Tara Canyon: The Deepest Canyon in Europe

Up to 1,300 metres deep and about 80 kilometres long, this is the deepest canyon in Europe. It is often called second only to the Grand Canyon. The Tara cut through the limestone plateau between Durmitor and Sinjajevina, and the result has no equal in Europe.

The river here is drinkable. Not “reasonably clean” — actually drinkable: people scoop it straight off the raft with a mug, and that is normal rather than a stunt for tourists.

What the canyon actually is

The Tara starts in the south of the country, runs north and crosses into Bosnia, where it joins the Piva and becomes the Drina. For about 80 kilometres of that course the river runs through the canyon.

Durmitor National Park was founded in 1952 and added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1980. The Tara basin has been a biosphere reserve since 1977. Around the river stands relict forest: black pines four hundred years old and more.

There are two ways to see the canyon, and they leave completely different impressions.

From above: the bridge and the viewpoints

The main stop is the Đurđevića bridge: five arches, 365 metres long, more than 150 metres above the water. When it was finished in 1940 it was the largest concrete arch road bridge in Europe.

In autumn 2026 the bridge is closed for reconstruction until 26 October, though it is expected to reopen earlier. Check before you go.

There are viewing platforms at both ends; the better angle is from the northern one. Ziplines are strung across the canyon, with lines from 350 metres to a kilometre long, €10–30 depending on the line. The season runs from mid-April to September, in dry weather.

The bridge, its history and its parking are covered in Đurđevića bridge.

The second angle is the Ćurevac viewpoint and the pull-offs on the road to Žabljak, where the canyon reads not as a point but as a line running off to the horizon.

From below: rafting

The only way to grasp the scale is to be on the bottom of it. From the water the walls rise more than a kilometre, and you do not feel that from the rim.

The standard section is Brštanovica — Šćepan Polje, 18 kilometres and 24 rapids of grade II. This is safe water: children are taken from the age of five, anyone can paddle, and the instructor calls the moves.

A full day with transfer, breakfast and lunch costs from €82 per person — Tara rafting and the Piva canyon — departing Budva, Kotor, Tivat, Bar or Podgorica; the Herceg Novi departure is not running in 2026. Wetsuit, helmet and life jacket are included. The organised trip runs in season and is not held from October to May.

Season: May to September. In May the water is high and cold and the rapids punch harder; by August it is calmer and warmer.

Getting there

From Žabljak to the bridge is 23 kilometres, half an hour. From Budva it is about 185 kilometres and four hours via Podgorica and the Morača canyon; from Kotor, half an hour longer.

The road is paved but mountainous: 60–80 limits, hairpins, unlit tunnels. Fill up in Podgorica or Mojkovac — beyond that stations are sparse: Fuel and petrol stations.

Montenegro has two toll roads, and one of them is on the way north: the Smokovac–Mateševo motorway beyond Podgorica, €3.50 for the full stretch. It bypasses the Morača canyon; the old road through the canyon is free.

Parking at the bridge is free, but from eleven to four it is taken by coaches.

One day or two

A day trip from the coast is twelve hours, eight of them driving. You get the bridge, the Black Lake and Morača monastery on the way: Durmitor and the Black Lake.

With a night in Žabljak the day becomes humane and there is room for rafting or a trail: Žabljak and Northern Montenegro in two days.

If you are not driving

The coach tour Tara and Morača canyons covers the bridge, the Black Lake, Morača monastery and Lake Biograd, with hotel pickup included. It costs from €58 per person departing Budva or Podgorica, and from €68 from Kotor, Tivat or Bar.

The private version of the same route, with your own guide and no shared group, is Canyons and Žabljak, private. Private tours cost from €90 for the whole group. Both come only with a Russian-speaking guide; if Russian is no use to you, the honest alternative is to drive yourself in a hire car.

Every format is listed under things to do.

What to expect

Temperature. 30 °C on the coast, 18 °C and wind on the bridge. In August. Warm clothes are not optional.

Shoes. Rock and grass at the viewpoints, and rafting operators do not always issue footwear — bring something you do not mind soaking.

Cash. Zipline, café parking and souvenirs are almost all cash.

If you are driving yourself

Take something that is not the lowest car on the lot: some viewpoint approaches are gravel, and insurance rarely covers the underside — Insurance and deposit. Options are on the car rental page.

And if after the mountains you want water, the simplest contrast is a boat trip: from €355 for three hours, with the whole boat to your group, yacht charter.

Prices checked in September 2026.