National park Biogradska gora & Biogradsko lake

from Chalet Kolašin 19km

Biogradska Gora is a forest and a national park in Montenegro, in Kolašin municipality. It is one of the last three large virgin forests in Europe. The landscape is made up of mountain peaks, glacial lakes & beech forest. Biogradska Gora is located in the mountainous region of Bjelasica, in the central part of Montenegro, only 19km from Chalet Kolašin
The National Park has 54 km² area. Basic elements of the Park are: untouched forest, large mountain slopes and tops over 2,000m altitude, 6 glacial lakes, from which are 5 at an altitude of 1,820 meters and one easy accessible low-land lake, located at the very entrance to the Park, Biogradsko Lake. The areas of Biogradska Gora are covered with streams, green pastures and clear lakes that maintain the centenary forests. The Park is renowned as a unique geomorphological region and, as such, it is attractive for scientific research. The seat of the Park is in Kolašin. This national park abounds in cultural and historic heritage consisting of sacral monuments, national building and archeological localities. Numerous authentic buildings of traditional architecture are found throughout the pastures and villages next to the virgin forest reserve on the Bjelasica mountain range.

Biogradska Gora National Park contains great diversity of flora and fauna. There are 26 different habitats of plants with 220 different plants, 150 species of birds and 10 species of mammals that live in this Park and in its forest, there are 86 species of trees and shrubs. In the waters of the park exist three species of trout and 350 species of insects.  One of the unique features of the Park is its virgin forest, Biogradska Gora (16 km²) with trees over five hundred years old. In the very heart of virgin forest is Biogradsko Lake, the largest glacier lake in this National Park. The most common tree species around the lake are European beech, sycamore maple and European ash, and on the slopes beech and silver fir.
When Kolašin was liberated from Turkish rule in 1878, people from the Morača and Rovca presented a part of the forest to King Nikola I Petrović-Njegoš of Montenegro. This forest was known as ‘Branik Kralja Nikole’ and was protected. Biogradska Gora was proclaimed a National Park in 1952. Today, the park has developed infrastructure for tourists, including a visitors’ center, hiking trails, campsites, and a restaurant. It is popular in the summer for tourists seeking a cooler environment than the coast.