DESCENTE DE LA TARA EN RAFTING

Unless you come to fly over the region by helicopter, rafting is the only way to discover the magnificent Tara Canyon, the longest and deepest in Europe. These limestone gorges stretch for 82 km in Montenegro with the last 30 km forming a natural border with Bosnia-Herzegovina. Still practically untouched, the canyon earned Montenegro's Durmitor National Park a place on the Unesco World Heritage List in 1982. To descend the canyon in its entirety, you need to plan for three to four days and a budget of about €250 per person, but this includes meals, accommodation and some transfers by minibus.

What you need to know

The Tara. Stretching over 149 km, this river is the longest in Montenegro. It originates in the south-east of the country, near Albania, at an altitude of 1,100 m, where the Opasanica and the Veruša meet, in the Žijevo massif, which rises to over 2,000 m. It is navigable by kayak for most of its length. But it is the second part of its course that is the most popular. On its last 82 kilometers, the Tara has carved out limestone gorges that constitute the longest and deepest canyon in Europe with walls rising up to 1,300 m high. This is much less than the Grand Canyon, in the United States, which extends over 450 km with a depth of up to 1,800 m. But it is slightly more than the Drina Canyon (see Upper Drina region), the second deepest in Europe, and considerably more than the Vikos Gorge in Greece (20 km and 500 m deep) and the Verdon Gorge in France (25 km and 700 m deep). The entire Tara canyon is part of the Montenegrin national park of Durmitor and the last thirty kilometers form a natural border with Bosnia and Herzegovina. The river ends in Hum, at the confluence of the Piva (120 km long), also coming from Montenegro, to give birth to the Drina (346 km) which will then join the Sava, a tributary of the Danube. Very little subjected to human activities and still well preserved, the Tara constitutes with the Drina a refuge for many threatened species such as the Danube salmon(Hucho hucho). But like many rivers in the Balkans, the Tara could one day be transformed with the installation of dams. Since 2005, several development projects have already been announced.

Rafting. Although the Tara hosted the World Rafting Championships in 2009 (with the Vbras, in Banja Luka), it is not very difficult for beginners accompanied by a good skipper. In the canyon, the most technical rapids are class III or IV on a scale of six levels. It should also be noted that the flow is lower from June to October. About thirty Bosnian and Montenegrin agencies offer rafting trips down the Tara canyon, either in its entirety, for 82 km from Montenegro, from the Đurđevića-Tara bridge (or a little further upstream), or on the last 15 km section, from the Brštanovica camp located on the Bosnian side of the Tara. It is this last part, at the border between the two countries, from Brštanovica to Hum, which is the most rich in rapids. For a complete tour of the canyon, two full days with an overnight stay in Radovan Luka, Montenegro, are necessary. But most Bosnian agencies offer a four-day program: an extra afternoon the day before departure to prepare and get acquainted, and an extra morning the day after arrival to rest. In addition, some Montenegrin agencies also offer a 120-km-long route on the Tara River from Kolašin (68 km southeast of the Đurđevića-Tara bridge).

Formalities. Excursions are conducted in English with groups of about eight paddling passengers per boat. Before embarking on a rafting trip, do not hesitate to ask if your skipper has the necessary authorization to accompany a group on a rafting trip. For example, a canoe-kayak instructor's license is recognized by the International Rafting Federation. Also check what is included in the price of your trip. This always includes the loan of equipment (helmet, wetsuit) as well as the cost of food, lodging and transportation to the starting point of the trip. Most of the agencies also include an insurance (5 €) as well as the taxes of stay in the national park of Durmitor (45 € to sleep there). But few of them offer a free shuttle to Foča: it is an extra charge. For a fee, it is also possible to be picked up from Sarajevo or other cities. Finally, be sure to take an ID with you: it is required to enter Montenegro and then return to Bosnia and Herzegovina. Checks are carried out at the Hum-Šćepan Polje border crossing, located at the confluence of the Piva and Tara rivers.

The complete route

Splavište. The longest trips offered by Bosnian agencies start from Splavište, Montenegro, 100 km upstream from Hum. From the border, it takes about 4 hours to get there by minibus. Once in the water, the boats pass along the large Ljutica waterfall (35 m high) and the village of Šljivansko, another possible starting point.

Bridge Đurđevića-Tara. This is one of the great attractions of the route and the main starting point for excursions. This structure connecting the tourist village of Žabljak to the rest of Montenegro, marks the entrance to the canyon and Durmitor National Park. Built in 1940, it is 365 m long and its five arches are 170 m high.

Nisovo Vrelo. After the Đurđevića-Tara bridge, the Tara runs along the 15th-century Archangel Michael Monastery, an ancient Roman road, and then the Funjički Bukovi and Bijele Ploče waterfalls, before arriving at Nisovo Vrelo, the most incised area of the canyon with steep walls rising to 1,100 m in height and class III and IV rapids. The scenery is beautiful with Mt. Ćurevac towering at 1,650 m above sea level.

Radovan Luka. After the Draga waterfall, the first day ends at the big wooden chalet in Radovan Luka. Most of the crews meet there as in a mountain refuge with the program barbecue, rakija and extinction of the fires at 10 pm, when the generators stop.

Tepački Bukovi. The next day includes a 35 km ride to Hum. After 4 km and a frail wooden bridge, the calmed relief hardens at the place called Tepački Bukovi ("beech carpet"): if the walls are relatively flared, they rise 1,300 m above the water. A few kilometers further on the right begins Bosnia and Herzegovina, while Montenegro occupies the left bank.

Canyon of the Sušica. Becoming bi-national, the Tara receives the waters of the Sušica, which has also dug its own canyon. A magnificent place where some agencies offer canyoning. Next is the Bailovića Šige waterfall (20 m high) and the entrance to the Đalovića cave, one of the longest in the Balkans, which goes 17 km underground.

Brštanovica. Shortly after the Popova Lučica suspension bridge, there is the Brštanovica camp: this is where the "all-day" mini-excursions start, which last from 3 to 4 hours. There are still 15 km to Hum with a succession of class IV rapids created by small tributaries of the Tara: the Urva, the Ljutnica, the Šipčanica..

Hum. Piva and the road bridge at the Hum-Šćepan Polje border crossing are in sight. For those whose base camp is in Bastasi, it will be necessary to continue along the Drina for another 5 km. Some agencies also offer to push on to Foča and Goražde or, again, to explore the Piva. But for most of the clients who left from Brštanovica or Splavište, a long evening of fiesta begins at the confluence of the Piva and the Drina: family atmosphere or alcohol galore, this is part of the concept of "rafting on the Tara".