Mojkovac: A Practical Guide to the Tara Valley Town

Where Mojkovac is and what it is for

Mojkovac sits in the upper Tara valley on the E65 corridor between Kolašin and Bijelo Polje, in Montenegro's northern region. The town had 2,506 residents at the 2023 census, which gives you a sense of scale before you arrive: this is a small place where the centre is walkable in minutes. Treat it as a base and a pause, not a sight in its own right.

The town has no ski resort, gondola or upscale hotel strip; what it offers is a central square with a war memorial, local kafanas, a weekend market and forested hills that come down close to the road. If Biogradska Gora is your only reason for heading north, Kolašin is the more convenient base, since the park's southern approach is shorter from there. Mojkovac earns its place when you want the quieter northern approach or a straightforward overnight on the road north.

The town centre: Trg Ljubomira Bakoča, the war memorial and the kafanas

The centre pivots on Trg Ljubomira Bakoča, the square named in the municipality's own street notices, with Njegoševa ulica running off it towards the Mikronaselje area. Filipa Žurića is another of the central streets, so the grid you need to learn is small: square, a couple of streets, and you have covered it. Use the square as your landmark when you arrive and everything else in town is a short walk.

A war memorial stands on the central square, and the municipal market runs at weekends, which is the liveliest the centre gets. The town's kafanas are the natural place to stop for coffee or a plain meal rather than a destination in themselves. Plan your time here around a slow hour rather than a checklist of monuments.

How long Mojkovac needs: a few hours or an overnight

Give the town a few hours on foot: the square, the surrounding streets and a kafana stop will fill an afternoon comfortably. If you are combining it with the park, the sensible pattern is to arrive in the evening, eat in town and walk the Biogradsko Lake circuit the following morning before the day-trip groups arrive from Podgorica or Kolašin. That turns Mojkovac into a useful overnight rather than a drive-through.

A single overnight is enough for most travellers, and one to two days covers the town plus a park morning without rushing. Anything longer only makes sense if you are using the town as a base for the wider highlands, including Durmitor to the west. If you are weighing the two northern parks, Biogradska Gora is forest and lake while Durmitor is rock and altitude, and Mojkovac sits closer to the first.

Biogradska Gora from Mojkovac: the northern approach via Podbišće

The northern approach to Biogradska Gora runs via Podbišće and takes roughly half an hour by road from Mojkovac. It is noticeably quieter than the Kolašin side, where tour buses are more likely, so it suits an early start if you want the lake before the groups.

Biogradsko Lake is the obvious first stop in the park, and a morning circuit leaves your afternoon free for the valley. Read up on Biogradsko Lake in Biogradska Gora National Park before you set out so you know how far you want to walk and what the terrain involves.

The upper Tara near town and what it suits

The Tara forms the backbone of the municipality, and the upper sections near Mojkovac are used by some operators as alternative put-in points. This water is calmer than the main Brstanovica section closer to the canyon, which makes it the gentler introduction for a first float or a family day. If you want the full canyon experience, that is a separate day planned around the Brstanovica section from the Žabljak side.

Not every operator runs trips from town, so ask directly about transport to and from the put-in before you commit. Treat Mojkovac as the quiet evening after the river rather than the place the adventure happens, with a plain meal and a bed instead of après-rafting bustle. Confirm what is running when you are there with the operator rather than relying on a listing.

Štitarica valley: mine and sawmill traces, not a formal attraction

The Štitarica gold mine operated from the interwar period through the socialist era, and the valley still shows traces of that extraction in processing buildings and tailings that the forest is gradually reclaiming. Sawmills continue to work around Mojkovac, supplying timber to the construction sector, so the forest economy is visible rather than museum-piece. Go for the landscape and the industrial history rather than for exhibits or guided tours.

Driving through the Štitarica valley appeals if you are interested in the less-presented layers of Balkan twentieth-century history. Approach it as a short detour by car rather than a formal site with facilities.

Getting there: E65 between Kolašin and Bijelo Polje

Mojkovac sits on the E65 highway corridor, roughly 35 minutes by road from Kolašin and 40 minutes from Bijelo Polje. Both are approximations, so add margin for mountain driving and roadworks. The town is also within reach of Žabljak via the mountain road west if you are linking the highlands.

Roadworks do affect the centre: the municipality has published temporary traffic bans on Njegoševa ulica and Filipa Žurića with 2026 dates, including notices covering October 2026. These are dated administrative decisions, so check the municipality's notices before driving through the centre.

Mojkovac as a stop on a Kolašin–Bijelo Polje route

The town works neatly as one night between Kolašin and Bijelo Polje, with the park to the south and the Bosnia connection to the north. If you want more choice of restaurants and a wider range of accommodation, plan the bulk of your time in Kolašin and keep Mojkovac as a quieter pause. Our guide to Kolašin: A Practical Guide to Montenegro's Mountain Town covers the town in more detail if you are building the route from that end.

From Mojkovac you can carry on north to Bijelo Polje, continue towards Pljevlja or head east to Berane in the Lim valley. Each of those towns is a stop in its own right rather than a bend in the road, so give them an hour or two rather than treating them as signposts.

Practical points: weekend market and local food

The weekend market on the square is the best small errand in town, and the kafanas serve straightforward local food rather than destination dining. If you want a broader choice of restaurants, Kolašin is the nearest town with a real dining scene, and our guide to Kolašin restaurants covers what is there. Otherwise eat plainly in town and save your appetite for the park day.

If you are heading further north-east afterwards, Rožaje is the far corner of the country and takes a whole day to reach rather than an hour. Plan it as a separate leg from Mojkovac rather than an afternoon loop.

Overnight in Mojkovac or push on?

Overnight in Mojkovac if you want a quiet base, a straightforward meal and an early start on the Podbišće approach to Biogradska Gora. Push on to Kolašin instead if the park is your only reason for the detour, since the southern approach is shorter and the town has more choice. Either way, the town itself does not need a full day.