This article describes my experience rafting on Tara River twice. It is one of the most famous activities in Serbia after the winter. This article will show you what to expect so you can prepare yourself beforehand for this fantastic experience.
Rafting is a fairly common activity in Serbia, mostly because its nature is blessed with good rivers and jaw-dropping views that attract people every year. I have rafted in many countries, like Brazil and Ecuador, but Serbia has a special place in my heart, so I want to share my experience with you.
This article provides more information about the experience of rafting on the Tara River. Fasten your seatbelts and keep reading.
What's the Tara Rafting experience?
The Tara experience can include many different outdoor activities besides rafting! Campsites offer other types of action, like ATV tours, zip lines, and hiking/trekking tours. It’s a beautiful place to include in your travel list if the activities mentioned interest you. Even if you prefer less activity, there are also tours to show you the Tara Canyon and its magic.
If you are interested in learning more about Tara Mountain, check out this blog post, which provides an overview of Tara and other mountains in Serbia. Rafting in Serbia isn’t tied to a unique place; there are other rivers where it is possible to experience the sport.
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Adventure on Tara? Let's go!
One of the first things my Serbian friends told me when I started living in Serbia was: “Since you like adventures, you need to go to Tara.” It wasn’t long until my co-worker Milan invited me to go with him and his friends on a weekend trip there for the first time.
We were a group of 19 people, and I only knew Milan then. We started our trip super early on Saturday, so almost everybody looked forward to recharging a bit before reaching our destination. After a few hours and beers, the Serbian hospitality flourished, and I started getting to know the group better.
Visiting Visegrad
On the way, we made a quick stop in Visegrad and had enough time to refresh ourselves and take some pics on the Mehmed Paša Sokolović bridge. The bridge is widely known due to the world-famous book ´The Bridge on the Drina´ by Ivo Andric. I added this book to my reading list.
We also had time to visit a viewpoint where the view of the city was amazing! Visegrad has a special place in my heart; I visited it several times, once as part of a 4-day road trip in the Balkans with my friends.
From Visegrad, we quickly reached our camp, where we would sleep and recharge our energies before going rafting the next day. Well, that’s what I thought, but then I realized how much Serbs love hanging out and parties!
Everybody started drinking right after dinner. People were excited to give me rakija, the Serbian spirit; I told them I’m not a big fan of beer, so they were even more enthusiastic to see me trying. After spending only a few days in Serbia, you can feel how kind and fun people they are.
After singing (uh, trying to) folk songs and dancing a lot, we went to our cabins to sleep for a few hours and started our adventure the next day.
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Rafting time!!!
It wasn’t easy to only have a few hours of sleep and wake up early the next day. I felt very fresh, though; the rakijas didn’t affect my morning much. I was ready to start! Our instructor was very friendly and always prepared to answer any questions. He spent a few minutes explaining how to paddle correctly and gave us security tips in case if some accident happens.
I realized that rafting could be dangerous if the river is very wild, mostly right after winter when the water flow is stronger. The person guiding the raft always asks the group if they want to add more excitement to the ride.
April is usually the best month to go rafting on the Tara River for those looking for an adrenaline-filled experience. The reason for that is the snow melting from the mountains, which increases the water flow in the Drina River and your strength.
The entire experience lasted for a few hours; on the way, we had a break to check a waterfall and get some drinks. Unfortunately, I wasn’t taking cold showers and doing the Wim Hof method back then, so facing the water from the waterfall was hard.
Returning to the raft
After the waterfall, we returned to the river—it was time to paddle more! Our instructor asked the group if we wanted a ride with or without adrenaline. You already know the answer: ADRENALINE!!! He did a trick to rotate the raft, and it was very fun.
As I said, the river is wild during April, so I got an excellent adrenaline pump during the ride. Congrats to our group—everybody was very fit and up to a nice challenge.
In the end, I couldn’t ask for more. My first rafting on the Tara River was a great experience and a good memory that I will never forget. After that day, I got more excited about rafting and started checking more destinations to explore different rivers around the world!
The second Tara Rafting experience
Fast forward to 2017, one year after my first rafting experience. The company I was working for then decided to go to Tara as part of our annual team-building event. I loved the idea! It is a perfect opportunity to feel the magic of Serbia’s lungs again.
One of my favorite moments of the trip is the way to the mountain. We warm up our bodies by drinking rakija and having fun singing Serbian songs, which is a perfect opportunity to learn new Serbian songs.
After reaching the camp, we ate a delicious Serbian dinner—a proper carb loading to prepare us to handle the next day. This time, my group was also willing to add adrenaline, so we told our guide to bring an authentic rafting experience to our group. After a few minutes of refreshing my memory about the commands, I was ready to start rafting on Tara!
Going to the Tara river
It is necessary to drive a few km from the camp to the river to start rafting. An interesting experience is that on the way, it’s one of the border crossings between Bosnia and Montenegro, so you need to bring your passport. Cops in the Balkans are always making comments about football, Brazilian women, and Samba when they see a Brazilian passport.
Even though it was the beginning of June, the Drina River was wild and intense. It’s hard to imagine a rafting experience on a calm river; I’m not sure if it would be fun. We had some moments where our raft hit some rocks. Nothing was done by purpose, though, only the rafting experience spoke for itself. After a few hours of activities, close to the end of the activity, we had a break to get some refreshments (aha, rakija!) to keep us going.
A small hiking after rafting
We went for a small mountain hike a few hours after the rafting. There are plenty of activities on Tara besides rafting; you can hike to Zborište (1544m), the highest peak in the mountain, rent a quad and drive around, or relax and enjoy the nature around you.
Conclusion
My experiences rafting on the Tara River have been great so far; I would love to go there again and do a serious hike combined with rafting. If you are looking for an excellent adventure in the Balkans, remember to add this one.
Have you been to Tara before? Let me know which activity you liked most when you were there.
Cheers!!
