The village of Karuč is a fisherman’s story imprinted on the shores of Lake Skadar

Somewhere between the rocky wings of Cetinje and the murky mirrors of Lake Skadar lies one of those places you rarely find on a map, but which settles in your memory forever. Skadar, that great eye of the Balkans watching both east and west, is home to pelicans, monasteries, fortresses, and a sense of time that flows slowly. While most travelers stop in Virpazar, spreading their expectations across the lake’s channels by boat, the more curious ones turn toward Karuč.

The road to this village is more than just a ride. It is a passage from the everyday into another time. Winding curves above the lake blend with the rustling of reeds and forgotten stories of fishermen, leading to a village that, though small, holds more soul than many cities.

Karuč, Photo: monticello Depositphotos

Karuč was not born as a settlement. It began as a seasonal shelter for fishermen, a place where nets dried in the sun and catches were shared under the open sky. Only later, around the mid-nineteenth century, did people decide to stay. And they were right to stay.

On the hill above the village, with a view stretching across the lake to the Albanian shore, stands a stone tower. It is the winter house of the Montenegrin bishop and ruler Petar Petrović Njegoš. Not a castle or a palace, but a sturdy symbol of a past era, a shelter and lookout point in a time when even water had borders. Today, the tower stands as a silent witness to a different Karuč, still guarding a view worthy of a ruler.

Karuč, Photo: wellsie82 Depositphotos

Here, the houses seem to follow the rhythm of the rocks, resting one above the other on narrow terraces. It is a harmony of nature and humanity, untouched by urban noise. At the center of the village, right by the water, lies Karučko oko, a natural pool perfectly framed by stone, with water so clear that it seems to belong to another world. Legend says it is the eye of Lake Skadar, the place where the lake looks up toward the sky.

At first glance, not much seems to be happening here. But Karuč speaks in layers. In an old boat shed made of dark wood, you might find a fisherman telling the story of the steamboat Skenderbeg, which sank here back in 1942. It remains still lie beneath the surface, visited by divers as an underwater monument to another time. On the other side of the shore, locals may offer you homemade wine, fried lake fish, and a few extra stories you did not ask for but will gladly take with you.

Karuč, Photo: monticello Depositphotos

You do not come to Karuč by accident. Although it is just about twenty kilometers from Podgorica and even closer to Cetinje, it feels like it exists outside of time. That is exactly what makes it so rare, offering something hard to find elsewhere – a connection with yourself, with nature, with the past. You can sit in a boat and glide through the reeds and water flowers, or walk a trail toward the river Crnojevića, or simply stay and watch the day pass over the lake’s glassy surface.

This is not a place to rush through. It teaches you to look differently, not with the eyes of a tourist, but with the eyes of someone searching for truth in small things. In the smell of smoke, in the stones beneath your feet, in an old wall that has endured every regime. That is its strength.

If you are already visiting Lake Skadar, don’t settle for just a postcard view from Virpazar. Turn off the main path and find this hidden gem.

Lake Skadar: serene waters, lush landscapes and remarkable biodiversity