The Drina canyon and Perućac lake seen over a wooden fence at the Banjska stena viewpoint on Tara, under a blue sky with white clouds

Best Area to Stay on Tara Mountain

A quiet mountain for walking the same few paths every morning: pick the village by the viewpoint you want nearest.

4 bases · 7-14 nights

Updated October 2026

Photo: Gorana Gomirac (VMRS), CC BY-SA 4.0

Tara is the quiet holiday in its plainest form. The national park covers about 25,000 hectares of beech, fir and spruce at the elbow of the Drina, with an average height of 1,000 to 1,200 m. People come for seven to fourteen days, walk to a viewpoint in the morning, sit in a restaurant garden, walk a little more, and go to bed early. There is no town center to see and no beach, and that is the point: it works for people who want the same calm thing every day.

The one decision that matters is which part of the mountain you sleep in, because Tara is large and the roads between its parts are slow. Kaluđerske Bare in the north has the most facilities and the Crnjeskovo walks. Mitrovac in the middle is closest to Banjska stena, the famous Drina viewpoint. Zaovine in the south is a lake and a scatter of farms. Bajina Bašta at the foot is a real town with pharmacies, and the least like a mountain stay. For the sights around the mountain, the Zlatibor guide covers a day on Tara and the Šargan Eight; this page is only about where to sleep.

Where to Stay in Tara: the Bases

The towns people stay in: the access, the evenings, and the shops in each, and the catch.

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Kaluđerske Bare

Best for: A first stay: most restaurants, a gas station and the Crnjeskovo walks

Access: 16 km from Bajina Bašta, 9 km from Kremna, about 35 km (45 min) from Zlatibor town by car. Trailheads start in the village.
Evenings: Quiet. A few restaurants and a tourist agency on the plateau, no nightlife, and a road that empties after dinner.
Shops: A mini-market, the only gas station inside the park and an ATM at the large hotel. Pharmacies are in Bajina Bašta.

This is the most practical base for a first week. Marked paths leave from the plateau (number 3 goes to Crnjeskovo), restaurants are within a few minutes' walk, and the road to Užice and Mokra Gora is the shortest of any base. The catch is that it is the most built-up part of the park, so the plateau road carries traffic in season, and Banjska stena is a drive away from here, not a walk. If a week of the same two or three paths is the plan, it also has the most variety: Crnjeskovo and Sokolarica face each other across the Rača gorge, and the Rača monastery sits at the bottom of it.

Mitrovac

Best for: Banjska stena and Osluša without much driving

Access: 27 km from Bajina Bašta via Perućac. The visitor center is here; Banjska stena is 6 km away on a gravel road or two marked paths.
Evenings: Very quiet. A couple of restaurants and the visitor center, and little else once the day visitors leave.
Shops: A small mini-market. For anything else you drive to Kaluđerske Bare (about 19 km) or Bajina Bašta.

Mitrovac sits in the middle of the park and is the closest base to Banjska stena, one of the best-known viewpoints in Serbia, and to Osluša. The park runs a visitor center here with maps and rangers, and rents rooms. The catch is distance: Bajina Bašta is 27 km away, buses are thin, and a forgotten medicine means a long drive. It suits people with a car and a stocked fridge.

Zaovine

Best for: The quietest stay: farms, a lake and Janjač

Access: About 16 km (30 min) from Mitrovac on mountain roads; Bajina Bašta is farther. Plan every trip around a car.
Evenings: Silent. A restaurant by the lake dam and village houses, and no other places to eat nearby.
Shops: Almost none inside the village. Shop in Bajina Bašta or at Mitrovac before you arrive.

South of the park's core are a reservoir called Zaovine Lake, a village spread over hills, and the high summit of Janjač (1,473 m) on the border with Bosnia; the village lies in the park's protection zone, not inside it. Lodging here is mostly private houses, apartments and cabins, and some of them look over the lake. It is the base for people who want to hear nothing at all, and the one where you will most likely cook your own dinner. The catch is that the main viewpoints of Tara (Banjska stena, Crnjeskovo) are a long drive away, and the village has almost no shops.

Bajina Bašta

Best for: Pharmacies, a bus station and the Drina at the foot of the mountain

Access: The park gate road starts here: 16 km to Kaluđerske Bare, 27 km to Mitrovac. The bus station has lines to Belgrade and Užice.
Evenings: A small town: restaurants along the main street, fish restaurants by the river and the House on the Drina, but nothing late.
Shops: Supermarkets, several pharmacies, banks and ATMs, a health center, dentists and a post office. Everything you need.

Bajina Bašta is a town on the Drina at the foot of Tara, with all the services the mountain lacks. Perućac lake is 12 km away, where the boat trips into the Drina canyon leave and the lake has a bathing beach with a restaurant on a boat. In the third week of July the Drina Regatta, a mass float from Perućac down the river, fills the town (Wikipedia); book early or avoid that week. No fixed rafting season was confirmed, so ask a local operator before planning a river day. The town works for a stay when you want a pharmacy, a bank and a bus station within walking distance, or when somebody in the party needs regular care. The catch: it is not on the mountain. Every trail is a 20 to 30 minute drive, and the air and quiet people come for start 15 km up the road.

Walks in Tara

Distances are from the park's own pages and Explore Serbia. The park lists Banjska stena, Crnjeskovo, Bilješka stena, Osluša and Sjenič as its fenced viewpoints. It is rebuilding its trail network and has taken down some signposts, so carry the GPX tracks from nptara.rs.

Walks in Tara
Walk	Surface	Shade	Crowds	Kids
Banjska stena Near Mitrovac At 1,065 m, it looks over Perućac lake and the Drina canyon, about 6 km from Mitrovac.	gravel road, marked paths 9 and 9a, forest	forest on the path, open at the top	one of Serbia's best-known viewpoints	yes, fenced; the walk is about 6 km each way
Crnjeskovo Near Kaluđerske Bare A cliff at 980 m over the Rača gorge, with Bajina Bašta and the Drina valley beyond.	marked forest path number 3	forest path most of the way	no visitor counts published	yes, fenced; about 3 km each way
Sokolarica Near Kaluđerske Bare About 10 km from Kaluđerske Bare, across the gorge from Crnjeskovo; bears live in this reserve.	forest path, rocky edge	forest, bare rock at the viewpoints	a nature reserve; the park asks for quiet	not on the park's fenced list: keep children back
Osluša Near Mitrovac A paragliding launch at 964 m looking toward Bajina Bašta, 7 km from Mitrovac toward Kaluđerske Bare.	road and E7 trail, easy	mixed, open at the viewpoint	no visitor counts published	yes, fenced and easy to reach
Bilješka stena At 1,225 m on Zvijezda, with Pančić's spruce nearby; the walk starts at Predov krst in the west of the park.	gravel road and path 14 from Predov krst	forest, open at the top	far from the villages: 6 km from Predov krst	yes, fenced; a long day (12 km, about 5 h round trip)
Sjenič At 1,444 m on Crni vrh, a fenced viewpoint with a 12 m wooden tower looking over the forested massif of Tara, about 6 km from Predov krst.	gravel road and path 12b from Predov krst	forest, a 12 m wooden tower at the top	far from the villages: 6 km from Predov krst	yes, fenced; a long walk
Zaovine Lake Near Zaovine A reservoir with a restaurant at the Lazići dam; the park allows only oars and electric motors.	village roads and lake edge	forest around the lake	no visitor counts published	yes, calm; rowing and electric boats only
House on the Drina Near Bajina Bašta A small wooden cabin on a rock in the river, seen from the bank in town.	river promenade, paved	some trees	busy in summer	yes, flat and paved

A Normal Day in Tara

Day 4 of 10 from Kaluđerske Bare starts with breakfast at a guesthouse and a mini-market top-up, then a walk to Crnjeskovo on path number 3, about 3 km of forest path each way with the Rača gorge and Bajina Bašta waiting at the fence. You are back early, since in July and August the day highs on the plateau are around 24 C, and lunch is grilled meat, kajmak and a salad at one of the restaurants on the flat top. The afternoon is for a nap, a book on a bench, or a short drive down to the Rača monastery in the gorge. Evening is a second short walk in the cooling light, supper, and bed by ten, because there is nothing else to do. On rainy days (about 11 to 12 a month in summer) you drive to Bajina Bašta for the pharmacy, a coffee and the House on the Drina instead. If you stay at Mitrovac the day shifts one stop south: the walk is to Banjska stena, lunch is at one of the two restaurants near the visitor center, and the afternoon is the easy walk to Osluša, with a rest at the lodge before supper. If you stay at Zaovine, the morning is the lake and the climb toward Janjač, and you cook supper yourself.

Days Out from Tara

Days out from Tara, all by car, and all in the Zlatibor guide.

Practical

When to come, and the everyday things for a longer stay in Tara.

Weather and crowds by month in Tara
Month	Air	RainRainy days	Crowds	Note
Jan	2°C36°F	15	Quiet	Snow on the plateau
Feb	4°C39°F	16	Quiet	Snow, cold nights
Apr	13°C55°F	16	Quiet	Mud and snow patches higher up
May	18°C64°F	17	Moderate	Green and wet
Jun	22°C72°F	15	Moderate	Long days, warm in the valley
Jul	24°C75°F	12	Busy	Warm days, cool nights
Aug	24°C75°F	11	Busy	Peak of the season
Sep	19°C66°F	12	Moderate	Quieter, good walking weather
Oct	14°C57°F	12	Quiet	Autumn color, short days
Dec	3°C37°F	16	Quiet	Snow likely, short days

Average daily highs. These are the Zlatibor station's numbers (RHMZ, 1991-2020, as tabulated on Wikipedia): average daily highs, and days with at least 0.1 mm of rain, snow included. The station is about 35 km east of Kaluđerske Bare, at a similar height (about 1,000 m); no station on Tara publishes normals, so treat them as a guide to the plateau. Bajina Bašta in the valley is lower and will differ. The crowds column is a judgement, not a count.

Shops

Kaluđerske Bare, Mitrovac and Perućac have mini-markets; the supermarkets are in Bajina Bašta. Bring cash: the park has one ATM, at the big hotel in Kaluđerske Bare, and one gas station there. Fill the tank and buy medicine before you drive up.

Pharmacy and health

The pharmacies and the health center (Dom zdravlja, Kneza Milana Obrenovića 72, phone 031/865-994) are in Bajina Bašta, not on the mountain, and there are several dentists too. For the mountain, plan for 20 to 40 minutes' drive to help.

Getting there and around

From Belgrade it is about 180 km (three hours by car) to Bajina Bašta via Valjevo; the park's page lists Raketa AB buses from Belgrade to Bajina Bašta and a few that run on to Tara and Perućac, but the timetable is undated and Mitrovac has very few buses, so confirm times at the Bajina Bašta bus station. A car is the way to live on Tara. From 1 November to 1 April Serbian law requires winter tires on all four wheels when snow or ice is on the road, and snow chains in the trunk, to be fitted where signs ask for them (021.rs); the fine for tires is 10,000 to 20,000 RSD (85 to 170 EUR). Plan a winter stay around that and around the plateau roads being slow. Mobile signal can drop in the gorges and deep forest, so save the park's GPX tracks and an offline map before you walk. Cars pay a daily fee at the gates in Perućac and Kaluđerske Bare (300 RSD (3 EUR) a day for a car, 800 RSD (7 EUR) for 10 days and 2,000 RSD (17 EUR) a year, in the park's fee decision as amended through 2025); check naplatanptara.rs for the current rate, exemptions and pay-ahead. Park fees: visitor center 100 RSD (1 EUR), guide up to six hours 5,500 RSD (47 EUR), bike hire 1,500 RSD (13 EUR) a day, the park's own lodgings charge a tourist tax of 110 RSD (1 EUR) per adult per night. Rules: stay on marked paths, make fires and camp only in marked places, and pick medicinal herbs and forest fruits only with a permit.

Food

Eat at the restaurants on the plateau and at Mitrovac, or cook: a self-catering house with a market trip every few days is how most long stays work. The park's own rooms at Mitrovac start at 1,100 RSD (9 EUR) for a three-bed room on its price list, which does not say whether that is per bed or per room. Brown bears live on Tara and the Sokolarica path has barbed wire for DNA sampling; stay on marked paths, do not disturb animals, and if you meet a bear, stay calm, do not run and step back out of its way. The park also sells guided bear-watching trips at 6,000 RSD (51 EUR) a person.

Staying in Tara: FAQ

Which is the best village to stay on Tara?

Kaluđerske Bare for a first stay: it has the most restaurants, a gas station, a mini-market and trails from the door. Choose Mitrovac to be near Banjska stena, Zaovine for silence, and Bajina Bašta if you need a pharmacy close by.

Do I need a car on Tara?

Yes, for a stay of a week or more. Buses link Bajina Bašta with Belgrade and Užice, but the roads on the mountain have little or no regular service, and the viewpoints are 6 to 15 km apart.

Can I walk to Banjska stena?

Yes. Two marked paths (9 and 9a) and a gravel road lead there from Mitrovac, about 6 km, and many people drive the road and walk the last short part. The viewpoint is at 1,065 m over Perućac lake and the Drina canyon.

Are there bears on Tara?

Yes, brown bears live in the park, and the park mentions them at the Sokolarica reserve. Stay on marked paths, and if you meet one, stay calm, do not run and step back out of its way.

Is Tara good for a quiet holiday of two weeks?

Yes, if you like repeating the same walks. The park lists five fenced viewpoints (Crnjeskovo, Banjska stena, Bilješka stena, Osluša and Sjenič) and 290 km of marked trails, so a fortnight does not run out of paths. If you need entertainment in the evening, choose Bajina Bašta and drive up each day.

What does it cost to stay on Tara?

The park's own rooms at Mitrovac start at 1,100 RSD (9 EUR) for a three-bed room on its price list, and private houses and apartments set their own prices; add the daily car fee and food. Restaurant meals on the plateau are the main daily cost if you do not cook.

How far is Tara from Belgrade and from Zlatibor?

About 180 km from Belgrade to Bajina Bašta, roughly three hours by car, and then 16 km more to Kaluđerske Bare. From Zlatibor town it is about 35 km (45 minutes) to Kaluđerske Bare, so the two stays can be combined.

When is the best time for a long stay?

May to September for walking, with July and August the busiest. October is quiet with autumn color and short days; winter brings snow on the plateau, short days and slow roads.