Tara National Park: Serbia’s Ultimate Mountain Getaway
With forest-blanketed slopes, dramatic canyons, and drop-dead views of the Drina River from the river, Tara National Park is scenic Serbia at its best. It is an off the beaten path gem that makes up a portion of the country’s Dinaric Alps and contains a precipitous river canyon that is the third largest of its kind in the world.
Pressed up against Bosnia and Herzegovina, this verdant wonderland is an affordable mountain getaway that attracts adventurers longing to escape the fast pace of city life.
After spending a whirlwind week in Venice, Zagreb and Belgrade I, too, was eager to head into the countryside to breathe in some fresh mountain air.
TARA NATIONAL PARK: GEM OF THE DINARIC ALPS
Serbia’s national parks are often overshadowed by those of nearby Bosnia, Croatia and Montenegro. And admittedly, when compared to the dramatic fjords, waterfalls and coastlines of its neighbors, Serbia has few big-name attractions. With that in mind, the staff at the lovely Hedonist Hostel recommended I visit Tara National Park–stating that the park showcased the absolute best that their small Balkan country had to offer.
Tara National Park sits at the border of Serbia and Bosnia. Still relatively off the beaten path, it offers an unbeatable value for money and solitary mountain views with few other tourists in sight.
I visited Serbia’s little-known national park on a spur of the moment trip with a group of mismatched travelers from my hostel. Together, we decided to rent a car, book a cabin, and spend a few days in Serbia’s beautiful Dinaric Alps.
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WHERE TO STAY IN TARA NATIONAL PARK
The seven-bed Brvnare Sekulic cabins cost us twenty dollars per person, for two nights. With a cozy fireplace, a communal living room, a fully furnished kitchen and views of rolling green pastures, our wooden mountain lodge was everything we could have asked for and more.
Had I been traveling solo, I would have likely stayed at the the Tara Hostel and Hiking Center. The hostel lies in the woods and is surrounded by hiking trails. It came highly recommended by a group of travelers I met in Belgrade.
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GETTING TO TARA NATIONAL PARK
Travelers keen on traveling by public transportation have the option to purchase tickets on the daily bus that travels between Belgrade and Tara. The bus leaves daily at 8:00AM and stops in Lajkovac, Valjevo and Bajina Basta. From Bajina Basta. From there, taxis can take you to your accommodation in the park.
Because its main attractions lie outside of the cities, however, Tara National Park is best accessed by car.
TARA NATIONAL PARK ATTRACTIONS
Tara National Park is Serbia’s ultimate outdoor getaway. The park boasts gentle forested slopes, a dramatic canyon, and miles of forested walking paths.
With our two days in Tara, my newfound travel companions and I set out to explore the best of the park’s attractions. We soaked in views from its panoramic platforms, admired its verdant cow-speckled hillsides, and explored its historical and cultural landmarks.
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THE DRINA RIVER HOUSE
In 2012, National Geographic published an image of the peculiar cabin. Since then, travelers and photographers have visited the little house on the Drina in order to witness its precarious position with their own eyes.
The Drina River house was built in 1969, after a group of youth noted the rocky island’s ideal location for swimming and tanning. For fifty years, the small wooden cabin has balanced atop a rock in the middle of the water. It has been miraculously spared by the seasonal rise and fall of the river.
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BANJSKA STENA VIEWPOINT
My six travel companions and I spent two relaxing days in Tara National Park. On the first day, we drove to the famous Banjska Stena viewpoint, only to find the gorge concealed under a dense layer of fog.
The park’s main attraction is the colossal Drina River Canyon, the third largest of its kind in the world. Unfortunately, however, dense fog obscured our view. When we reached the viewpoint, we could see little more than the path directly ahead of us.
Luckily, we were able to return to the Banjska Stena Viewpoint at a later point in our stay.
On our second visit, the clouds parted ways to reveal the most spectacular views of Tara National Park.
From the Banjska Stena viewpoint, the views of the blue-green Tara River were breathtaking. Pictures certainly struggle to do justice to the dramatic riverine panoramas.
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THE RACA MONASTERY IN TARA NATIONAL PARK
From Banjska Stena, my companions and I pulled out a map of the area and drove to an Orthodox monastery that lies within the confines of the park.
The Rača Monastery is one of the principal attractions in Tara National Park. Erected in the thirteenth century by the Serbian King Dragutin, it sits nestled amongst forested hills.
A network of hiking trails leaves from the monastery and runs parallel to the river. We chose a path that winds through a beech forest, to the Ladevac Spring.
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LADEVAC SPRING HIKE
Despite being one of the more popular trails in the park, the footpath to the Ladevac Spring was ill-maintained and muddy when we visited. My companions and I followed the river as far as we could, climbing over toppled trees and scrambling past mudslides. As we neared the end of the trail, a broken footbridge protruded from overgrown foliage.
When the path was no longer visible, we returned to the car. We spent the rest of the evening at our cabin–cozying up by the fire and enjoying a homemade pot of vegetable stew.
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LAKE ZAOVINE
On my second day in Tara National Park, I woke up eager to begin another day of sightseeing in Tara National Park. Most of my fellow travelers, however, were already two beers deep and keen on spending a lazy morning by the fireplace.
I took the opportunity to unwind on the front porch of the cabin and soak in the mountain views.
By early afternoon, I got a bit restless and recruited two others to join me on a loop drive around Lake Zaovine.
The drive around Lake Zaovine showcased the verdant scenery of Serbia’s Dinaric Alps.
Admittedly, the mountains in Serbia’s Alps lack the drama of those in Switzerland, Austria and even Albania. They do not contain craggy rock faces, snowcapped peaks, or 10,000+ foot summits.
But they are idyllic and beautiful nonetheless.
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Though I had a wonderful time touring Venice, Zagreb and Belgrade, my city-centered vacation had me craving a mountainside retreat.
And while I had never heard of the Tara Canyon prior to entering Serbia, the national park provided the perfect cure for my nature-deprived soul.
My foray into the Serbian Alps was spontaneous, impulsive and planned on a whim. It was a fine example of how, when traveling, unexpected experiences can often become the most memorable.
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