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The church of St Panteleimon on Divčibare

Nature

Skakalo waterfall & Vražji vir

Divčibare · Šumadija & Western Serbia

QUICK INFORMATION

CATEGORY
Nature
COUNTRY
Serbia
REGION
Divčibare · Šumadija & Western Serbia
DURATION
1–2 days

ABOUT THIS ATTRACTION

Below the plateau the Manastirica river drops through beech gorges: the 20-metre Skakalo — Serbia’s second-highest waterfall — and the narrow Vražji vir chasm, both an hour’s walk from the road. The Crna Reka stream adds smaller cascades on the southern side of Maljen.

HISTORY & BACKGROUND

The story behind it

Skakalo was measured and named by Valjevo hikers in the 1920s, when the air-spa era put Maljen on the map; the gorge paths were cleared by the Valjevo hiking society and remain the locals’ summer swim. Serbia’s highest waterfall, Kaluđerski skokovi on Stara Planina, is taller but far harder to reach — Skakalo stays the west’s showcase.

WHAT TO SEE

What to see here

01

The Crna Reka waterfall and the gorge walk (40 min return).

02

Both falls sit on marked paths from the Divčibare–Valjevo road.

03

The villages’ roadside stands — honey, raspberries, mushrooms in season.

GOOD TO KNOW

Facts & Curiosities

01

Skakalo drops 20 metres — second-highest waterfall in Serbia, after Stara Planina’s Kaluđerski skokovi.

02

The Crna Reka falls 20 m through the beech gorge — best in May–June.

03

The gorge pools are the villages’ swimming holes — cold, clear and local.

04

Vražji vir (“the devil’s whirlpool”) is a narrow limestone chasm the stream has cut beside the fall.

MAP & LOCATION

Skakalo waterfall & Vražji vir

Skakalo waterfall & Vražji vir, Divčibare, Šumadija & Western Serbia, Serbia

44.1373, 20.0204

Open in OpenStreetMap

FOOD & DRINK

Where to eat nearby

01

The plateau’s grill houses — mountain kajmak and the river trout

02

Roadside stands for honey, raspberries and the September chanterelles

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HOTELS & STAYS

Where to stay nearby

01

Plateau hotels and villas (the classic air-spa stay); village rooms below for the quiet

02

Villa and pension stays in the pine woods around the plateau

03

Valjevo hotels (30 min down the mountain) as the practical base

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