Hiking Trails And National Parks In East Serbia
-
Loading... - Simon Sterling
- 23 Aug 2022
- 71 Views
- 0 Like
- 0 Comment
Serbia in the Balkans, in South-East Europe, is a wonderful destination for outdoor enthusiasts and active travelers, who want to explore the nature as a part of their holiday. For most of the visitors, the lively capital city Belgrade is the starting point for a trip in Serbia, and from there it’s easy to travel elsewhere in the country. However, to explore the national parks and remote corners of Serbia, using just public transportation can be a bit tricky, or in some cases even a mission impossible. The best option for independent travelers is to have their own wheels – own car, a rental, maybe a motorbike, or bicycle. There are also several tour companies offering organized, guided hiking trips. In this post we shortly introduce some beautiful outdoor destinations in eastern Serbia, that we visited in May 2022, and list some essential gear for day treks and longer hikes.
DJERDAP NATIONAL PARK AND VELIKI STRBAC PEAK
Our first hiking, or for us actually trail running, destination in Serbia was Djerdap National Park, in the northeastern part of Serbia, by the Danube river, on the border of Romania. The national park spreads across the surface of almost 64 hectares, along a 100 km stretch of the right bank of the Danube, from Golubac to Karatas. Djerdap National Park also is a UNESCO global geopark, and it’s known for dramatic, deep river gorges and cliffs, that can be admired from several scenic viewpoints.
There are several trails in Djerdap National Park, out of which we chose the climb up on top of Veliki Štrbac, the highest peak of MiroÄ mountain, that is part of the Iron Gate gorge of the Danube river. The views on top of the peak are simply amazing! Most of the visitors only walk the first couple of kilometers of the trail to PloÄe viewpoint (Vidikovac PloÄe) on the side of the mountain, but pushing on all the way to the top is well worth the effort!
The hike up on top of the peak is marked and easy to follow, even if at times it is quite steep (especially if you are trail running). There are some parking places in the trail head (Vidikovac PloÄe – Parking i ulaz in Google Maps), and there is also a ranger station, where you should buy an entrance ticket (250 dinars, roughly 2,2 €) to the national park. In case there is no-one there, you simply pay when/if you’ll see a ranger during the day (keep some cash with you), or you could contact the national park administration already beforehand. For staying overnight close to the trails, we chose Camping Asin, a very nice small camping site close to Dobra village, 18 kilometers east from Golubac. Read More…
