Tara Canyon Day Trip from Podgorica

Why the Tara is worth the drive

The Tara River Canyon is the deepest canyon in Europe, reaching 1,300 metres at its deepest and stretching 82 kilometres. Globally, only the Grand Canyon is deeper. The Tara itself is protected under Durmitor National Park, a historic walled town.

The route from Podgorica takes a full day, it's a three-hour drive one way in good conditions, more in summer, but the drive itself is half the experience. You'll follow the E65 through the Morača Canyon, climb past Kolašin, then cross onto the Durmitor plateau.

The bridge sits on the main run north, and reading up on the Podgorica to Zabljak drivebeforehand saves you guessing at the junction where the road splits for the canyon.

The drive north

Head north on the E65 via Kolašin, the road follows the Morača Canyon for 68 km of cliff-side bends and tunnels. If you've got time, our dedicated Morača Canyon guide covers the route properly including a stop at the 13th-century monastery halfway up. Beyond Kolašin the landscape opens into upland pasture. At Mojkovac, bear left toward Žabljak via the P-14. The final stretch into Žabljak climbs steadily.

Žabljak itself sits at 1,456 metres, the highest town in the Balkans. In winter it's a ski resort; in summer, a trekking base.

Đurđevića Tara Bridge

Completed in 1940, the bridge spans the canyon at 365 metres long, resting on five concrete arches. The deck is 172 metres above the river, the height of a 50-storey building. It's 23 km from Žabljak town. Pull into the car park on the north side for the best view back across the span.

History: the bridge was partially destroyed in 1942 when the Yugoslav resistance blew up the central arch to prevent Italian occupation forces crossing. The engineer who designed it, Lazar Jauković, was among the demolition team and was later executed by the Italians. A memorial to him stands at the bridge entrance.

Rafting put-ins and the forest tracks around the canyon rim are gravel rather than tarmac, so drivers heading that way often take a higher-clearance SUV or crossoverinstead of a low saloon.

Rafting options

Tara rafting season runs April to October, with peak conditions from May to September. The most common half-day trip covers the stretch between Splavište and Šćepan Polje, about 18 km, taking 3-4 hours on the water. Grade II-III rapids mostly, with a few Grade IV sections in high water.

Most operators offer pickup from Žabljak or the bridge itself. From Podgorica, you can book a full-day package that includes transport, rafting, lunch and return, useful because solo drivers can't easily raft and drive themselves back.

Zipline across the canyon

Two commercial ziplines operate beside the bridge. The longer one is about 350 metres and reaches around 60 km/h across the gorge. €20-25 per rider. Short wait in high summer.

Black Lake (Crno Jezero)

If you're not rafting, drive 15 minutes from Žabljak to Black Lake. It's a glacial lake with a 3.5 km loop path, easy, flat, and genuinely beautiful. Expect deer and marmot sightings early or late in the day. Park at the main visitor area; entry to the national park is around €3 per person. For gentler forest walking on the way back, the Biogradska Gora trails near Kolašin are a quieter alternative.

Practical tips

• Day trip or stay? Drivable as a day trip from Podgorica (early start), but a night in Žabljak lets you do both the bridge and Black Lake without rushing.
• Vehicle: Standard car fine in summer. In winter, snow tyres are legally required November-April on the road to Žabljak.
• Rafting booking: Book at least a day ahead in peak season. Most operators pick up from Podgorica hotels.
• Food: Try the lamb in Kolašin (Restoran Brile is well-known) or the trout at Žabljak.
• Altitude: Žabljak's elevation means even summer nights are cool, bring a layer.
• Fuel: Stations in Kolašin and Žabljak. The stretch between can be thin.

What the drive is actually like

Allow roughly three hours each way and treat it as a full day. The road climbs steadily out of the Moraca valley through tunnels and long bends, with the surface generally good but patched in the higher sections. Overtaking lorries is the main frustration, and there are few safe places to do it. Fill up in Podgorica or Mojkovac, because filling stations thin out past Zabljak. Parking at the bridge is informal roadside space on both banks and gets tight by late morning in summer. Snow tyres are a legal requirement in the north from mid-November to April, and Durmitor holds snow well into spring. Anything with a decent engine will manage; a very small car will feel slow on the long climbs.

Pair with

This trip naturally combines with a stop at the Morača Monastery on the drive up or back.