Adriatic Ascents

Arrival in Dubrovnik and check in to your hotel. Take some time to get settled before meeting for a trip briefing. In the evening we head out to the old town of Dubrovnik to have dinner together.

We start the day riding along the coastline. We move up north towards Trsteno Arboretum, a beautiful botanical garden known for its iconic appearance as King's Landing from the hit television series Game of Thrones. You are welcome to visit the garden. From Trsteno we climb a side road until Slano where we leave the coastline and continue towards the border with Bosnia & Herzegovina. Right at the end of our climb and already on Herzegovina terrain you will have the chance to visit a magnificent karst cave, the “Vjetrenica.“ From here we follow the old railway line, which once connected Mostar with Dubrovnik and Herceg Novi (Montenegro). Finally, after some serious ascents, we arrive in Trebinje, the heart of Bosnia's wine country. Trebinje is a very nice example of how a typical town in Bosnia & Herzegovina feels like. After a bit of rest, we will go on to explore its charming old town. In the evening we will set out for wine tasting at Tvrdos Monastery which exported its wines to the Austrian court back in the 19th century.



Ride: 96km

Elevation: +1217m

Descent: -961m

oday we ride through the southern half of Bosnia & Herzegovina to the magnificent Bay of Kotor in Montenegro. We have a short warm up before the climbing starts. We'll ascend just over 600 ms in 16 kms but then have a marvelous downhill to the deep blue waters of Kotor Bay. We take a break in picturesque Perast before following the shoreline to the old town of Kotor, a UNESCO World Heritage site built between the 12th and 14th century. Wander the medieval maze of alleyways and marvel at the historic fort walls.

We leave the Bay of Kotor via one of the best climbs of the Balkans. The Kotor Serpentine starts at 458 m and 16 hairpin turns and 8 kms later ends at 881m. At the top take in one of the best panoramic views the Balkans has to offer. The climbing hasn't finished though, as we still have to reach 1100 m in the heart of Lovcen National Park before we start our descent to Cetinje, the former royal capital of Montenegro. We have time for a loop around the old town before we continue to another highlight of the day - Lake Skadar, the largest lake in Southern Europe. Depending on time we will end the cycling in the picturesque village of Rijeka Crnojevica or we continue on another 25 km to Montenegro's capital city of Podgorica as we have a train to catch! We'll board the evening train to Kolasin, a small resort town deep in the mountains. The 1.5-hour train ride itself is another highlight of the trip as it offers stunning views as the railway climbs high above the Moraca canyon to more than 900 m! What a way to gain altitude! Sleep well with the fresh air of Kolasin.



Ride: 89km

Elevation: +1777m

Descent: -1730m

Today can be a semi-rest day or a full on climbing day. If you feel like having an easier day, we can give you a lift to Tresnjevik Pass, thereby avoiding 900 m of ascending in 27 km. From here it is 43 km to Lim valley with a delightful descent of 1151 m, ending at the peaceful town of Plav. We will make a stop to visit Redzepagic tower, one of the most interesting monuments of defensive architecture in Montenegro. Set on a lake the town is also known as the a gateway to the Cursed Mountains (Prokletije) shared by Montenegro, Albania, and Kosovo. End the evening with a relaxing sundowner amongst the beautiful setting of Lake Plav.



Ride: 70km

Elevation: +1274m

Descent: -1313m

Another iconic day! Within only a few kilometres of departing Plav we reach the Albanian border and the climbing soon starts. We ascend for 8 km, almost 400 m, to an altitude of 1,350 m before descending an epic 1,400 m in 30 km. We take a break at Tamara village as our day is far from over. Now we have our next serpentine to conquer, the Leqet e Hotit mountain pass at an elevation of 684 m. Though the climb is only 8 kms long, the gradient is a steep 7% average. Several switchbacks later, we reach a very nice viewpoint called Enver Hoxha's 'balcony', named after the former leader Enver Hoxha who was Albania's mastermind of isolation until the mid-1980s. We roll down once again, cycling close to the border with Montenegro. You will have the option to take a lift to Shkodra or continue biking along the flat shoreline (+35 km) of Lake Skadar to Shkodra. Albania's second largest town it has a nice center and charming vibe. Celebrate your massive accomplishment at dinner!



Ride: 110km

Elevation: +1624m

Descent: -2528m

Though the distance may look to be on the shorter side today, we still have lots of climbs ahead of us. We cross back into Montenegro and cycle the southern shoreline of Lake Skadar, which offers some beautiful views of the lake and the Albanian Alps. The first climb comes just aafter crossing the border, then it is a rolling day all the way to the village of Virpazar. We have our farewell dinner at the hotel and reflect back on our legendary ride.



Ride: 73km

Elevation: +1345m

Descent: -1346m

There are many airport options to depart from nearby and we can assist you with arranging a transfer to the most convenient one. Podgorica Airport is 30 minutes away, Tivat Airport is slightly more than one hour away and Dubrovnik Airport is almost 2.5 hours away.