Master Narrow Mountain Road Etiquette

Driving through the dramatic interior—such as the famous 25 Serpentine hairpin turns of the P1 road above Kotor, the Durmitor Ring, or the Morača Canyon—requires specific defensive driving instincts. Many mountain passes are single-track paved roads with occasional gravel turnouts (lay-bys). In local etiquette, uphill traffic generally has the right of way, and the vehicle heading downhill must reverse into a passing turnout if two cars cannot squeeze past each other.

Always tap your horn gently when approaching blind corners on narrow rock-carved shelves to alert oncoming vans and timber trucks. Watch for free-roaming livestock and sudden rockfalls after rainfall. When renting a vehicle, choose a compact car over an SUV; maneuvering an oversized vehicle through cliffside switchbacks and reversing past tour buses can be nerve-racking for even confident drivers.