Trip highlights
Awe & wonder as you explore UNESCO sites in Croatia + ancient villages in Montenegro
Peace & presence as you kayak Skadar Lake and take an alpine hike in Dumitor National Park
Connection and appreciation for wild beauty on a jeep safari through Montenegro’s remote landscapes
Nourishment & community through farm-cooked cuisine and shared meals rooted in culture and seasonality
Daily grounding through yoga and meditation in a peaceful outdoor setting
A 8-day journey starting in Dubrovnik, Croatia up to Durmitor National Park, Montenegro designed to balance cultural depth, wild landscapes, and meaningful connection, offering an experience that feels both grounding and expansive. Wander centuries-old UNESCO towns along the Adriatic, share slow meals rooted in local tradition, and move across borders with an intimate understanding of how history, culture, and place intertwine. Days unfold between crystal-clear lakes, dramatic mountain peaks, and quiet villages where hospitality is personal and unhurried. You’ll paddle at Skadar Lake, settle into charming, rustic cabins near Žabljak, surrounded by alpine landscapes and fresh farm-to-table meals. and travel by safari jeep into remote corners of the Balkans rarely seen by visitors. The itinerary is adventure-light with evenings for rest and reflection and daily yoga with Leti Alvarez. Along the way, you’ll connect with local families, learn regional cooking traditions, and experience daily life beyond the postcard moments. This is a trip where memories are formed in shared laughter, awe-filled silence, and moments of cultural exchange that linger long after you return home. Leave with a deeper connection to the Balkans, an understanding of its history, and appreciation for its nature.
Book our 8-day Balkans Retreat in September 2026 starting at $4495 per person. See all inclusions, itinerary details and complete pricing in the drop downs below.
Consider joining our 6-night Croatia add-on as a prelude to your Montenegro experience!
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STARTING AT $4495 per person
8-day Balkans Retreat with Leti Alvarez
6-12 people
Pairs with our Croatia Add-On September 7-13, 2026
Trip Inclusions
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7 nights’ accommodations:
2 nights’ in 3-star Dubrovnik hotel, “my own room” upgrades available
2 nights’ Montenegro local apartment style hotel
3 nights’ cozy lodge cabins in Montenegro with private rooms + shared bathrooms
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Airport transfers, arriving in Dubrovnik departing from Podgorica + private transit
Private ground transit & fully dedicated guide in Montenegro
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Dubrovnik guided walking excursion in the Old Town
UNESCO site visits in Kotor and Perast, Montenegro + the Ostrog Monastery
Kayaking experience on Skodar Lake
Lower intermediate hike in Durmitor National Park
Safari jeep nature excursion with lunch with locals
Farmhouse cooking class to learn about and enjoy authentic, homestyle Montenegrin cuisine + Croatian Welcome Peka Dinner experience
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Daily breakfast + 5 dinners + 4 lunches
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Visit with our local Community Partner + donation to their organization
Dedicated Traverse local guide throughout your trip
Traverse representative assisting you from booking to departure
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Extra nights in Podgorica
6-night Croatia Add-On
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International airfare
Additional meals, excursions and activities not listed
Tips to your local guides and drivers
Alcohol or other drinks, unless specified
Required travel insurance
Testimonials
DAILY ITINERARY
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If joining from the Croatia Add-On you will be at the same hotel where your Balkans Retreat travel companions will join. Enjoy the day to explore before our Peka Dinner this evening!
Each day will feature yoga with Leti, timed to flow in the morning, afternoon or both!
Arrive any time at the Dubrovnik airport (DVB) and enjoy a group transfer to your centrally located hotel.
This evening, we’ll have a special welcome: A Peka dinner experience! You’ll enjoy four courses of food, local wine and learning about life as a local in a Croatian village. Meals: B, D
Meals: B
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After breakfast we’ll head to the Stari Grad (Old Town), a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the former independent republic of Dubrovnik, for a 3-ish hour walking tour. We’ll learn about several important sites, and from there you can choose to take the 2-hour walk around the old fortress wall with unbelievable views overlooking the charming old town and Dalmatian coast. You’ll have the rest of the day free with all of our best-of tips! Meals: B
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After breakfast, you’ll be picked up from your hotel in Dubrovnik to drive to the Montenegrin border, where your local driver and guide will greet you.
We’ll first visit Our Lady of the Rocks, an artificial island dating to the 15th century where the most important church for sailors is located.
Next we’ll drive to Kotor, where we’ll start with an Old Town tour. You’ll can hike up the city walls for gorgeous views.
We’ll then stop in the amazing coastal town Perast, a tiny village nestled on the bay and dates back more than 1,000 years. It was also the biggest shipyard in the region known as the place where Russian nobles sent their sons to go to a most prestigious naval school of that time.
In the afternoon, we’ll head to Budva where we’ll stay in a small boutique hotel near the beach and you’ll have the evening free to stroll and enjoy a meal of your choice.
Meals: B
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This morning we’ll drive to Virpazar, a small town beside Skadarsko Lake, the biggest lake in the Balkans and in one of the five national parks in Montenegro. We’ll kayak through a narrow channel that takes us to the Lesendro Fortress. We’ll finish with a local lunch made with fresh fish from the lake and enjoy some local wine. In the afternoon, we’ll drive to Zabljak to be immersed in nature and stay in our charming cabin accommodations nestled in a valley and enjoy a farm fresh dinner on site.
Meals: B, L, D
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Today is all about the outdoors! After our farm fresh breakfast, we will start our hiking excursion on a beautiful hiking trail from the viewpoint Momcilov Grad where you have a wonderful view of the biggest glacial lake in Montenegro, Black Lake. We will enjoy a picnic lunch in the Durmitor National Park and enjoy the view on the highest peak in Montenegro. We’ll end our 4-5 hour hike at Black Lake to soak in some incredible views before heading back to a mountain farm for a fresh dinner.
Meals: B, L, D
Hiking Note: Our main hike will be about 10-15 km (6-8 miles) over 3-4 hours in low intermediate terrain (there is elevation but it is not too technical). If you prefer not to hike, you can spend the day at the cabin or choose from other activities including light walks, biking, kayaking and a cooking class.
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Today we’ll get to know three of Montenegro’s most vital aspects: Its nature, its people, and its cuisine!
After our farm fresh breakfast, we take off on a safari jeep tour to see majestic landscapes and natural surroundings. Midway we’ll enjoy lunch at a local household where we’ll learn more about daily life in Montenegro. In the evening, we’ll visit the town of Zabljak for a cooking class at a local farmhouse for authentic, homestyle Montenegrin cuisine and cooking techniques.
Meals: B, L, D
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Today we’ll enjoy a leisurely morning at our cozy cabin before we head back down toward the capital. We’ll make a stop at a local lavender farm en route to see how this fragrant flower is grown and used throughout the country. We’ll also stop at the Ostrog Monastery, the most famous orthodox pilgrimage site in the Balkans. You’ll arrive in Podgorica late afternoon with free time for a stroll in town before our Farewell Dinner together.
Meals: B, L, D
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Be transferred any time today from the Podgorica airport (TGD). We can also arrange for transfers for afternoon flights out of Dubrovnik (DVB) (additional costs apply).
Meals: B
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Trip price based on double occupancy. You'll be paired with a roommate of the same gender unless you request your own room.
STARTING at $4495 per person, double occupancy
+$495 “my own room” option (or single supplement for custom dates with odd number 3, 5, etc.)
Note on cabins: Our mountain cabins are rustic and charming, the real deal! If you book the “my own room” option, you will still have your own room in the cabin. However, the bathrooms in each cabin will be shared typically by 2-3 of your fellow travelers. Rooming will be organized so that males share the bathroom with other males and females with females.
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Extra nights in Dubrovnik or Podgorica, prices on request
6-night Croatia Add-On
FAQS
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Shoulder season in spring (March-May) and fall (Sept/Oct) is our favorite time to visit for fewer crowds and less heat. You can also visit in the winter if you don't mind a bit of rain!
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If you're tired or not feeling up for the Durmitor hike, there is an option to stay back at our cozy cabin for the day.
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YES! Some of the best travel is done by yourself and we have no doubt you’ll leave with friends!
About YOUR Traverse Host & RETREAT LEADER
Ivana Milicevic Kalic, Montenegro Trip Host
Leti Alvarez, Retreat Leader
Ivana Milicevic Kalic - Montenegro Trip Host
Ivana was born in Serbia, in the north where spaces are measured by sunrises and sunsets, and time by the lengths of shadows. The Milky Way is knee-deep, like spilled straw. You don’t have to climb, stars grow in the bush. It was an amazing childhood. For the last 17 years, Ivana has been living in Montenegro in a religiously mixed family and in a diametrically different relief – beautiful harsh mountains with hundreds of peaks above 2000 meters that call you to climb them. Ivana is also a mom of two boys with the same romantic gene they got from her. Ivana’s love for nature is fed through her work as a travel guide in the Balkan region. Her mission is to teach people about that passion we are born with and present our mixed history and roots. Ivana’s biggest pleasure is when clients leave us as friends and with a wish to explore more of the beautiful Balkans!
Leti began her yoga journey years ago and has remained deeply committed to living her yoga. She offers empowering, inspiring flows that encourage students to explore and connect with their deeper, authentic selves. Leti meets students exactly where they are and encourages them to embrace their unique experiences. Leti loves yoga for all its transformative powers –physical and spiritual - and emphatically knows yoga is her “health insurance.”
Leti has led numerous Traverse Journeys retreat including: May 2026 Africa Safari Retreat / May 2025 Greece Yoga Retreat / November 2024 & June 2022 Guatemala Retreat / May 2024 France Retreat / October 2023 (Dia de los Muertos), March 2022, May 2021 & June 2019 Mexico Yoga & Cooking / December 2022 Dominica Jungle Island Retreat / March 2020 Morocco Yoga & Art
Terms & Conditions
Please refer to your Registration Packet for complete Terms & Conditions, which can also be obtained by submitting a request to hello@traversejourneys.com
Deposit
A $500 deposit per person per trip is required for each traveler to secure the booking. The deposit is non-refundable and non-transferrable unless otherwise indicated on booking with the exception of our 24-hour No Regrets policy. A booking is not final until you receive a final confirmation from us.
24-hour No Regrets Policy: If, within 24 hours of submitting your deposit, you decide to cancel your booking you may request a refund, which will be granted less transaction fees.
Payment
Payments can be made either by 1) Normal Payment terms of 50% due 30 days after booking and 50% due 90 days prior to departure or 2) Monthly terms of equal installments with a $10 per month fee. Payments options include ACH, wire, credit card or Zelle. Payee is responsible for all transaction or processing fees. Late payments are given a two-week grace period; after that a $10 per month late payment fee will be charged.
Cancellations Policy
Group Trips & Retreats: Cancellations, less the trip deposit, are refundable up to 120 days prior to the trip start date.
Custom and Self-Guided: All payments non-refundable. Requests for transfers may be considered in extenuating circumstances and may incur a change fee.
To cancel a booking, Traveler must submit a request to us in writing by email to hello@traversejourneys.com
Flexible Booking Policy Specific to COVID-19
In the wake of COVID-19, Traverse has implemented a flexible booking policy that allows for deposits and payments to be transferrable to the greatest extent possible to new trip dates should a recurrence of COVID-19 render travel impossible due to border closures and related travel restrictions.
Travel Insurance
The trip price does not include travel insurance. Trip protection-style travel insurance that includes travel medical coverage is required for all trips with Traverse. The coverage must have a minimum $150,000 of medical coverage and include injury, medical, evacuation, and repatriation. See more info at https://traversejourneys.com/insurance
Documents, Personal Identification, Vaccinations
Traveler assumes complete and full responsibility for all required travel documents including passport, visas, entry or exit fees, and vaccinations. Traveler is also solely responsible for any adverse consequences resulting from incomplete or defective documentation. Traverse does not cover the cost or assist in obtaining any of the above, and reserves the right to collect information on all.
