Tara River Canyon: this drive is well worth the time
Located in Montenegro, Kanjon Tare is the deepest canyon in Europe, and the second-deepest in the world, at 1,300m (4,300ft) deep.
Where is Tara Canyon?
Tara River Canyon, Europe's deepest gorge, is located in the Pljevlja Municipality, on the northwestern part of the country, within the Durmitor National Park, part of the Dinaric Alps.
How do you get to Tara canyon?
The road through the gorges is totally paved. It’s called P4. The drive is 45.9 km (28.52 miles) long, running from Most na Đurđevića Tari (Djurdjevica Tara bridge) to Mojkovac.
What’s the Djurdjevica Bridge?
The bridge with large arches was built in 1940, offering picturesque views. Construction of the bridge began in 1938 and was finished 1940. As the time passed this bridge became one of the symbols of this river. Even though it is built by human hands, when looked from above it looks like a natural part of Tara’s curves. The bridge is 154 metres long and 135m high.
Is the road to Tara canyon challenging?
The road is pretty challenging. It’s pretty slippery after rains and has narrow parts and unlit tunnels. The drive is pretty curvy and can be busy on summer months.
Is Tara canyon worth it?
To drive the road without stopping will take most people between 50 and 60 minutes. The drive is very scenic. Gorges and waterfalls alternate throughout this stunning road. The canyon - protected as a UNESCO World Heritage Site- is a unique phenomenon in its depth of 1000 and 1300 metres in some places. It ranks just behind the Grand Canyon of Colorado River in the United States. It is the longest river of Montenegro with its course of 150 km and at the river end, just a small part of it, flows through Bosnia & Herzegovina. Tara later flows into Drina river. River Tara has its average fall of 3.6m/km, and it makes whole bunch of waterfalls – rapids and cascades which give a big compliment to national park Durmitor, which River Tara belongs to. River Tara has a lot of special places, but the most valuable ones are its cascades. Roar of some of its cascades can be heard from the very edge of the canyon. Most famous ones are: Djavolje laži (Devil’s lies), Sokovina, Bijeli kamen (White stone), Gornji and Donji tepački Buk (Upper and Lower Tepački cascade), etc. When it comes to fauna in the locality of River Tara mountain goats should be mentioned. Beside wild goats, deer and wild boar can be found here. River Tara is also rich in fish especially brook trout, salmon, grayling, chub, etc.