The Canyon of the Mrtvica River. "Gates of Wishes". Montenegro.

If you don’t know where to go in Montenegro or are interested in a vacation in Montenegro, here’s a simple solution for you: a hike along the Mrtvica River Canyon to the “Gate of Wishes” and the start of a trail carved into the rocks. This place is not far from Podgorica, Montenegro. It’s an easy hike, a walk in the fresh air, suitable even for a 4-year-old child. Here, you can immerse yourself in the extraordinary nature of Montenegro’s mountains.

Preparation

This is a short one-day hike without an overnight stay. It’s about a 40-minute drive from Podgorica to the starting point. The hike itself can take up to 6 hours round trip.

The most important thing for any hike is footwear. This can be regular sneakers or hiking boots. The key is that they should be well-tested and not cause blisters.

Choose clothing according to the season. In the mountains, it’s very cold in the morning and evening. In November, it’s around 0°C in the morning, but it warms up to 25°C during the day. Jackets are packed away in favor of T-shirts. The best time to visit is from May to November. For example, in June, we encountered a variety of blooming flowers.

Make sure to pick dry and sunny weather. You need to reach the “Gate of Wishes” before noon; otherwise, the place will be covered in shadow, and you’ll miss the magical play of light.

Bring food and, most importantly, water, especially if you’re hiking in the summer.

How to get there.

The best way is to drive. If you don't have a car, Montenegro offers an unlimited number of car rental services.

As I mentioned, the drive from Podgorica to the starting point takes about 40 minutes by car along the highway. The road is easy and, as always, beautiful.

There are several starting points: the standard one and near the "Danilov" bridge.

Standard starting point.

This is a large clearing where you can easily park and leave your car. It is located here (maps). The start is also here. From here to the "Gates of Wishes" is 4.3 km or 2.5 hours of walking. Plus, there is an additional 1.3 km from the "Gates of Wishes" to the "Trail in the Rocks."

Start near Danilov bridge.

This spot is about a kilometer closer to the destination, located here (maps). This can save you 2 km of the round trip. Also, for the standard starting point, the first kilometer is along a trail overgrown with bushes, which block the view and force you to constantly dodge thorny branches. Choosing this starting point, you won't miss anything interesting. However, keep in mind that the road leading to this spot is narrow, although paved. This section is about 2.7 km by car. If you have little driving experience, it's better to choose the standard starting point. There's also a place to park here—a small "pocket" along the road for 3-5 cars.

Route.

For navigation, I recommend using the mobile app maps.me. It provides the best coverage of hiking trails and dirt roads. It also shows elevation gains and losses in the mountains.

First, plot the route to this point (maps). This is the "Gates of Wishes". Then, continue the route to the beginning of the trail in the rocks, here (maps).

The total route one way is 5.6 km or 3 hours, starting from the standard starting point. It's important to remember that the return journey will take the same amount of time. Considering the small climb of 250 m, 11-12 km is a manageable distance for an unprepared person or a child. As mentioned above, starting from the Danilov bridge will save up to 2 km of the journey.

If you think that's too much, the hike can be shortened, and you don't have to go to the "start of the trail in the rocks," just to the "Gates of Wishes". This will save you another 2.5 km. In total, you can shorten the total distance from 11-12 km to 7 km when starting from the Danilov bridge.

Along the entire route, look out for trail markers, red circles. They can be on rocks, trees, and may include arrows or text. If you see them, you're on the right path.

Start.

For the start, I recommend choosing the "Start from the Danilov Bridge." This way, you'll save distance and skip the walk through the bushes, which isn't worth your attention.

Either way, you will arrive at the bridge.

Danilov Bridge.

This is a beautiful stone bridge over the river. You can take photos here or fly a drone. From the bridge, a slight uphill starts that should lead you to a dirt road. Be sure to remember the spot where the road begins, as you might miss it on the way back. Although, the last time we went, a marker was placed there, when we first took this route, we missed it on the way back and got a bit lost, losing about an hour searching.

Passage through the Private Homestead.

Along the way, you will encounter several private houses, where people actually live. Some of them even offer tourists for sale tea, coffee, honey, etc.

But the last homestead lies directly on the route. This is private land. The owner is not happy with the daily crowds of tourists wandering across his land. Every Montenegrin has a gun at home, or even more than one. And they are not afraid to use it. We have gotten lost on private lands several times while living in Montenegro; it wasn't intentional. Any public road can eventually enter private territory and end there. So, simply following the road can lead you onto someone's land. The reaction of the owners can vary. Some have even invited people into their homes, treated them, or offered something for sale. But the reaction can also be the opposite, like a gunshot in the air, to remind you it's private property. Considering that many Montenegrins love rakija, they might not just shoot into the air. So, it's better not to test your luck and respect private property.

To avoid this, a separate path was created along the homestead. As you walk along the dirt road, you will come across closed gates. This is where the homestead area begins. These gates are there to prevent livestock from running away. You can open the gates and walk through, but be sure to close them behind you. After that, stay to the right side and look for a sign that will guide you off the road onto a path that should go right and upward. If you do everything correctly, the road and houses will be on your left as you move along the path. If you end up at someone's house, it means you've missed the turn.

As you continue, you will encounter dogs. The ones that are not tied up are not dangerous. But there will be two kennels with dogs tied up. Be careful here and pass them on the left side, not the right! You can throw something to the dogs to keep them quiet while you pass by.

If you go to the right, you will reach a meadow, a pasture for sheep, but it will be a dead end.

After passing the dogs, you will pass the homestead, and after that, there should be no further issues. Some tourists are unaware of this detail and walk directly through the homestead. This depends on the owner's mood. But I wouldn’t recommend doing that. You should respect other people's privacy.

The Gates of Desire. Kapija želja.

After the homestead, following the path, you will easily find the destination point. There will even be a stone with a painted arrow as a marker.

Before you, a fairy-tale, mysterious forest will open. Everything around will be covered in a green carpet of moss.

The gates themselves are a stone arch, and the exit leads to a rocky beach by the river. By tradition, you should make a wish, turn your back to the arch, and throw a stone so that it falls into the water. That’s why there are almost no stones around, they are all down on the beach.

It's worth going down to the beach. The water is crystal clear, coming from the melted glaciers. It’s very cold, even in summer. But some brave souls still swim there in the summer heat.

At the end of spring, the beginning of summer, when flowers bloom and butterflies flutter, this place resembles a fairy tale, an enchanted forest. It feels as if you've stepped onto another planet or into a different dimension.

You can spend some time here, take plenty of photos and videos. You can sit in silence in harmony with nature or swim in the river. You can also have lunch here, but be sure to clean up afterward and decide what to do next. You can either go back or continue to the start of the trail in the rocks.

Trail in the Rocks.

From the "Gates of Desire" to the start of the trail carved into the rocks, it’s still about 1.3 km. Along the way, you can see many waterfalls bursting from the ground. These are the sources of glacial water that replenish the river.

At the site, you will find how the trail begins to cling to the vertical rock wall. This trail was blasted through the rock with dynamite, an immense amount of work was done to create this hiking trail.

Around you, towering gray rocks will rise, reminding us of how vast the world around us is. They seem to be watching those who disturb their centuries-old peace. All this provides an inexhaustible source for unique photos and inspiration.

From here, assess your strength; if you're tired, you can turn back. If not, you can continue further, but be sure to keep track of the time and reach the car before sunset.

Return Journey.

The further you go along the trail in the rocks, the more distance you will need to cover on the way back. Overall, the road back is nothing special. The only difference is the sun, which will now illuminate the canyon from a different angle.

Conclusion.

This is a must-visit spot in Montenegro. The sea, the beaches – it’s all nice, but the true Montenegro will only reveal itself to you in the mountains. And this is one of the easiest routes to help you do that.