How Deep Is the Tara Canyon? Facts and Figures

The numbers

Depth: about 1,300 metres at the deepest point.
River length: the Tara is about 146 km long, from the mountains of northern Montenegro to Šćepan Polje.
Where it ends: at Šćepan Polje the Tara meets the Piva and together they form the Drina.
Protection: the upper canyon is inside Durmitor National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1980; the Tara basin is a UNESCO biosphere reserve.

You will often read that the Tara is the second deepest canyon in the world after the Grand Canyon. Comparisons like that depend on how a canyon is defined and measured, so treat them loosely. The European claim is the one that is widely accepted.

The bridge

The best-known view of the canyon is from the Đurđevića Tara bridge, a concrete arch bridge finished in 1940, about 365 metres long and roughly 170 metres above the river. During the Second World War one of its arches was blown up to stop the enemy advance, and it was rebuilt after the war. Today a zip line crosses the gorge next to it; the operator lists a 740-metre cable.

Seeing the deepest part

From the road you see the canyon from above. To see the walls from the river, where the depth really lands, you need a boat. The 36 km full-day trip is the one that goes through the deepest part of the canyon, and both two-day trips start high up at Radovan Luka.

For a view from above, the jeep safaris from Žabljak go to viewpoints over the canyon. The family day combines three hours of rafting with a four-hour jeep safari.

Why it matters on the water

Depth brings shade and cold. The canyon floor gets less sun than the plateau above, and the river is fed by springs such as Ljutica, where the boats stop. Bring the respect for cold water that the numbers suggest; the wetsuit is not optional.

Questions and answers