Prokletije - Rivers & Lakes

Rivers & Lakes

The Prokletije include many of the important rivers of the southeastern West Balkans. Rivers in this range fall roughly into two main categories, those that flow in to the Lim and those that enter the White Drin and meet the Black Drin downstream at the Drin confluence. The southern and eastern slopes of Prokletije fall into the latter category.

The Tara and Lim rivers, two major sources of the Dinaric river system, originate on the northern borders of the Prokletije. The Vërmosh originates in the northwest Gebrigsteil in Montenegro, close to the border with Albania. As a tributary of the Drina it drains into the Danube and then into the Black Sea. The Lim flows through the Plav Lake. The Ibar, which originates on the slopes of the Hajla, takes a similar route into the Danube via the Morava in Serbia.

In the southern Prokletije, the Drin dominates. It drains most of the ranges with its tributaries and when measured from the source of the White Drin in Radavc to the mouth of the Drin near Lezha, it is 335 km long. However, not all of the Drin flows near or parallel to the Prokletije. One Drin tributary is the Valbona, which drains into the Adriatic Sea, and its eastern tributary the Gashi River. To the west of the Prokletije is the Cijevna, which drains the northwestern part of the Montenegrin-Albanian border area to the Adriatic. Water levels fluctuate due to the karst hydrological drought in the Prokletije. Some rivers or streams, such as Përroi i Thatë in Albania, dry out completely during the summer droughts. Although the Pećka Bistrica in Kosovo is short, it is very powerful and carved the Rugova Canyon.

There are about 20 small alpine lakes of glacial origin in the Prokletije. Many lakes are in the Bogiçevica border area between Kosovo and Albania and the Buni i Jezercë trough near the Jezerca and Bojs peaks. Some lakes, such as Liqenat Lake in Kosovo and Hrid Lake in Montenegro, have become tourist attractions due to their locations and scenery.

Hrid Lake today is a clear example of a well-preserved glacial relief. In the Pleistocene period (1.8-0.01 million years ago) this was a collection area for ice that fell down over steps of rock from surrounding peaks, dragging with it heterogeneous material. Precipitation washed away smaller rocks, but larger ones remain on the southwestern and western lake shore. The lake is 295 meters long, 110 meters wide and about 5 meters deep on average. In addition to precipitation, it receives water from sources located near its shores.

The largest lake is Lake Plav in Montenegro. The lake lies at an altitude of 906 meters above sea level in the Plav valley, nestled between the Prokletije and the Visitor range. The surface area of Lake Plav is 1.99 square kilometers and it extends north-south for some 2,160 meters.

Waterfalls are also found in some parts of the range. The White Drin Waterfall in Kosovo reaches a height of 25 m (82 ft). Because it is not far from the city of Peć, it is easily accessible and frequented by many visitors. The Grunas Waterfall in Albania is 30 m (98 ft) high and is located in the Thethi National Park. The Ali Pasha natural springs in Montenegro near the town of Gusinje are the premium attraction for the town.