Tara

Course

Two mountain streams, the Opasnica and the Veruša, join below the Komovi at 1,215 m to form the Tara. The catchment is 2,040 km², all of it counted in Montenegro. The upper river passes Kolašin and Mojkovac in an open valley; below Mojkovac it enters the canyon that carries it to Šćepan Polje, where it leaves the country at 434.8 m. Its last kilometres form the border with Bosnia and Herzegovina. At Šćepan Polje the Tara and the Piva join to form the Drina, so the water ends in the Black Sea, not the Adriatic.

The canyon

The canyon runs 78 km from the mouth of the Bistrica to Šćepan Polje (often rounded to 80 km). The greatest depth, 1,333 m, is between the Obzor and Štuoc heights; the round figure of about 1,300 m is also in use. No other canyon in Europe is deeper.

The deepest part lies inside Durmitor National Park, and Žabljak is the base for it. The Ćurevac viewpoint at 1,625 m looks straight down into the gorge, and the stops on the road between Žabljak and the Đurđevića Tara bridge show the deepest section. The park ticket, €5 per person per day and free under 15, is sold at the checkpoints, the bridge and Ćurevac among them.

Rafting and kayaking

Rafting is why most people come. The season runs from April to October, with the strongest water in April and May after the snowmelt and the safest window from 1 July to 15 September; even in summer the water stays at 15 °C or below. From Splavište on the Žabljak side the routes are 14 km (3-4 hours on the water), 24 km (5-6 hours) and the full 60 km to Šćepan Polje over two or three days; from Brštanovica, in Plužine municipality, the one-day run is the lower 18 km to Šćepan Polje. Multi-day trips put in below the Đurđevića Tara bridge. A day on the river costs about €70 plus the park entrance, and the minimum age by law is 7.

The route table, the landmarks on the way down, the rafting law and how to choose an operator are on the Rafting on the Tara page; the other rivers of the country are compared on the rafting overview. Kayakers run the same water, graded I-III between Splavište and Brštanovica: see kayaking.

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Fishing

The Tara holds huchen (Danube salmon), brown trout and grayling. Inside Durmitor National Park the river is open to anglers from 1 May to 1 October with a daily permit sold only by the duty ranger: €20 a day, the same as for Black Lake, one rod, artificial lures, up to three trout of at least 25 cm, from 14:00 to 19:00 and never on a Monday. Guided fly-fishing in the park's zone is offered from June to October, and the Kolašin-Mojkovac stretch is catch-and-release all year. Outside the park, daily zone permits come from the sport-fishing clubs that manage the stock, so ask the club for the stretch you want to fish.

The national fishing order of 2026 (Sl. list CG 75/2026, in force since 11 June 2026) sets the closed seasons: the Tara inside the park is closed from 1 October to 1 May, and all the park's waters on Mondays and outside those hours; in the northern municipalities all trout are closed from 1 November to 15 March and grayling from 1 March to 1 June; the minimum size for grayling is 30 cm; huchen must be released until 1 April 2029. Guides and zones across the country are on the fly-fishing hub.

Đurđevića Tara bridge

The concrete arch bridge at Đurđevića Tara is 365 m long with a main arch of 116 m and stands 170-172 m above the river. It was built between 1937 and 1940 and rebuilt in 1946. The road from Žabljak to Pljevlja and Mojkovac crosses here, the park sells tickets at the bridge, and multi-day rafting trips put in just below it. A zip line runs from the bridge nearly 150 m above the gorge; the other lines in the country are on the zip line hub.

History of the bridge

The bridge was designed by the engineer Mijat Trojanović, and its five arches were completed in 1940. On completion it was counted as the largest reinforced-concrete road bridge in Europe.

In 1942 the Partisans blew up its smallest arch to stop Italian troops advancing towards Žabljak. The task went to Lazar Jauković, one of the engineers who had built the bridge. He placed the charges so that the bridge could not be used but could be restored. He was later caught and shot on the bridge, and a memorial stone to him stands near it. The bridge was repaired and reopened to traffic in 1946.

Protection

• Tara River Basin Biosphere Reserve in the UNESCO Man and the Biosphere programme, 182,889 ha, nominated in 1976 (1977 in some listings).
• Durmitor National Park, on the UNESCO World Heritage list since 1980; the canyon is part of the site.
• In 2005 the government cancelled a dam that would have flooded part of the canyon, after a joint UNESCO and IUCN mission.

Getting there

• Žabljak: base for the Durmitor side of the canyon, the Splavište put-in, Ćurevac and the bridge; buses from Podgorica, Nikšić, Pljevlja and Mojkovac.
• Kolašin and Mojkovac: the upper river, on the main road from Podgorica to the north; Kolašin has a station on the Bar-Belgrade railway.
• Đurđevića Tara bridge: viewpoint, zip line, park checkpoint and the start of multi-day rafting, at the junction of the Žabljak, Mojkovac and Pljevlja roads.
• Brštanovica: start of the one-day rafting from the Plužine side; no scheduled bus, the transfer is arranged with the operator.
• Šćepan Polje: the confluence with the Piva, the border crossing to Bosnia and Herzegovina and the take-out of every rafting trip; carry your passport.

Closures on the canyon roads are on the road conditions page.

Questions

How deep is the Tara canyon?

1,333 m at the deepest point, between Obzor and Štuoc, which makes it the deepest canyon in Europe. The canyon is 78 km long.

Is the Tara the cleanest river in Europe?

It is often called that. What the record shows is the protection: a UNESCO biosphere reserve across the whole basin and a World Heritage canyon, and water that stays at 15 °C or below even in summer.

How long does rafting take?

From 3-4 hours on the 14 km route to two or three days for the full 60 km. One-day trips run from Splavište (14 or 24 km) and from Brštanovica (18 km).

When is the best time for rafting?

April and May for the strongest water, 1 July to 15 September for the calmest and safest water; the season closes in October.

Can you swim in the Tara?

Only for a short dip: the water stays at 15 °C or below in summer, and the river has no organised bathing spots. Rafting, kayaking and fishing are what it is used for.

Where does the Tara end?

At Šćepan Polje, where it joins the Piva to form the Drina.