Don’t miss this unique opportunity to wander into the amazing world of the Serbian “Mount Athos”, the “Iron Gates of the Danube”, the Silver and the Tzar’s Mountain, and, of course, into the very home of the Slavic gods! Soon enough you’ll find yourself wanting to visit them. All of them!
With dreamy landscapes, diverse flora and fauna, valuable historic, cultural and natural monuments and breathtaking vistas of untouched nature, these places showcase the very best of Serbia’s natural beauty.
We give you Serbia’s “Mighty 5” National Parks!
The Fruška Gora National Park
Between the Danube and the Sava rivers, spreading across 80 km of landscapes of unbelievable beauty, stands the first of Serbia’s five national parks. Once an island of the Pannonian sea, the Fruška gora national park is a truly special place everyone has to visit at least once. Apart from charming villages, meadows and lakes, Fruška gora also has dense forest inhabited by deer, boars and other wildlife, thus being a perfect place for those who wish to relax in nature or for those who enjoy hiking, cycling, orienteering, etc.
And that’s not all, this national park also known for its fertile soil. As the result of that it is adorned with the greenest vineyards, pastures and orchards. But the thing it is really special for Serbia is the fact that it’s called the Serbian “Mount Athos”. Fruška Gora is the home of 16 Orthodox monasteries built in the 15th and 16th century about which you can read more here. Still, picnic sites such as the Stražilovo, Iriški venac, Hopovo, Zmajevac, Hajdučki breg, etc. are the most popular feature of this green oasis so we suggest you visit them and find out why!
The Đerdap National Park
Located on the right shore of the Danube river, the Đerdap national park with its surface of 636 sq km is the biggest national park in Serbia. It got its name after the most beautiful and most prominent gorge along the entire watercourse of Danube. The Đerdap gorge is one of the largest gorges of Europe and, amazingly enough, consists of 4 gorges and 3 ravines, each of which will take your breath away the second you set your eyes on them.
Apart from the 4 stunning gorges, 2 canyons of surreal beauty, 3 vast river basins, the lush but mysterious mt. Miroč and over a 1000 caves, Đerdap has even more attractions. The age-old Golubac fortress, the famous Trajan’s Board, the Lepenski Vir archaeological site are only proof of the historical and geographical importance of this place. That is also why Đerdap was poetically named “the Iron Gates of Danube”. All this is, we believe, reason enough for you too to visit this attractive national park and let the winds of Danube take you on an unforgettable journey!
The Kopaonik National Park
Mt. Kopaonik, called also “the Silver Mountain” by the Romans, Turks and Venetians because of its abundance in mineral resources, is the biggest mountain range in Serbia. However, this 80 km long and in one point 40 km wide mountain has another name – “the Sunny Mountain” due to the 200 sunny days which it is blessed with each year. Only one part of this magnificent mountain giant has been proclaimed the Kopaonik National Park. Yet this surface was quite enough to make a tourist paradise.
With more than 160 days of snow, a developed tourist centre, modern hotels, 24 ski-lifts and over 70 km of ski slopes, Kopaonik is the most popular ski-resort in Serbia. Apart from attracting skiers, this place has a lot to offer to nature lovers as one section of the mountain is a protected zone of the National Park Kopaonik. Because of the number of endemic species living in this national park, it also represents one of the most significant centers of biodiversity of endemic flora in Serbia. So, make sure you visit this mountain beauty and witness its vast meadows, dense evergreen forests and peaks from which you can see mt. Stara planina and the Šar Mountains.
The Tara National Park
Surely one of the most beautiful places in not only Serbia but the whole world is the Tara National Park. Located in Western Serbia, this 220 sq km kingdom of untouched nature with mt. Tara as its queen, wins the hearts of all those who set foot on it. And how could it not? If its diverse dreamy landscapes covered in dense forests, fragrant meadows and charming mountain villages aren’t enough, Tara’s mesmerizing lakes and stunning vistas will be.
The idyllic and intact nature of the Tara National Park is best enjoyed from one of the 5 breathtaking lookouts: Crnješkovo, Bilješka stena, Osluša, Sjenic and the most popular one – the Banjska stena from which you can see the emerald Perućac lake and Drina river canyon. And let’s not forget attractions such as the Carpet Meadow, the unique Jagoštica village, the Drina river house, and ethno villages.And if this little text on Tara wasn’t enough to persuade you to visit, click here. You’ll change your mind in no time!
The Šar Mountain National Park
The impressive and massive Šar mountain, located in the very south of Serbia, is the beginning of a separate mountain range of the Dinaric Alps and the gigantic natural border between Macedonia and Serbia. The Šar Mountain National Park is proper example of the beauty of raw and untouched nature with more than 1500 plants species 20% of which are endemic and rare to the Balkans. Add to that over 200 bird, a plethora of animal species and 147 butterfly species of extraordinary beauty it is easy to understand why it is considered an important ecological centre for the biodiversity in the central Balkans.
The Šar Mountain National Park is rich in cultural and historical heritage that is exceptionally significant for the Serbian identity and history. With medieval fortifications, settlements, bridges, u 34 medieval Orthodox churches and monasteries, and intact nature of tremendous beauty have all contributed to this place being nominated for the UNESCO World Heritage Site programme. All we can say is – what are you waiting for, the “Tzar’s Mountain” is calling you!
