day mountain bike tour which takes in panoramic views of Kotor, Tivat, and in the distance Croatia and Serbia. They’ll take you Montenegro hiking (downhill on a stone path), wakeboarding, scuba diving… like I said, there are so many things to do in Montenegro if you like playing outdoors. Check out their Tours page.

There are actually a lot of things to do in Kotor, including hiking the castle of San Giovanni  and exploring the old city (don’t miss the weird little Cats Museum!).

And they even have a coworking space just a 40-minute walk from us. As our Internet is not good here, we are taking advantage of that.

Should You Kayak in Kotor?

Uh, yeah! Kotor can be visited as a day trip from Cavtat or Dubrovnik, but you are probably going to want to spend at least a few days here. Plus, you’ll want to visit Cavtat, Croatia on its own.

Read more about choosing equipment here.

Who knew kayaking in Montenegro could be so good? Here's how to see the Blue Cave and the Bay of Kotor.


Want to see more kayaking? It’s one of the top ten things we did on San Juan Island in Washington.


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36 thoughts on “We Went Kayaking in Kotor Montenegro”

  1. The waters look stunning! Also envious of the patio on the sea, sounds like heaven. Not big on water sports, but I’m sure I’d enjoy wandering through the town and investigating the local cuisine. Always enjoy these posts. Have fun with your friends! My guys will be in Poland next week on their 10 day whirlwind trip, Warsaw, Gniew, Gdansk, Krakow then back to Warsaw. It’s our son’s first taste of foreign travel and if he’s like us, it’s just the beginning. We hope to travel together in the near future. Had any borek yet? Mmmmmmm!

    1. The water is gorgeous! I was not expecting the turquoise. I can’t wait to hear about Poland. Unfortunately, I don’t think we are going to make it there this year, but people seem to love it! No borek, yet, but I am on the lookout. Thanks for reading and commenting! I feel like you are traveling along with us.

  2. nicki coble

    Fabulous and so informative. Another beautiful place on our Blue Dot!!

  3. Kotor reminds me of El Nido Palawan in the Philippines. They’re very similar with all the caves, bats and all. When I travel, I make sure that one of my key highlights is to visit and see the city or country’s natural beauty. I’ve never heard of Kotor before and now, after reading this post, it’s definitely on my travel list! Thank you for sharing this dreamy and fun experience!

    1. Glad to add something to your list. I’ve never been to the Philippines, but based on photos, it this part does look similar. The Philippines are on my list 🙂

  4. I love that sentence about “people who take kayaking holidays would come here just to go kayaking”. I wish I was one of those people. This place looks amazing! Was there any fear when you were swimming in the cave and the boats were traveling in and out? The whole tour seems pretty cool.

    1. No fear. I bet it gets a little crazy in the high season (next month!), but the cave is so big and only one boat came in at a time, so it was fine.

  5. I can’t get over the color of the water from your photos. That is pretty much totally unheard of to have that anywhere in Europe and is more akin to the waters of the Pacific. Nevertheless you photos don’t lie and I’m surprised this hasn’t been pushed from a tourism promotional standpoint more. With such a small population and being so new as a nation, their tourism development no doubt has only just started. This is certainly somewhere I’d love to visit and experience.

    1. I think the word is getting out about Montenegro. I bet we hear more and more about it in the future. I should have been clear that it is a very new nation in its present state, but it goes way back!

  6. The colors look absolutely stunning, and I can just imagine sitting there, watching the sunset. I love to kayak as well and would love to jump into the water there! Montenegro is one of those places I imagine a James Bond film being set in, which adds to the sheer magic of it all!

  7. I have only been kayaking once, and that was here in England. Montenegro and the Bay of Kotor look stunning, especially for kayaking. I mean look at the color of the water! The exploration of the cave is definitely a treat! I actually have a friend who told me many times about her adventures kayaking in Montenegro and since then I have wished in secret to do it myself as well.

    1. I hope you get to do it one day! And I wish we had been kayaking while in England. I imagine it’s a little warmer in Montenegro. 🙂

  8. I have done Kayaking only once during one practice sessions. I loved the blue color waters with rocks surrounding. Also I came to know about this Montenegro country first time. Bay of Kotor is very stunning.

    1. It is so stunning! And since Montenegro+ uses inflatable sit-on-top kayaks, you don’t really need any experience at all. They are super stable and easy to paddle.

  9. This looks like so much fun! What a great way to explore an area on kayak. From the sounds of things there’s a lot of adventure sports which I love doing! Might have to add this to my destination wish list

    1. Definitely add this to your list if you like playing outdoors. We’ve only scratched the surface of exploring through sport here.

  10. I’m currently planning my visit to Montenegro for later this year so it’s perfect I found your post, I’ve never heard of Kotor. Kayaking and the Blue Caves tour looks like a fun experience with lots of beautiful photo opportunities. I’ll check out the other UNESCO villages in Montenegro too.

    1. You are going to love Montenegro and Kotor is so beautiful. The huge mountains drop right down to the sea here.

  11. The Balkan countries are really beautiful. I like the second photo a lot. The water is so blue. I have not experienced kayaking yet but I am inspired now. It was also nice that you had the chance to explore the caves. I would love to visit Montenegro someday.

    1. I hope you get to visit, too. And definitely give kayaking a shot– it’s really fun and a great way to see a place.

  12. Edith H Conyers

    Another wonderful dialog and so glad to read about it and of course continue to follow you all on the wonderful adventures!

    1. Thanks, as always, for checking it out. Hope you make it to Montenegro one day!

  13. Lynn Coleman

    We are docking in Kotor in July. How far was the kayak rental from the dock

    1. It’s an easy walk from the cruise ship dock and they pick people up. Check the website and when you make a reservation they will set up a meeting point. Have a great time!

  14. Such a beautiful place! I remember when I went there were HUGE cruise shops that used to dock there. Would be quite intimidating having one of those sail past!

    Great write-up by the way 🙂

    1. There were definitely some big ships in Kotor! Fortunately, our kayaking was away from them.

  15. I think Kotor would’ve be the best place for kayaking if you are lives in near Dubrovnik. Thanks Mel

  16. Calvin Furrow

    Incredible! Nice blog and phenomenal things exist in your blog content. a debt of gratitude is in order for sharing.

  17. John S. Mastin

    i always preferred for outdoor activity, but i would love kayaking and hiking, i wish i spend my weekend on this type of adventure with my son.. but i have too busy routine.

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