The Telegraph- "Grand canyons and communist ghost towns "

It is one of the world's newest countries – but packed with history

Barely the size of Northern Ireland, and with a population of just over 600,000, Montenegro has had a tumultuous history – though it only became a sovereign country in 2006.

"Ruled by Illyrians and Romans, by infighting Slavic tribes, Huns and Goths, by battling Venetians and Ottomans, and most recently embroiled in the meltdown of Yugoslavia, Montenegro wears its war wounds as medals, rather than scars," says Telegraph Travel expert Rodney Bolt.

"The tiny country packs in rich remnants of its past occupiers and invaders. In one 30-minute drive along a bay-side corniche, I took in prehistoric rock art, Roman mosaics and a Venetian naval town, pretty much unblemished, before going on to admire art in a Serbian Orthodox church and a somnolent Roman Catholic chapel."

Europe's biggest canyon is there

In terms of volume, the Tara River Canyon, which straddles Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina, is Europe's biggest. The most dramatic section is a deep inverted triangle among the mountains, inaccessible except by rafters, for whom this is heaven. For those who prefer to stay dry, finding the best viewpoints takes some investigation, though a bridge crossing 500ft above the foaming water helps. The lower depths of the gorge are splendidly replete with trees, waterfalls and caves; it's a real lost world down there. 

 There's a scandalously underrated national park

The UK's Lake District National Park receives 15.8m annual visitors and can get horrendously busy. So head to Montenegro. A glorious kingdom of sky-scraping peaks, jade-green glacial lakes, ancient black pines, mossy forests and plunging river gorges (including the aforementioned Tara River Canyon), the country's Durmitor National Park is pure perfection. But it welcomes just 130,000 people each year.

Minty Clinch, following a riding holiday in 2016, recalled a "profusion of wildflowers in natural grassland… gentians, wild hellebore, rock roses, bellflowers, multiple violets: such rich variety has long disappeared from rural England."

Its beaches – there are 117 in total – deserve more visitors

"Montenegro's meandering coastline, backed by dramatic limestone mountains, gives on to the serene blue waters of the Adriatic," says Telegraph Travel expert Jane Foster. "And while Croatia, to the north west, has grown in popularity, few Britons drive two hours down the coast from Dubrovnik to the ancient town of Budva.

Founded by the Greeks in the fourth century BC, and then fortified during the Middle Ages, the town forms the heart of the Budva Riviera, which runs 22 miles from Trsteno to Buljarica, and is dotted with a series of sheltered coves and sand and pebble beaches." 

 You can sleep in a former ghost town

The spectacular little fortified island of Sveti Stefan, a few miles south of Budva, was once home to around 400 people. But emigration took its toll during the first half of the 20th century and the population dwindled to around 20 by 1954. So communist authorities turned it into a luxury hotel. In the 1970s it was a playground for the rich and famous, with Orson Welles, Elizabeth Taylor, Sophia Loren, Marilyn Monroe and Princess Margaret all signing the guestbook. 

The Yugoslav Wars put it off the travel map but in 2007 the hotel was snapped up by the swanky Aman Resorts chain and it is once again welcoming the great and the good. Rooms cost an eye-watering £740.

There are plenty of off-beat attractions 

Don't fancy cruising around the Bay of Kotor, yomping up mountains or relaxing on an Adriatic beach? Then make tracks instead for Stara Maslina, one of the world's oldest olive trees (in Bar); Ostrog Monastery, which is carved into the side of a cliff; or the curious Cats Museum of Kotor, packed with art and paraphernalia related to felines. 

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Photos The Telegraph