Banjska stena viewpoint over the Drina canyon and Perućac lake

Mountains & Nature

Tara

A national park above the emerald Drina — canyon viewpoints, ancient spruce and the quietest forests in western Serbia.

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COUNTRY: Serbia
REGION: Šumadija & Western Serbia
BEST TIME TO VISIT: June–September for the viewpoints and swimming (Perućac)
DURATION: 2–3 days

ABOUT THE DESTINATION

Tara is the mountain that faces the Drina: a national park (1981) of old-growth forest, limestone terraces and viewpoints hung a kilometre above the river’s emerald canyon. Banjska stena is the classic panorama; Zaovine lake, high in the park, is the quieter one; the pančić spruce — a relict conifer found nowhere else in such stands — grows in the park’s core. Between the viewpoints, the forests are laced with marked trails, the villages with mountain rooms, and the whole mountain runs at the pace the Drina set long ago.

MAP & LOCATION

Tara

THROUGH THE LENS

From the road

HISTORY & CULTURE

The Story Behind the Place

The mountain’s forests fed the rafting trade — the Drina logs floated to the plains into the 20th century; the pančićeva omorika (Picea omorika), discovered here in 1877 by Josif Pančić, made Tara a botanical monument — a living fossil of the Tertiary. The national park was proclaimed in 1981 over 220 km² of forest and canyon; the Yugoslavia-era hotels at Kaluđerske Bare and the Bajina Bašta side gave it tourism that stayed small and green.

TOP THINGS TO DO

Experiences Not to Miss

THINGS TO DO

Drina rafting & canoeing

Calm-water paddling on Perućac lake and the Drina’s slow stretches — the canyon from the water level, guided half-days from Bajina Bašta.

THINGS TO DO

Hiking the forest trails

Marked trails through the old-growth beech and spruce — from short viewpoint walks to the Crnjesko day loop in the park’s quiet core.

TOP ATTRACTIONS

Sights & Highlights of Tara

ATTRACTIONS

Banjska stena — the Drina canyon viewpoint

The classic Tara panorama: 1,000 metres above the Drina’s emerald canyon, with Perućac lake and the Bosnian mountains beyond.

ATTRACTIONS

Zaovine lake & the omorika forests

The high lake in the park’s core — created by a landslide dam in 1975, ringed with the endemic pančić spruce forests that made Tara a botanical monument.

FOOD & DRINK

WHERE TO EAT

Kaluđerske Bare’s mountain restaurants — grill, trout and the mountain honey

Bajina Bašta’s riverside kafanas on the Drina — fish from the river

HOTELS & STAYS

WHERE TO STAY

Kaluđerske Bare hotels and villas for the classic stay; village rooms in Perućac for the canyon side

Camping ZIP near Bajina Bašta (May–November) — the park’s verified campsite

ITINERARIES

Keep Driving

1 day

The Drina Day — canyon, lake and the house on the river

View itinerary

PLAN YOUR VISIT

Practical Information

Getting There

From Belgrade 2.5–3 h (via Valjevo or Užice); the mountain is reached from Bajina Bašta (south side) or Perućac (canyon side). Internal roads are paved.