Tara National park

Our raft is located in the Tara National Park area. The area of Tara was declared a National Park on July 13, 1981, on a total area of 24,991.82 ha and it is located in the municipalities of Bajina Bašta and Užice, in the western part of the Republic of Serbia.

On the limestone base, rivers such as Beli Rzav, Rača and Derventa made deep gorges and canyons. In addition, there are numerous sinkholes, caves and coves. In that way, shelters were created preserving the rich flora and fauna until today. Great terrain heterogeneity, the diversity of the geological base, humid climate and warm limestone habitats, have conditioned the creation of numerous forest ecosystems of very complex composition with a large number of relict and endemic species that represent true natural values and rarities.

Tara National Park with Shargan – Mokra Gora Nature Park, Zlatibor Nature Park and Drina National Park in Republika Srpska (BiH) is envisaged as a potential cross-border biosphere natural reserve within the UNESCO Man and the Biosphere Program.

This is a typical forest area, and according to the preservation and diversity of forest ecosystems, many of which are relict, it is one of the richest and most valuable forest areas in Europe. Tara is dominated by mixed forests of spruce, fir and beech (over 85% of forest areas), and the specificity to other mountains of the Balkan Peninsula is a large number of relict and endemic forest species and communities.

Over 40 deciduous, deciduous-coniferous and coniferous phytocenoses were identified on Tara mountain, followed by 1156 species of vascular flora, which makes 1/3 of the total flora of Serbia. Out of the total number of represented plant species, 76 are endemic species. Pančić’s spruce (Picea omorika) is a species of special value and significance, as an endemic and relict species, which managed to survive the last ice age through the canyons and gorges of the middle course of the river Drina.

According to the results of previous research, the area of Tara is inhabited by 59 species of mammals, about 140 species of birds, 12 species of amphibians, 12 species of reptiles and 19 species of fish. The largest population of brown bears in Serbia lives here, and since 2006 we have been monitoring this species, which is under special protection along with chamois and roe deer. The most famous species, which is considered as a symbol of the fauna of the invertebrate of Tara, is the endemic Pancic grasshopper (Pyrgomorphulla serbica).

Furthermore, in the area of the park, numerous archeological sites and cultural monuments are dating from the Neolithic to modern times. The most important monument is the Raca Monastery, the endowment of King Dragutin from the 13th century, which is one of the most important centers of Serbian medieval literacy. Of course, there are also medieval necropolises with stecak tombstones in Rastiste and Perucac, which were included in the UNESCO list of world cultural heritage in 2016 as part of a joint project of Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia and Montenegro.

Perucac lake

Perućac Lake is an artificial lake located approximately 2.4 km away from the eponymous place Perucac, within the municipality of Bajina Basta. Due to its specific geographical position, Lake Perucac is located both in the municipality of Bajina Bašta, Republic of Serbia and the municipality of Srebrenica, Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina. The lake is positioned in the natural bend of the canyon of the river Drina between Bajina Basta and Visegrad, and surrounds the mountain Tara where the Tara National Park is located. This Podrinje lake is located at the height of 290 meters above sea level and is surrounded by the mountains Javor, Devetak, Zvijezda and Tara.

The lake was created in the 1960’s, by blocking the course of the river Drina, for the needs of the construction of the hydroelectric power plant “Bajina Basta”. The total area of the lake is 12.5 km² with a water volume of 345 x 106m³. The average depth of the lake is 60 meters, and the deepest point of the lake reaches up to 1000 meters. The largest part of the lake is located in the canyon of the river Drina, which starts 7 km from the dam of the hydroelectric power plant “Bajina Basta”. The longest, i.e. canyon part of the lake is surrounded by an extremely steep shore bordered by steep stone cliffs and stone blocks that plunge vertically into the water. Due to the steepness of the shore, the depth of the lake only a few meters from the shore reaches an average depth of 3 to 8 meters.

Banjska cliff

Banjska cliff is one of the most famous and most beautiful panoramic lookouts in Serbia. It is 6 kilometers away from Mitrovica, with 2 marked footpaths (# 9 and # 9a) and a macadam road leading to it. The name of the lookout Banjska cliff comes from the Banjski spring which was located at its bottom. The spring was of karst origin with a constant water temperature of 4 degrees Celsius. The name was derived from the Turkish word spa, meaning a place with hot water. The local population used the water from the spring in the winter as well, because it maintained the same temperature all year round. However, Banjski spring was flooded with the construction of Perucac lake. Standing at the panoramic lookout, which is located at 1065 meters above sea level, you will face an unforgettable view of the Perucac reservoir, the canyon of the river Drina and the area of Osat in Bosnia. Osat is a landscape unit in Bosnia, on the left side of the middle course of the Drina, known as a strong architectural center. Masters from Osat built a large number of places of worship and houses in central and western Serbia. The log houses built on Tara mountain and recognizable by the specific architecture were named Osacanke. The Banjsko grindstone, which was used in the 19th century to transport wood, can also be viewed from this panoramic lookout. The cut logs were pushed down the gridstone to the raft building site, where they were used to make rafts, which were lowered by experienced rafters along the rivers Drina and Sava all the way to Belgrade. Today, the Banjsko grindstone, about 1,300 meters long, is overgrown with vegetation, among which there is a large number of rare plant species-specific for the shipars.

Biljeska cliff

Biljeska cliff is a panoramic lookout point on the Zvijezda mountain at the height of 1225 meters above sea level, on the border of the Zvezda natural reserve. It is located 6 km away from Pred’s cross, with a macadam road and a hiking trail no. 14 leading to it. Here, in the immediate vicinity, you can see the thin, spindle-shaped trees of Pančić’s spruce – the only species of conifer that survived the last ice age and occurs only in this area. Unfortunately, due to the profound climate changes during the last decade, many spruces have dried up. This lookout offers a beautiful view of Perucac Lake, overviewing the canyon on the left and the valley of the river Drina on the right. Bosnia is located on the other side of the lake, i.e. the area known as Osat. In addition to the picnic equipment that can be found there, there is also a house where the movie “Birds That Never Fly” was shot, with the famous actor Bata Zivojinovic in the lead role.

Crnjeskovo

Crnjeskovo is a panoramic lookout point located on a 980 meters high cliff nearby to the Kaludjerske Bare settlement. Pedestrian trail number 3 leads to the lookout point. The lookout point offers a view of the gorge of the river Raca, the Drina valley and Bajina Basta. At the exit from the gorge, a medieval monastery of Raca from the 13th century, the endowment of King Dragutin Nemanjic, can be seen. Near the monastery is the hermitage of St. George, which was the center of the famous Raca transcription school. On the left side of the lookout, you can see the Cross Rock marked with a metal cross below which the monks were hiding books in the caves.

Sjenic

Sjenic is another panoramic lookout point located on Crni peak, about 6 km from Predovo cross, with a macadam road and a hiking trail 12b leading to it. This site is located at the height of 1,444 meters above sea level is dominated by a 12-meter high wooden observation spot. From there, a view of the wooded Tara massif opens up. Through the village of Rastiste and through the gorge of Derventa, the view reaches Perucac Lake. About a hundred years ago, the route of the forest cable car used this road, which took the wooden material down to the Drina river, and from there it was further transported by rafts. Nearby the lookout you can find the natural reserves Bilo and Ljuti breg which are characterized by mixed forests of spruce, fir, black pine, beech, aspen and birch, and a little further are the reserves Crvene Cliffs and Kremici. On the right side, you can see Sekuli and the peaks Gavran, Zboriste and Iver.

Oslusa

Oslusa is a panoramic lookout point, located in the settlement bearing the same name, 7 km away from Mitrovac village towards Kaludjerske Bare. You can reach this lookout point by following the European pedestrian corridor E7 or by the Visoka Tara – High Tara cycling route. This easily accessible site offers views of the Drina Valley, Bajina Basta and Osat in Bosnia, as well as Mount Povlen in the background. This lookout, located at the height of 964 meters above sea level, is also a take-off point for paragliders.

The Vrelo river, known as ‘A year’

Probably the shortest river in the world flows in the settlement of Perucac, about ten kilometers away from Bajina Basta. It is exactly 365 meters long, so local people say that the river Vrelo, with its clear water, is one year long. This river, with its short watercourse and a beautiful waterfall in the place where it flows into the Drina river, has everything that those much larger world rivers have – a large, powerful spring with white water coming out of it, a pond on the right bank, a mill on the left, a left tributary in the form of a clear stream, a settlement on the left bank, two bridges. The Drina with the river Vrelo was declared the first natural beauty of Serbia in the action of selecting seven Serbian wonders of nature, organized by the Tourist Organization of Serbia.

A small house on the Drina river

For three decades, “House on the Rock” has been one of the most original and most interesting landmarks and an authentic symbol of our city. It was built by Milija Mandic called Gljiva back in 1968, with the help of several friends – river lovers, on a large rock in the middle of the Drina, across from “Zorcina baraka” (today the ‘Kod dve lipe’ cafe). They made a modest wooden house in which many pupils and students of Bajina Basta spent a large part of their summer holidays. Since then, generations of girls and boys started their first swimming and kayaking strokes, and many of them achieved great sports results later on. It was in this house that the idea for founding the Kayak Club “Drina” matured, whose kayakers have brought countless victories and medals to our city within the country and across Europe.

High water levels repeatedly flooded, demolished and carried away the house, but Gljiva always repaired it, rebuilt the old one and built a new one. In December 1999, the bewildered Drina took away the house for the fifth time.

The reconstruction of the house was awaited until 2005. It was renovated for the sixth time when two stable concrete beams were poured on the wall as a solid foundation for setting up a wooden building.

After the great flood in December 2010, the mighty Drina removed the house from the rock again.

Nevertheless, since 2011. The house is there again, as a recognizable symbol of Bajina Basta and an ideal place for rest for everyone who manages to reach it.

Raca Monastery

Next to the river Raca, and close to the town of Bajina Basta, a medieval monastery Raca is located. This monastery is the endowment of King Dragutin Nemanjic (with the religious name Teokstit). Dragutin came to the throne in 1276. while due to health problems he was forced to abandon the throne over to his younger brother Milutin in 1282. Raca was named after the noun rak, meaning cancer, which is a pre-Slavic word and which can be found in all Slavic languages today.

In the 17th century, general work began in copying and reproduction of books, and the monks of the Raca monastery joined in. A transcription school was founded and located in the hermitage of St. George in a spa. The river Raca flows next to the sanctuary itself, while deep from the mountains a spring called Ladjevac with the healing properties comes out, and that is why the locality is considered as a spa. Until 1690, the following scribes are mentioned: Cirjak, Hristofor, Simeon, Teodor, Silvestar, Prohor, Arsenije, Isak, Josif and others. Thanks to their prayerful devotion to writing, a special school of Serbian literacy and culture was created, and there were no better or bigger writers at that time. So far, 40 records and about 15 liturgical books have been discovered which were created in Raca, that is, in the hermitage of St. George. Hristifor Racanin stood out with his extraordinary calligraphy and illumination.

The Shargan Eight, Mokra Gora

The Shargan Eight is the most attractive tourist museum railway in Europe among the narrow track railways. It is a true masterpiece of the world’s industrial heritage.

It has been built in the period from 1921 to 1925, and the engineers decided to bridge the height difference from Mokra Gora to Shargan (300 meters above sea level, 3.5 kilometers long) with the famous “eight” – 13.5 kilometers long loop above the Jatar bottom, with about twenty tunnels, several bridges and viaducts, which make up most of the railway. The train called ‘Cira’ heated up for the first time back in 1925, and he made the last eight-shaped round on February 28, 1974, when the railway was abolished.

The idea of building a railway dates back to World War I. Austro-Hungary believed that occupied Serbia would finally become a part of their territory. In the spring of 1916, the works on connecting of Vardiste and Uzice began. Nine kilometers of railway were built at the bottom of Shargan.

The place where the track came from is still called the ‘Ninth kilometer’. A railway station building was also constructed in Mokra Gora. During the digging of the tunnel under the Budim hill on Shargan, a great tragedy happened when a whole shift of workers was buried due to a landslide. Russian and Italian prisoners were killed. The exact number of dead is still unknown, and according to the testimony of the locals, the shift numbered about 200 workers. A modest monument on Budim Hill, on which only the year of construction 1916 is stated, reminds us of this horrible tragedy. After this unfortunate event, the works on the railway were suspended until March 1, 1921, when the Sarajevo Directorate continued the construction. One of the main designers of the railway and its main implementer was Hugo Kajncl, a former inspector of the former Bosnian-Herzegovinian railways. In addition to the attractive technical solution on the slopes of Shargan, the railway ZTP Belgrade began the renovation of Shargan Eight in 1999 for tourist purposes, and to this day the entire railway route has been revitalized, with authentic station facilities and original old wagons. The composition Nostalgia, consisting of two locomotives and three wagons, and the panoramic wagon are today being used as a tourist attraction, and the stations of Jatara and Mokra Gora have been adapted into catering facilities where tourists rest and refresh themselves while driving.

In addition to the Shargan Eight from Mokra Gora to Shargan, whose road width is 750 mm, the former Forest Railway was also renovated, which used to travel to the Jatara picnic area along the Kamesina river valley in the length of 2 km. During this section, the width of the road is 600 mm. At the starting station of the forest railway, next to the white water spring, there is also a club of the ‘Native Association of Mokrogorac and Friends of Mokra Gora’ with a summer stage, two restaurant wagons and a souvenir shop. The ‘Jatarice’ picnic area has been arranged into a rest area with a built-in barbecue, a fountain and covered tables available for picnics.

Both renovated railways with accompanying railway station facilities, and exhibition wagons form an open-air museum complex, that not only represents the history of railway traffic but is also a very important segment of the history of the Mokrogorje region. For half a century, this railway opened the world door to Mokra Gora, and the steamer brought the ‘world’ into the village.

The exceptional monumental value of this museum complex is the fact that the entire route with railway stations and vehicles has been authentically reconstructed and that the revitalization has preserved the technical process of fueling and driving a steamer. The steamer broke through the rocky straits and high cuts between Shargan and Mokra Gora, along the road on which the railway makes an unusual route in the form of number 8, and with several places from the train, passengers had the opportunity to see three tracks at different levels. Many would panic when they saw that another train was coming to meet them, but there was no danger because that other train was in a different space section. Passing along the route of the famous ‘eight’ 13.5 km long, it is practically impossible for a passenger to figure out which direction the train went and where it has yet to go.

Far from the hustle and bustle of modern life, the nostalgic whistle of the steamer revives the romantic spirit of the past days.

Wild ambiance, slalom through the curves, tunnels. An adventure that reflects the almost forgotten heat of traveling by train.

If you decide on such an adventure, we suggest you book tickets in advance via contact: office @ taratours.rs

Information and reservations on the phone numbers: +381 31 861 501 and +381 31 861 467 and e-mail: office@taratours.rs

Mećavnik – Drvengrad

Emir Kusturica, known as an architect and creator of the idea of a perfect life outside everyday life, made the town by reviving old houses transferred from the surrounding places. Mecavnik is a place where you will have the impression it has been there for hundreds of years and that every house has found its ideal in the old days when it was built by the firm hand of old builders. It is exciting to walk the streets of Mecavnik at any time of the year, as every season offers a different kind of pleasure and a different point of view. The streets are named after great artists, athletes and all those who have left or are leaving a trace in the history of mankind with their ideas.

Just like any other town, Drvengrad has a central square with the Church of St. Sava, the library ‘Mesa Selimovic’, the cinema ‘Stanley Kubrick’ with the most modern video and sound systems in the world, the gallery ‘Macola’ where the most valuable local and foreign artist exhibit, the national restaurant ‘Lotika’, the confectionery ‘Kod Corkana’ and the souvenir shop ‘Aska’. On Diego Armando Maradona Square, there is a sports center “Damned Courtyard” which includes the Italian restaurant ‘Lodging house’, gym, indoor pool, saunas, sports hall, disco, and billiards.

In Mecavnik, each room is different than the other, with differently painted furniture, a different view through the window, or a different way to reach it. There is only one standard in all of them: safe sleep in comfortable beds.

Andricgrad

Andricgrad is a tourist, cultural, administrative and educational complex located on a peninsula between the rivers Drina and Rzava, some 300 meters away from the Visegrad bridge. The complex is managed by the company Andricgrad Ltd. whose owners are the famous Serbian director Emir Kusturica and the municipality of Visegrad together with the Government of the Republic of Srpska.

Andricgrad was created by the idea of prof. Kusturica about a stone medieval town inspired by the works and characters of Nobel laureate Ivo Andrić. It is actually a vision of how Visegrad could have looked if it went through the Renaissance and other historical periods. In terms of architecture, the city itself is a mixture of different epochs and styles that changed it throughout the history of this area: Byzantine style, Ottoman age, Renaissance, Classicism. During a walk through the main street promenade, visitors can return to the past: ‘it practically connects two periods – fragments of the Renaissance with the Ottoman period and Byzantium. – At the entrance, the caravanserai meets the Byzantine court, and in the continuation, it shows what Austria could have built, but it did not, just as the Ottoman Empire did not build what it was supposed to build. In the end, towards the main square, which was built in a manner of classicism, which could have been made between the two world wars, a street in the Renaissance style would develop, which could have been made by the Austrian develop.’
Prof. Emir Kusturica

Hunting and fishing

Fish types and fishing regime

Recreational fishing on fishing waters “Tara National Park” is carried out in accordance with the Law on Protection and Sustainable Use of Fish Stock, bylaws arising from it, the Law on Tara National Park, the Law on Environmental Protection, the Ordinance on Internal Order in Tara National Park, Fisheries Management Program, Annual Fisheries Management Program…

In compliance with the above regulations, relevant legal acts and rules, the types of fishing, fishing rights, fishing methods and conditions under which fishing is carried out on fishing waters ‘Tara National Park’ are determined. Measures for the preservation and protection of fishing waters are carried out by the competent services of the company.

The fishing area ‘Tara National Park’ is represented by fishing waters located on the territory of N.P. Tara and its protection zone. Within the borders of the National Park ‘Tara’, there are rivers Raca from school to spring, Derventa, Baturski Rzav, Karaklijski Rzav, Jarevac, Sovljak, Jokica stream, Alushki stream, Brusnicka river, part of the hydro-accumulation ‘Perucac’ (from the dam of the hydroelectric power plant ‘B.Basta’ along the state border 24.5 km to the mouth of the river Brusnica into the lake), Kruscica reservoir, occasional micro-accumulation on Jarevac, as well as rivers and reservoirs located in the protection zone of the park: Zaovinsko Lake (Beli Rzav), Spajici Lake , Crno Osoje (Polosnica), Zmajevacki stream, river Polosnica, Konjska river.

In Lake Perućac, the following species of fish can be found: Catfish, Mladica, Trout, Plotica, Barbel, Skobalj, Carp, Dam, Deverika, Maple, Perch, Linjak, Sitna white fish.  +381 65 5073 850

In case you would like to have a fishing permit, you can contact us at the following phone number:+381 65 5073 850

Fishing on the Drina river

Drina is known as the most beautiful and cleanest mountain river in the Balkans with numerous populations of noble fish species. Juvenile, grayling, barbel and brown trout reach their maximum size in the Drina, which is a feature of rivers of exceptional purity. In addition to these species of fish, in the Drina river you can also find skobalj, chub, roach, rhinoceros fish.

According to the quality of the water, and above all the amount of oxygen and the amount of food needed, different fish species inhabit different parts of the river. According to the fish species that inhabit the Drina River and other mountain rivers, their course can be divided into trout zones, grayling zones, barbel areas and bream areas. These areas are not sharply divided and, depending on the structure of the riverbed, they more or less intertwined, allowing some fish species to appear along the entire course of the river. However, three sectors of the Drina can be registered with certainty, which differ very sharply in terms of population, qualitative and quantitative composition of fish.

Permits and prices for fishing on the Drina river

Annual License

The price of an annual permit for recreational fishing is 6,000 dinars. For persons older than 65, women and persons with physical disability of 60-80%, the value of the annual permit for recreational fishing is 3,000 dinars. For persons with physical disability of 80% and more, persons with complete loss of working ability, for military invalids and civil war invalids with physical disability of 60% and more and persons younger than 18, the value of the annual permit for recreational fishing is 600 dinars.

Daily permit

The price of a daily fishing license on the Drina River is 1,000 dinars and needs to be announced a day in advance. There is a possibility to buy it on the spot from the fish keeper.

Multi-day permit

The price of a multi-day fishing license on the Dini River is 2,000 dinars and it needs to be announced a day in advance. There is a possibility to buy it on the spot from the fish keeper.

In case you need a permit, you can contact us at the following phone number: +381 65 5073 850

Minimum hunting lengths and hunting seasons

Type of fish
Fishing season
Length
Danube Salmon
01.03.-01.06.
110cm
Trout
01.10.-01.03.
25cm
Brook Trout
01.10.-01.03.
20cm
Charr
01.10.-01.03.
25cm
Grayling
01.03.-31.05.
25cm
Pike
01.02.-31.03.
30cm
Brook barbel
01.05.-15.07.
15cm
Carp
01.04.-31.05.
30cm
Bream
25cm
Gudgeon
10cm
Tench
15.04.-31.06.
20cm
Wels Catfish
01.05-15.06.
60cm

Map with marked places for fishing