Drenostica Canyon

Drenostica runs behind the first ridge inland from Budva. The drive takes a quarter of an hour and ends at a tavern where the tarmac gives up. From there it is a short walk into a narrow limestone corridor with a river in the bottom of it, figs growing sideways out of the walls and no view of the coast at all.

What is in it

• Three to four waterfalls short enough to abseil in a couple of minutes each.
• A natural rock slide — a water toboggan the river polished into the stone.
• Deep green pools between shallow wading sections.
• Small cascades you climb down without a rope.
• Fish, freshwater crabs, lizards and butterflies, all of them minding their own business.

Why it is still quiet

There is no viewpoint, no car park sign and nothing to see from the road. The canyon is only accessible if you are equipped for it, which keeps casual traffic out entirely. On a busy August day in Budva there might be a dozen people in Drenostica.

When to go

The season runs April to November. Spring has the strongest water and the coldest temperatures. July and August are the warmest and the busiest on the coast, though not in the canyon. September and October are the quietest, with water still comfortable in neoprene.

Drenostica cannot be walked casually. Getting through it involves rope descents, so it is a guided trip or nothing — which is also why it has stayed intact.

Getting there

Meeting point is Eco Tavern Krapina. Approach from Budva centre: navigation apps sometimes send drivers around the back of the hill on roads that are not worth driving. Parking at the tavern is free, and you start and finish in the same place.