Text: Nebojša Mandić The largest canyon in Europe, the Tara River - With its 150 km, Tara is the longest river that flows through Montenegro. The depth of the canyon is 1000, sometimes up to 1300 meters and has an average drop of 3.6 m/km with numerous waterfalls, beech trees and rapids. This is how this river looks in numbers, in nature, it is much more than these, certainly impressive data, because Tara is the natural pearl of Europe, a relic of pre-technological times. The human factor has little importance here.

Tara is located between the mountains of Bjelasnica, Sinjajevina, Ljubišnja and Durmitor. Its fantastic landscapes, tame valleys and wild forests, rapids over which towering black pines and the wonderful blue color of the water take the breath away of even the most discerning world travelers. Tara receives significant amounts of water from numerous springs. The most famous is the Bajlovića Šige, a very generous spring, where the water that springs from the lake in the Bučevica cave cascades into Tara from a height of 30 meters, and its tributaries: Ljutica, Sušića Draga and the Vaskovačka river.

Tara's beech trees, of which there are more than 40, present a special visual and auditory experience: Đavolje Lazi, Sokolovina, Gornji and Donji tepački beech and many others, whose roar can be heard on the edges of the canyon. Tara and its surroundings are rich in endemic and relict plant species, and some of them even come from the Ice Age. The most common types of trees are cherry, ash, beech, juniper, conifer, black pine. In the canyon, the most famous site inhabited by black pines is Crna Poda. There, the height of the trees reaches up to 50 meters, and up to 400 years old. This locality has been declared a strict nature reserve.

Among the flowers, we cannot leave out the beautiful bellflowers, Turkish bellflower, eelgrass, Durmitor mullein... The Tara basin is ideal for the life of chamois, because it provides them with the possibility of seasonal movement (in the winter on the peaks of Durmitor, and in the summer in the canyon parishes). Apart from them, the inhabitants of Tar forests and glades are roe deer and wild boar. In the river basin, you can find brook trout, a fish that lives only in extremely clean water, grayling, grayling, grayling and numerous other species.

If you intend to visit Tara, don't miss a place called Ćurevac (1625 meters above sea level), from where you can see Durmitor on one side, and the Tara canyon on the other. This place is a real attraction for nature lovers and supporters of the New Age movement. Those who like extreme sports will certainly not miss rafting in Tara. Rafting is offered by most travel agencies in Montenegro. There are one-, two- and three-day packages, and within them you can cross the river from 15 to 85 km.

It starts from Splavište (from there you can see the waterfalls of Ljutice and the Tara bridge), then you pass through beech trees (Funjički and Bijele ploše), Mišovo vrelo (there is a canyon with the deepest 1100 meters), below Ćurevac (1650 m), next to the Draga river and Radovan luka. Then follow the Tepački beeches, Sušica and Bailovića Šige canyons (waterfall) and Brstanovački beeches. This part of the road really takes your breath away! Rafting ends at Šćepan polje. The rafting boats used on Tara are produced exclusively for wild waters. Each passenger receives a life belt, and children also receive a helmet. The guides of these tours know the river and its moods very well. With them, rafting is completely safe.