Hiking is a great way to build strength, improve your fitness level and explore the nature around a specific area. If you plan to visit and explore Serbia, you will be surprised by the number of places in the country. There are trails for every level in the country. This guide focuses on places for beginners to go hiking in Serbia.
If you are looking for inspiration to start your hiking journey, I have several places to suggest in Serbia. I tried every trail in this post and I believe they are good trails for beginners.
Bring your backpack, plenty of water, and hiking shoes, and let’s get ready to start this journey!!
Table of Contents
Gradac River
Gradac is declared the cleanest river in Serbia and considered one of the cleanest in Europe. It has a canyon and beautiful nature around it. A great place to feel a pure and deep connection with nature.
During the summer, the cold water from the river brings the perfect balance on a hot day. It’s common to see groups of people gathering around the river, preparing barbecues, hanging out during the weekends.
It originates from the foot of the Povlen mountain flowing to the Kolubara river. The Gradac canyon has a length of almost 23km, and hiking in it can be an interesting hiking experience. Mostly because part of the trail cut through the river, so you will get wet!!!
My route
I have been on Gradac a couple of times for different reasons. For hiking adventures, I went there twice. The first time I created a route by myself, pinpointing specific spots I would like to check. The second hiking tour was with a group of people. Following are both routes:
Bobija Planina
Bobija is a gem, and many Serbs don’t know about it. The mountain’s location is in the Western part of Serbia, 75km from the Bosnian border in Ljubovija.
The entire trail is 10km long on a round, so you don’t repeat the same track when returning to the starting point. At the peak, you can meet some locals cooking meals or selling/offering rakija. It’s a Serbian custom to connect with people offering the famous Serbian spirit.
The trail is easy with a minimal elevation gain, perfect for a beginner hiking in Serbia. There are some sources of natural and cold water in the area. In the villages around the area, farmers are producing good quality milk and cheese.
It’s a beautiful place, only 140km from Belgrade. Perfect for a day trip even during the beginning of the winter when the weather can be foggy.
My route
Fruska Gora
Fruska Gora is one of the most famous places for beginners that want to go hiking in Serbia. It’s great for a day trip because it’s only one hour driving by car from Belgrade, and it’s very close to Novi Sad.
There are dozen of monasteries and trails to explore in the area. Depending on the trail, the elevation gain can go up to 600m. The hiking trail leading to Ledinacko lake is not very challenging and suitable for beginners. Since there are several different options, it won’t be a problem to find a trail that suits your fitness level.
My route
I also were hiking on Fruska Gora twice. The first time I created the route, and the second time I did a tour with an agency. These are both routes:
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Suboticka Pescara
The sandstone is located close to the Hungarian border in Vojvodina with an area of 150km². At the beginning of the winter, it has an incredible mix of nature: sand dunes, dormant trees in the forest, and green lush areas, all in one place!!
From Belgrade, it’s easy to reach the place by car. The Palic lake, one of the biggest attractions in Vojvodina, is only 12 mins away. It’s a good idea to visit the lake after finishing the hike.
The elevation gain is less than 100m in the area, so it’s a perfect hike option for a beginner.
My route
Bukulja Planina
The Bukulja mountain is very close to the city of Arandjelovac. The hiking trail goes through a forest and passes by two lakes. The first lake is an artificial lake called Garasko, and the second is the small Bukuljsko lake.
The trail passing by both lakes makes a round of ~16km. You can check my route below, which is a bit longer due to a mistake we made due to a wrong turn. My wrong turn can be seen on the map :P.
This rewarding hiking experience ends at the Restaurant Bukulja. There I had a delicious post-hiking meal there.
My route
Gospodarev Kamen
The Lord’s rock’s location is close to Lipovica village. There are a couple of monasteries in the area that are very visited. Gornjak and Manasija monasteries are only a few km away from the Lipovica.
The trail is not challenging, and the elevation gain is around 360m. The highlight of the trail is the famous Lord’s Rock (Gospodarev Kamen in Serbian). The legend says that Stefan Lazarevic was sitting on the rock often to watch his army training.
It’s a beautiful trail, and the view from the rock is incredible. The village is only 2hrs away from Belgrade.
My route
Stolovi
The mountain Stolovi’s highest peak is Usovica at 1650m. There are different access to the mountain, and the most convenient way is from the south of Kraljevo. During the hike, you can see wild horses around the area.
Be aware that during hot summer days, this hike can be intense due to the lack of trees and shade around the trail. The viewpoint provides a great view of the area. There are several directions to reach it, like Brezna, Kamenica, Maglic, and Zica. It’s a great option to go hiking in Serbia, mainly during the spring or the beginning of the summer.
My route
Taorska Vrela
Taorska Vrla is a small cascading waterfall under the Mountain Povlen in the area around Valjevo. This forgotten area changed over the years after the water flow was intentionally altered in order to supply water to the Kosjerić village. It was a famous touristic destination during the former Yugoslavia, even compared with the Plitvice lakes in Croatia.
Even though changes in the area happened in the last years, it’s still a place worth visiting by hiking. The trail is very suitable for beginners, starting from Radanovac village, passes by Donji Taor, and ends up at the waterfall.
My route
Rtanj
One of the most famous mountains for a good hike in Serbia, it has a pyramidal shape and many legends. From alien secrets to hidden treasures, there are several theories about its iconical form. The view from the peak is incredible and rewarding.
There are two ways to hike to the top: A hiking tour during the day or a night hike to reach the peak right before sunrise. Usually, it’s very windy at the peak. It can be so strong that you need to watch your steps carefully when walking.
This hike is the most challenging on this list. The last meters close to the peak can be demanding for some. I had friends with me who were beginners, and they managed to do it.
Uvac
The Uvac area has a canyon, a river, caves, and lakes to be explored. For beginners, there is an easy trail from Sjenica lake to the Molitova viewpoint. The untouched nature in Uvac is magical, and the view from Molitova is incredible.
When taking a look at the river flowing from one of the viewpoints, it feels that nature was playing around without being sure where to define a place for the river.
Some griffon vultures live in the area, the majority of them staying in their nests during the day. Their nests are mainly at the rocky edges of the canyon. Griffon vultures are the biggest bird in Serbia with a wingspan of 3m.
Conclusion
These were ten places for beginners to go hiking in Serbia. There are more places that we will include in another post. For now, I’m pretty sure that you have enough options to go outside and explore this beautiful country. It is always surprising that Serbia has an untouched nature in different parts of the country that many people don’t know about these places.
I hope this post inspired you to start your hiker career, or just to go outside and check these places. Most of the routes were recorded on Strava, so I left them in the post in case you want to check or follow the same path when visiting these places.
Let me know in the comments about your experiences on any of these places or if I missed some. Most of the tours I did were with my friends from Explore Serbia.
See you in the next post!!! Bye!
