The national parks in Serbia are: Fruška Gora, Tara National Park, Đerdap Gorge/Iron Gate and Kopaonik. Šara Mountain National Park in Kosovo is also accessible from Serbia. It really is refreshing to get out of Belgrade to the fresh air of the Serbian countryside.
Some of the national parks are near to train stations, but Serbia is reasonably cheap and the best way to get to them is to use a Serbian private transfer company.
National Parks in Serbia
Fruška Gora
Fruška Gora is the youngest national park in Serbia, founded in 1964. In the beginning it was named as a natural reserve but then it evolved into a national park.
The area of the park is 97 km² and it is not far from Novi Sad, so you can take a train to Novi Sad, spend a day or two there and then head to Fruka Gora National Park. A small section of the park extends West into Croatia.
Fruška Gora has the biggest number of plant species and is known as “the green lung” because it covers Belgrade’s lungs which are facing air pollution problems from the industry in Srem region. It is also famous for “Fruška Gora brandy” which the first time was made in 1535 by monks from the local monastery.
Distance from Belgrade: 1 hr 13 min (85.7 km) via E75
Đerdap Gorge/Iron Gate
Đerdap Gorge/Iron Gate national park is located in North of Serbia near the Romanian border. It covers an area of 314 km² and is part of the “Juzna Morava” (river) nature park which consists of three parts:
1) Iron Gate gorge – with 200 kilometers long, it represents the larger canyon in Europe
2) Majdanpek Gorge – a canyon with the longest river bed in Europe which is of volcanic origin
3) Manasija Gorge – it covers 6.9 km² and it’s the most famous gorge in Serbia
Đerdap National Park is one of the most beautiful National Parks in Serbia. It stretches all along the banks of the Danube River from the Golubac Fortress to the dam near Novi Sip in Serbia. It’s full of trails, gorge walks and medieval fortresses. Take a boat trip along the river and don’t miss the Rock Sculpture of Decebalus.
Distance from Belgrade: 1 hr 46 min (129.2 km) via А1
Tara National Park
The Tara National Park is in the south of Serbia, covering an area of 925 km². It was proclaimed by UNESCO as a natural treasure on December 6th, 1979 and included into world network of biosphere reserves. It is famous for its colorful regional diversity and intact natural environment, which includes:
1) Triassic limestone hills – the most significant feature of this part of Serbia
2) Mountain ranges – Željin, Tara and Zvečan
3) Three big rivers – Drina, Lim and Ibar
4) Lakes – Zaovine and Perućac lakes are the most beautiful. You can also find Šuplja stena, Raičevićko jezero, Zmajevac and Jelovačko jezero lakes in this region.
Tara canyon begins at Čičavica mountain (with an altitude of 1900 m) and flows into the river Drina. The entire canyon covers 85 km; its depth is around 400-600 meters and it is 15 kilometers at its widest point.
Tara canyon is famous for its rich flora and fauna, especially orchids and carnivorous plants such as: Venus flytrap, pitcher plants and sundews.
The first sighting of a brown bear in the region was recorded on May 31st, 2003. There are also 47 species of mammals in Tara’s vicinity: endemic and rare fish species, 13 reptile and 6 amphibian species.
Distance from Belgrade: 3 hr 31 min (204.8 km) via A2 and Route 170
Kopaonik Mountains National Park
The Kopaonik mountain range is the youngest in Serbia and it was proclaimed as a national park in 1981. It covers an area of 1977 km² and it is located in the south-east of Serbia. It represents an important relic of nature because there are approximately 8,000 species of plants and animals and 80 types of birds (250 bird species live in Kopaonik).
Kopaonik is famous for its winter sports. It’s a popular ski resort with approximately 25 ski lifts. The highest peak is Pančićev Vrh. The average temperature on July is +23°C and Kopaonik’s resort centre hosts numerous skiing competitions such as World Cup in Schladming in February 2012 or Schladming’s Ski Marathon.
Distance from Belgrade: 3 hr 59 min (277.7 km) via А1
Mountain Šara National Park
Šara Mountains National Park is located in Kosovo near the Macedonia border, covering an area of 1297 km². It is popular because of its old beech forests – Šar planina, which is home to approximately 50 species of trees and shrubs including: wild hazels, beeches, hornbeams, holly oaks and lindens. This mountain has also numerous lakes.
One of the main natural features in Šara Mountains National Park is its steep ravines and canyons: Korita, Debelička Tresura, Dubešnica, Rsovac, Crna Tresura, and many more others. There are approximately 800 caves in the Šara Mountains National Park, 302 of which are registered and ready to be explored by tourists.
5 hr 41 min (500.5 km) via А1
If you enjoyed this blog and have visited some of the national parks in Serbia then please leave a comment below.
You might also like to read about these 10 stunning national parks in England.
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