The Tara river canyon does have two very important items to speak for it as one of the earths preeminent chasms. The first is that it is one of the most beautiful canyons on the globe and the other is that as a practical matter it is the only 1 of Europe’s 3 deepest that is  raft-able. As such, it is one of the worlds “must do” in the world of  rafting. It is a photographers dreamland as well as a wonderful family adventure outing.

Our canyon research non-profit Wilderness Expeditions Ltd. of Tucson AZ. USA has been investigating the gorge for almost 2 decades. We have hiked it, done flyovers but for the first time in July 2010, we at last had the opportunity to raft it thanks to the sponsorship of Maria Gates of the Gates Group.

Our starting point was Sarajevo and from there a bus ride south (about 100km) to Foca on the border of Bosnia and Herzegovina. There we booked with a fabulous guide outfit called HIGHLANDER that is headquartered in Foco.  The next morning we set  out at 5:30 am on our fantastic adventure!

After an hours drive we came across this amazing site of the Piva Canyon. Ms. Gates took this amazing photo.

After launching on the Tara River proper after lunch we came across a family group from the mid-west USA on a two day adventure trip down the emerald blue river.

The next morning we entered into the narrowest part of the canyon and photographed this wonderful spring gushing after an hours drive we came across this amazing site of the Piva Canyon. Ms. Gates took this amazing photo.

From the east wall (river right) from a cave hidden behind a lush screen of forest.

Bucevica cave falls river right.

“The Tara River Canyon (Montenegrin: Kanjon Tara), also known as the Tara River Gorge, is the longest canyon in Montenegro. It is 82 kilometers long and is 1,300 meters at its deepest, making it the deepest river canyon in Europe. The canyon is protected as a part of Tara national park and is a tentative UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Tara River cuts through the canyon.

All along its flow, Tara gets large quantities of water from numerous sources, and quite a few tributaries. The most important tributaries on the left Tara side are Ljutica and Susica, and the most important tributaries from the right side being Vaskovaska rijeka and Draga. The most important source is the source Bajlovica sige, a source placed on the left bank of the Tara river giving to the Tara a few hundred liters per second, where the water sourcing from the Bucevica cave falls into the Tara more than thirty meters high, and more than a hundred and fifty meters bright. Very special are the Tara cascades. The roar from the cascades is heard on the very peaks of the canyon. There are more than forty cascades, the most famous being: Djavolje lazi, Sokolovina, Bijeli kamen, Gornji tepacki buk, Donji tepacki buk etc. Because of the quality of its water, and because of its unique ecological system, Tara in 1977 was put into the programme “Covjek i biosfera” (Men and Biosphere) and inscribed into the ecological biosphere reservations of the World, being thus protected under an internationally issued convention.

There are rocky and pebbly terraces, sandy beaches, high cliffs, and more than 80 large caves along the canyon.” – From: Wikipedia

Recommend:
HIGHLANDER – GORŠTAK
Tel: +387(0)58/213-225
Mob: +387(0)65/475-201
Adresa: Mojkovačka bb
73300 Foča, BiH
Email: highlandertim@hotmail.com
Website: www.highlandertim.com

Grand Falls of the Una River Gorge- Biha’c  Bosnia and Herzegovina

Falls Jumping….or

Falls Rafting? For ourselves we just took the photo’s.

Recommend:
UNA RC-Kiro Rafting
Coralic MersadKiro, Prof.
Website: www.extreme@una-kiro-rafting.com
Email: extreme@una-kiro-rafting.com

Maria Gates-Nature and Adventure Photographer