Carting and Tara bridge rafting and zip line
Albania and Montenegro
Carting and rafting
Zip Line
Tara Bridge Rafting and Zip Line
Location: Podgorica and Tara bridge, Montenegro and Albania
Beginning of October is not the hottest month for sure but temperatures of over 20 degrees Celsius were totally fine with us as it was ‘man only’ escape into the wilderness … whatever it might be or mean. Seven-seater car wasn’t too spacious but bearable for six of us and a luggage. It was very cosy for sure maybe because my brother, cousins and friends made it into a party wagon where glasses were raised every now and again accompanied by cheerful smiles on the faces of everyone beside me behind the wheel. I was enjoying a scenic drive in between rocky mountains and sharp bends when going to Tara Bridge. I like to drive on every trip but it is en annoying where your level of drunkenness doesn’t match the others, being sober doesn’t help with the communication for sure. I live long enough to know that is a fact.
There are few areas of Montenegro that I would recommend. One of them is Tara bridge and the other the coastline. Tara bridge is between 3 to 4 hour drive from the coast and a place for a few activities such as kayaking, rafting and zip lining. The place is very quiet in October after a busy summer season so we were the only once doing those activities. The river is quite quiet with class one and two rapids (scale 1 to 6 which is the highest) so a novice can do it easily. It was fun but nothing to my experience of class four and five rapids in Canada. Definitely good for families with kids but also for everyone to experience some action. On my adrenaline level it would land with around 30% but there is also a zip line that can raise it much more.
Zip line goes from one side of the valley, over the river, to the other located on the close side of the bridge. There are few companies that offer rafting and different zip lines but we decided to go for the longest one. It is quite scary as you seem to go into unknown. If you weigh more than a 100 kg be careful as you will hit the wall with a mattress as it happened to some of us, where others could barely make it to the destination. Depends on your weight so if you’re skinny no breaking. As braking I mean making yourself less wind resistant. I definitely recommend the place because of many activities and scenic view of the Tara Bridge.
Rafting I would say has a few good parts but still those good part are at 30% adrenaline level, just remember that the comparison is also with sky diving and 150 meter bungee that reached only 90% as I think that at 100% awaits base jumping with high death rate. I feel that I should mention that. Plus to base jumping there is a long journey. Getting licence and experience as a skydiver first and then you can start thinking about base jumping. It is on my bucket list.
More information about zip line that we have chosen on https://registarfirmi.me/r/zip-line-tara/
Information about rafting: https://registarfirmi.me/r/rafting-montenegro/
It is the same company that offers zip line and rafting so if you decide to do both always ask for the discount.
Podgorica Carting
We have decided to visit Montenegro in October but the weather was perfect not to mention the track. Dry, flawless and ideal to play around. The track itself is one of the best ones that I have visited with technical sections but also has one long straight line where you can check the top speed and your abilities to break as late as it is possible. The variety of curves and turns is just perfect and I think that it will please even pro riders. We have had a very good time carting as we were in a group of six. There is nothing better than competing with your mates. We have decided go that one step further when you get close to the opponent so some of us were thrown out. My brother allegedly for using it as a lawn mover and ploughing through the grass as a mad man but that is what he does behind the wheel on a daily basis and I can’t blame him.
When we are behind the wheel of this little Formula 1 car we all feel like we should take it to the limits. Crash testing is a part of it as well. C’mon don’t tell me that it is not fun to send your friend or a member of your family to destination ‘freaked’. You can always shout: this is for destroying my best toys 20 years ago. Don’t forget to smile like a Joker from a Batman Movie as it makes it way more dramatic. At least this is my way of expressing anger … or should I talk to someone about it?
Prices and more information about opening hours at http://www.karting.me
Driving in Albania and Montenegro
Driving in Montenegro is quite pleasant despite a lack of motorways but the country is not so big so the distances are not to bad to cover in a day trip. We were going almost from one side to the country to the other when going to and it took us just over 3 hours. I would definitely recommend to rent a car as you will see way more in a shorter period of time.
Albania on the other hand is a different story which is far from a fairy tale. The roads are tremendous so as the some drivers. Roadworks aren’t signposted so I wouldn’t recommend to drive at night as people and animals just appear from nowhere. Many of the road users such as mopeds have no lights. It is dangerous. I would still hardly say that you have to visit Albania because of the nature that is intact. If you intend to go to remote villages in the mountain range you will need a 4×4.
First off all, yes the prices are cheaper but don’t expect to be Richie Rich or Pablo Escobar. Prices are cheaper than in Western Europe or Canada ( I find USA cheaper to Western Europe as a tourist because living there is a different pair of shoes ).
Summarising this blog is not about the prices and hotels but to have an adrenaline rush in every location of the world so this section will be short but I will try to make it understandable and fulfilling as there is a lot of up to date information on Google or other search engines.
Nowadays to find a good accommodation is quite easy. Search engines like google, booking or airbnb along many others make it very easy to suit your needs.
You also definitely won’t complain about the prices for sure. More about specific groceries that you can find or need on:
https://www.globalprice.info/en/?p=montenegro/cafe-restaurant-prices
Albania isn’t far from where we have been (Ulcinj, Montenegro) so we decided to go there and visit the Albanian’s mountains. The temperature drop is significant and I gave the heads up for my crew to dress up appropriately for the weather otherwise they would be in t shirts and shorts. Temperatures at sea level were around 23-28 degrees Celsius and high up in the Dinaric Alps range there was only 5 degrees Celsius.
As I said before if you intend to go to remote villages in the mountain range you will need a 4×4 as the roads looked like they aren’t man made unless it was built 400 years ago but this is what makes the area so good. It is exclusive area where you won’t see all-inclusive tourists but hikers and people who want to discover more and go The One Step Further.
Originally we wanted to get to Theth but because of the road conditions we had to abandon the plan about few km away because it was impossible for our car to handle the unpaved road. Despite that it was definitely worth the fuss to get where we have been as the road was narrow with many steep climbs and astonishing views of the untouched nature on the way.
Because it was a one day drip from Montenegro to Albania and we have had some more time we decided to visit Rozafa Castle in Shkoder to explore the ruins and see the surrounding area from one of the highest viewpoints in the Shkoder area. The castle appears in the first video on this page. Definitely also I can highly recommend Te Zegara restaurant in Shkoder with a perfect view of the castle above, beautiful lake and also the surrounding hills with colourful bee houses.
Albania nowadays has become one of the popular tourist area with the beautiful coastline and closeness to the mountains that offer astonishing views therefore I would highly recommend it for summer getaways.