Known as both ‘the jewel of Europe’ and the ‘Pearl of the Mediterranean,’ tiny Montenegro – which finally achieved independence from Serbia in 2006 – is a steep little country in the Balkans which has a geography which makes it extremely promising as an outdoor destination. Indeed, the travel press has been singing it’s praises as a fallow destination for the past couple of years, applauding its rough charm and dripping beauty, if not its infrastructure, which many will view as the best of both worlds.

Mighty mountain ranges dominate the area which runs south-east parallel with the border of Serbia and Albania. These drop to a cave-riddled, karstic landscape in the middle before dropping to a thin but lengthy coastal strip on the Adriatic – the Boka Kotorska with world-class beaches.

Montenegro’s mountains were hammered during the last ice age, resulting in incredibly rugged terrain and dramatic canyons, one of which – the Tara River Canyon – which, at 1,300m, is the second deepest in the world after the Grand Canyon. It is 82km long and is absolutely spellbinding, and as it sits within Durmitor National Park, there are many walking trails which take you to the canyon’s most impressive viewpoints. Piva canyon is also ripe for exploration, and also lies within Durmitor, readily accessible from Zabljak.

Durmitor also has a mountain range running through it – the Durmitor Alps, part of the more encompassing Dinaric Alps range. These are very dramatic mountains, and include a number of fine ascents for lovers of scrambly ground, steep faces and snaggly Dolomite-alike terrain. There are some astonishing geological formations, particularly at the mountain of Stit, which displays huge scale fractured folding of rock to mind-bending effect. The dominating feature – apart from the Park’s many canyons – is the Jezerska Povrs plateau which sits at 1500 meters above sea level intersected. Over this, 48 mountains over 2000m leer down, the highest being Bobotov Kuk (2523 m), which is in fact the highest peak in Montenegro. You can climb the mountain all year via its classic route on well-marked walking trails (from Zabljak) but in winter snow, ice and a tourism infrastructure which is still finding its feet make it a cold, lonely and committing affair. Indeed, that may be your thing, in which case you’ll probably love it. Despite the multitude of fantastic mountains to climb in Durmitor, don’t be put off if you’re a low-level lover, as there are many parts of the park which make for magnificent walking of a less serious nature, and it’s well worth a visit. Other things to do here include the Ice Cave of Ledena Pecina (see Other Activities).

Kotor is a resort town which earned its status for being cited at the head of southern Europe's deepest fjord, Boka. Kotor is a walled medieval city with UNESCO World Heritage status, but the real wonder here is the fjord, which is considered by many as one of the world’s most beautiful bays. The town and the bay both nestle beneath Lovcen, the country’s holiest mountain, which has at its top a tomb which is a site of pilgrimage and a fine place to view the splendour of this area.

Biogradska Gora is a national park which lies between the tara and Lim, which is unique for its expanses of virgin forest and massive glacial lakes, which makes for sublime, leafy walking when you have had your fill of the mountains and sea. In addition to this, there is Lake Skadar, the largest lake in the Balkans and a major bird sanctuary.

Most of these areas have UNESCO status, which is remarkable for such a little place. With the number of tour operators increasing in the wake of Montenegro’s independence, try and get to this little gem before the rest of the crowds do: it’s not all that easy, but there are a couple of operators who will get you there (see links.)