Tiny houses in Lake Skadar

Glamping tents line the reed-fringed shores of Lake Skadar, the largest lake in the Balkans, straddling the border between Montenegro and Albania. The water here is shallow and warm by regional standards, dotted with water lilies and floating patches of vegetation where Dalmatian pelicans nest — one of the last breeding colonies of the species in Europe. Small wooden boats still work the lake much as they always have, and the fishing villages along the shore feel a world away from Montenegro's busy coast.

Virpazar, a sleepy wine village on the northern shore, is the natural base: narrow lanes, a Saturday market, and vranac wine from the vineyards on the surrounding slopes. Boat tours run out from here through narrow reed canals toward Rijeka Crnojevića, a quiet river town further into the national park, and birdwatching is at its best in spring and early autumn when migratory species pass through.