‘Reconnect with yourself and nature’: yoga and pristine scenery in Montenegro

Lake Skadar national park, where the views are ethereal, ‘like a fairytale’. Photograph: Image Professionals GmbH/Alamy

I wasn’t expecting the welcoming chorus of “woofs” that greet me when I arrive at FitCamp Montenegro. Then again, the name, suggestive of a 1970s-style fat farm, is misleading. Based in a rustic farmhouse in the hills north-east of Nikšić, the country’s second largest city, the Yoga getaway I’m here to sample may focus on wellness and plant-based food – the antithesis of traditional Montenegrin fare – but its friendly dogs and cats would de-stress many a frazzled urbanite.

“We especially want to take care of solo travellers, tailor stays to their needs, and help them reconnect with themselves and nature,” says co-owner Andjela Djokic, as amiable Sivi, part hunting dog, part sheepdog, trots out for a sniff.