Tara National Park is in Zlatibor administrative region in western Serbia.
Understand
[edit]Tara Mountain is a large mountain in the west of Serbia, at the border with Bosnia and Herzegovina. The mountain is partly delimited by Drina River marking the country border. Tara has a lot of forests, some towns and nice viewpoints. The Drina River has a dam and forms Perućac Lake.
Tara National Park covers a part of Tara Mountain.
Get in
[edit]Bajina Bašta is the administrative center of the Park. Several daily buses come here and back from Užice. The ride is scenic and not long.
If you come by car or hitch-hike, you can enter through Bajina Bašta or Kaluđerske Bare.
Get around
[edit]
Main towns in the Park are Bajina Bašta, Kaluđerske Bare, Perućac and Mitrovac. To move among these, and reach viewpoints, it's best to have a car. However, you can also do well with a combination of bus and hitch-hiking. Your last leg until some viewpoint will mostly be a hike. You can get more information on places and logistics, and maybe get an organized tour, in Bajina Bašta.
Several daily buses go from Bajina Bašta to Kaluđerske Bare and Perućac. Two weekly buses go from Bajina Bašta to Mitrovac.
See
[edit]- 1 Banjska stena. The best viewpoint in the park - breathtaking views at surrounding mountains, Perućac Lake and Drina River. If the weather is good, you'll have a nicest postcard-type photo from Serbian mountains. To get to the viewpoint, you need first to get to Mitrovac and then hike for a couple of hours (6 km). You can get to Mitrovac from Kaluđerske Bare by hitch-hiking, and you can get to Kaluđerske Bare from Bajina Bašta by bus. If you hiked from Mitrovac on the "main road", you can come back there via a marked (by red dots on the trees) path - somehow longer, but more natural and relaxing hike.
- House on the rock in the middle of Drina River, Bajina Bašta (in the town, ask locals). The house partly sitting on the rock and partly hanging on its edge is a very interesting structure that attracts a lot of tourists.
Do
[edit]- Drina Regatta, Perućac. This annual regatta attracts a lot of people. It's said to be like a massive party where people sing, play instruments, drink and swim in the river. The regatta starts in Perućac and goes down the river.
Eat
[edit]Bajina Bašta is a big town and there are many places to eat there. In Kaluđerske Bare, there is a restaurant Javor near Omorika Hotel. In Mitrovac, there are some restaurants near the exit to Kaluđerske Bare.
Sleep
[edit]- Mystic River Design Hostel, Bajina Bašta. Apparently the only remaining hostel (others are hotels) after COVID pandemics. Good quality accommodation with nice kitchen. A lot of information about Tara National Park, and the host is nice and helpful.
- Hotel Omorika, Kaluđerske Bare. Huge hotel from Tito times, then and now liked by the army. Accommodation is expensive, but the personnel is very helpful (also with advice). The hotel has a restaurant (mainly serving guests), but if you are just passing by and don't stay, you can have cheaper meal at nearby restaurant Javor.
Stay safe
[edit]There are brown bears on Tara Mountain. Ask locals for information and advice, and there are signs. If you meet a bear, which is very unlikely, some advice is to stay calm, don't panic, don't move fast (bears are very fast, they can easily catch you if you run), step back and get out of the way, look at the animal but not directly into eyes.
Go next
[edit]- Go to Mokra Gora for some more nice hiking, seeing and trying Šarganska osmica heritage railway and visiting nearby traditional village of Drvengrad. You can go by bus through Bajina Bašta and Užice or you can hitch-hike via Kremna. After Mokra Gora you can continue to Višegrad and Sarajevo in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
- Go to Užice to see nice surroundings and restored fortress. After Užice you can continue to Belgrade or Bosnia and Herzegovina.