Tara River Canyons

Montenegro delights tourists with its nature. Picturesque views are somewhat reminiscent of the Crimean beauty of nature. One of the main attractions of Montenegro is the canyon of the Tara River. You can not relax in Montenegro and not see this natural wonder.

Tara River Canyon - a truly magnificent place. Most often, several stops are made at the canyon. Trains run along the top of the canyon. At some stops there are restaurants where you can have a hearty breakfast. The Tara River Canyon is the deepest in Europe; it is second only to the Grand Canyon, which is located in the United States. With a depth of about 1300 meters and a length of 80 kilometers, it is part of the Durmitor National Park, which is popular not only with the canyon, but also with small villages, clean mountain air, serpentines and animals included in the Red Book. Durmitor is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

The program of many excursion tours includes inspection of the canyon of the Tara River. The cost of one ticket is about 40 euros, plus fees for food or for visiting additional seats. In general, you will spend about 50 euros on one excursion, and do not forget to bring money to buy souvenirs with you.

The tour program includes most of the Montenegrin attractions, including 2 large lakes (Skadar and Black), the city of Podgorica, for an additional fee of 4 euros you can see the ancient monastery and national park. The whole tour lasts about 14 hours, they collect tourists at 6:30 in the morning and take them to the city of Budva at 20 o’clock in the evening.

During a trip to the picturesque serpentines, several stops are carried out.

• Dzhurdzhevich's bridge. The magnificent building, authored by Miyat Troyanovich. It ranks first in length, which is 366 meters, in Europe. Its height is 172 meters, it connects the two banks of the canyon. Huge arches built of cast concrete look majestically and bewitching against the background of the canyon.

  It is from the bridge that the best panoramas open. There were times when bungee jumping worked on the bridge, but it interfered with motorists, which was why it was closed. But on the right and left there are two bungee, which you can have time to use and jump over the canyon. You can also jump in pairs, the price will vary from the side you choose from 10 to 20 euros.

• Bend of the Tara River. On the path located to the right of the Dzhurdzhevich bridge, you can go down to the river. An interesting fact: the water in the river is so clean that it is suitable for drinking, rare fish are also found there, and sport fishing is allowed in some places of the river. The view of the river from a great height resembles a horseshoe in shape, unfortunately, tourists at this stop are rarely allowed out of the bus, because the area is very rocky and dangerous.

• Park Durmitor. The place is rainy, the park is located high in the mountains. The park is inhabited by animals listed in the Red Book, and also there are many rare trees. Durmitor is located in a mountainous area, along serpentines you can walk to Bobotov Kuk Mountain, which is the highest point of the park. In the cold season, a ski resort opens in the park. You can visit the caves of the park all year round, the most famous of them is “Ice Cave”. After arrival, tourists are given an hour to get to the Black Lake, of course, they give time with a margin in order to have time to walk slowly through the park. Returning from the excursion will be late in the evening, this is a great chance to watch the sunset, going down the serpentines.

• Orthodox monasteries. Some monasteries have been preserved on the territory of the canyon, their construction dates back to the 15th century, each of them carries its own historical value. These are the monasteries of Dovolia, Pirlitor, Dobrilovina and the monastery of the Archangel Michael.

The best impression of the magnificent canyon can be obtained by rafting along the Tara River. Even children are allowed to rafting in the tourist season, as the water level allows you to swim the river as safely as possible. Of course, there is serious preparation and instruction.

The most popular route is 18 km long rafting, for more experienced tourists there are alloys with a greater length. The price of the alloy includes equipment, a shuttle to the river, a hearty breakfast and the cost of entry to the national park, which is paid on the spot.

An informative tour worth 35 euros, which includes a transfer, a Russian-speaking guide and a walk in the park. On the tour you can see not only the Dzhurdzhevich bridge, but also visit Skadar Lake, the Moraca Monastery, the canyon of the Moraca-Platija River and cities such as Podgorica and Kolasin. You can also explore the Peter Mountain and take a walk in the Biogradska Gora Park. The tour starts at 6 in the morning and ends at 7 in the national restaurant.

• Moraca River. The view of the river opens thanks to the Moraca Canyon, it is not as deep and large as Tara.

• Monastery of Moraca. A peaceful place where there are active holy springs from which you can drink water. The territory is well decorated and well-groomed, many consider the monastery a strong energy place and are advised to visit it for filling and healing.

• Alpine meadows. After the bridge, a steep climb to the mountains awaits, at some point the clouds will be behind. There you can see alpine meadows.

You can order and pay for a guided tour in large resort cities. In the city of Zabljak, you can take a tour with accommodation in the Durmitor park.

It is worth preparing for the tour in advance.

• Most tours do not include breakfast or lunch, so you should stock up on your food.
• The fees for such excursions are always early in the morning, so try to get enough sleep to remember interesting facts about Montenegro.
• The bus is better to take the right sideto watch the beautiful natural scenery, passing another serpentine.
• Do not forget the camera, to capture the places you saw.
• Clothing should be comfortable, depending on the weather. It will be useful to stock up with an umbrella or a warm jacket, especially when visiting the mountains, the temperature can drop to 15 degrees.
• Shoes are better to choose closed, but breathable.
• If the list of excursion places includes a visit to the monastery, it is worth dressing accordingly, despite the fact that clergy and monks are tolerant of tourists.
• There are many souvenir shops along the way.where you can find very beautiful memorable gifts.
• Souvenirs are better to buy after visiting the monastery of Moraca. Prices will be lower and the range will be wider, especially if the last stop is a local village.
• Toilets are not at all stops.

You can get to the canyon of the Tara River by public transport from the following cities.

• Mojkovac. You can come to this city by regular transport, then drive to the canyon by taxi. Direct public transport from the city will be difficult to find.

• Zabljak. The city is close to the canyon, it can be reached from Podgorica, Danilovgrad, Shanik, Plevle and Niksiche. It is worth paying attention to the schedule, which can change once every few days. The trip will take about three hours, and the ticket will cost about 7 euros.

• A stop can be made in Churevac, which is located six kilometers from Zabljak. Tara Canyon is well visible from this city. You can walk to Churevac from Zabljak on foot, while enjoying the picturesque nature of Montenegro, or take a taxi, it will cost about 10 euros.

• Niksic. Niksic is very close to the canyon, but you can get to Durmitor only with your transport or rented car.

Watch the video review of the Tara River Canyon in the next video.