"Ada Bojana, FKK resort" Ada by JLBG

Ada Travel Guide: 29 reviews and 50 photos

Ulcinj (left), Stoja plain and Ada Bojana (right)

Ada Bojana, a newlyborn island

Ada Bojana is a triangular shaped 480 ha island that divides the river Bojana (Buna in Albanian) into two arms. The sea front is 1.8 km, each of the river banks is 2.8 km. The "summit" of the island tops at 3.4 m elevation. It lies at the southernmost tip of Montenegro, thus, the southern arm of the Bojana makes the border with Albania. A bridge connects now the island with the Stoja plain and Ulcinj

Century and a half ago, there were only two small islets in the wide mouth of the Bojana river. In 1858, the schooner Merito, owned by Antun Allegretti from Trogir and commended by captain Naporelli, seek shelter between the two islets. Unfortunately, a terrible storm sank the ship. The legend says that sand accumulated behind and around the wreck and gave birth to Ada Bojana. Though the story is well documented there is little chance that this wreck could be the cradle of the island.

The hydrodynamic of delta formation has now been studied carefully in other places. There are several examples where the recent building of a delta has been entirely monitored by the uses of aerial and satellite photos. It can build in as short as 30 years when the flow of the river has been accelerated upstream (canalization, rectification of the banks, etc…). Any process that increases the sediment load in the estuary leads to the formation of a delta. It is very likely that it was the case for Ada Bojana in the XIXth century and that the Merito wreck was a coincidence.

Ada Bojana is now covered by thick vegetation that makes it a special micro ecological world, the home of rare plants and rare animals. Bird watchers and plant lovers will find here a heaven ! The island is a naturist resort (FKK) in complete contact with nature.

Ada Bojana, a reborn naturist resort

Yougoslavia was the first country in Europe to start with the concept of commercial naturist resorts, when in other European countries naturism was limited to member clubs only. Real naturist expansion started in 1960's when first naturist camps were opened. They were mainly located in Croatia (Istria and Dalmatia), only one was in Montenegro, Ada Bojana. The oldest naturist resort was Koversada that opened in 1961 (look at my Vrsar page). I do not know the exact date of opening of Ada Bojana but it was certainly not much later. When I first visited it in 1974, it was already a well-established resort with a superb 1.8 km long beach of black sand.

It developed until 1990 and was then one of the leading naturist (FKK) resorts in Europe with thousands of visitors every year. Wars in Yugoslavia brought suddenly the attendance to zero and the resort was closed or almost closed for a decade. It seems that it opened around 2002 but the attendance was 5% of its prior capacity ! The facilities had severely suffered from aging, as the effect of natural decaying had been increased by the lack of maintenance. Since 2002, some of the facilities have been repaired and are in good state. Others are still abandoned and will probably have to be put down as they are both in very poor condition and have outdated comfort criteria (no shower, no WC in the apartments).

This aerial picture was borrowed from a postcard and shows on the right the sea, on the left, the right arm of the Bojana river with the bridge and the road that leads to the settlement. In the middle of the picture, the reversed Y figure are the buildings with Bojana Lax A cabins. On the left, the reception and restaurant and the tennis grounds. On the right of the Y, 7 hexagonal clusters of 10 cabins are Bojana Lux L cabins, better explained in the tips section. A little further in the background, on the left, a seaside bar restaurant, other sport grounds and abandoned housing, better seen in next photo.

This other aerial picture shows on the left the sea, in the background the right arm of the Bojana river.

Pros and Cons

Pros:Natural nature at its best !
Cons:Everything is not working perfectly all the time but staff is very watchful
In a nutshell:We will come back longer next year

Last visit to Ada: Jul 2005
Intro Updated Sep 1, 2011
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Reviews (24)

The minimarket Shopping (1)

The minimarket is really mini but has everything you need if you are not too demanding ! Mineral water, Niksiscko and... more travel advice

Abandoned children playground Sports & Outdoors (5)

In a part of the complex that has not been renewed (and "closed" by a fence), an abandoned children playground is now in... more travel advice

Children playground Sports & Outdoors (5)

There is a children playground close to the reception. It was certainly set up in the 70s-80s and has an air of "antics"... more travel advice

Horse riding Sports & Outdoors (5)

Close to the entrance and the market (behind the market), a few horses are awaiting for those who want to ride the lanes... more travel advice

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Comments (15)

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Zvrlj Jan 14, 2009 at 12:42 AM

Good introduction to Ada Bojana. Funny, but I was in barracks very near it, for about three months, in early 90s. (V)
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deecat Aug 6, 2008 at 10:29 AM

Certainly a rustic environment. I was "taken aback" by the outdoor showers in the middle of the lawn/meadow. Wonder why they left the old cottages; seems rather dangerous. Seems like a great place to relax and enjoy nature.
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evaanna Aug 1, 2008 at 10:46 AM

A nice place to spend a holiday in. To me, who didn't like chemistry at school, the bungalows are arranged in the shape of a honeycomb. The bees are great architects, aren't they?
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volopolo Jul 8, 2008 at 5:26 AM

Intersting place!
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LoriPori May 28, 2008 at 5:27 AM

Certainly looks like an ideal spot to rest and relax.
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Kuznetsov_Sergey Nov 23, 2007 at 12:10 AM

Beautiful island and naturist resort. This place certainly worth a visit to watch dodecabenzocoronene in a room of a hotel... You amazed me once more, Jean-Louis!
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budapest8 Sep 29, 2006 at 9:03 AM

I always love to read the info u provide..bungalows for chemists ! The mind boggles! Montenegro is top on my list of new places to visit with Albania.Tim
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hivaoa1 Jul 3, 2006 at 2:47 AM

merci pour nous avoir donné beaucoup d'infos sur cette region. J'aimerais bien m'y rendre salutations de l'Italie :D
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stewartyoung Nov 20, 2005 at 12:06 PM

We camped at Ada in the 1980s. Is that possible now?
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Nemorino Sep 27, 2005 at 2:29 PM

I never knew delta formation could happen so quickly. (I've been reading lately about the erosion of the Mississippi delta; they could use some of that delta formation over there!)