Flowing through Montenegro and a part in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Tara River is a creation of two rivers in the Komovi mountains in Montenegro – Opasanica and Veruša.

 

In some parts, the walls of the Tara Canyon are 1.333 m deep, making it the second deepest canyon in the world after the Grand Canyon on the River Colorado, but the first canyon in regards to its beauty. Known as the “Tear of Europe”, the Tara River is 158 km long, has 14 different rivers flowing into it, 7 from each side and has 69 rapids on that path.

 

Another interesting feature is the cascades. The loud noise of the cascades can be heard even in the upper parts of the canyon. There are over 40 cascades on the Tara river, the most important being Crna Vrela, Bijela Vrela, Djavolje Lazi, Sokolovina and Bijeli Kamen. The most important spring that flows into the Tara river is Bajlovica Sige waterfall, which crashes into Tara with 100 liters of water per second, falling from the Bucevica cave which is over 30 m high and an astonishing 150 m wide!

 

Tara river takes pride in being on the UNESCO’s list of protected areas in the “Man and Biosphere” program from 1977 because of its diverse flora and fauna! A lot of animals call Tara canyon their home, such as trouts, huchens, graylings and other types of fish, birds like hawks, eagles, capercaillies, griffon vultures etc, then bears, wolves, foxes, chamois, and the rarest of them all in these areas are otters swimming in the Tara river. In the valleys of the Tara Canyon, there are certain herbs and trees that date all the way back to the ice age. Forests are rich with oaks, ashes, birches, beeches, and black pine trees.

 

Most of the year the water level is a class 3-4, only in the spring when the snow melts, and when there are heavy storms in a short period of time, the river is a class 5-. The average temperature of the water is 8° C, and it is drinkable throughout the whole stream.