Tara Mountain

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Tara National Park
IUCN Category II (National Park)
Tara National Park
Location	Serbia
Nearest city	Bajina Bašta
Coordinates	43°50′52″N 19°27′57″E / 43.84778, 19.46583
Area	220 km²
Established	1981

Tara Mountain, part of the Outer Dinaric Alps, is located in western Serbia and stands at 1,000-1,500 meters above sea level. The mountain's slopes are clad in dense forests with numerous high-altitude clearings and meadows, steep cliffs, deep ravines carved by the nearby Drina River and many karst, or limestone caves. The mountain is a popular tourist center. Tara's national park encompasses a large part of the mountain.

[edit] National park

Tara's national park was established in 1981 and it encompasses Tara and Zvijezda mountains, in a large bend of the Drina River. The size of the park is about 220 square kilometers with altitudes varying from 250 to 1,500 meters above sea level. The park's management office is located in nearby Bajina Bašta.

The national park consists of a group of mountain peaks with deep picturesque gorges between them. The most striking of these gorges is the Drina Gorge, with its sheer drops from 1000-250 meters and extensive views of western Serbia and nearby Bosnia. The area is also characterised by karst caves, pits, springs, and breathtaking vista points. Forests account for three quarters of this national park's area, some of them being the best preserved and well-kept in Europe. Tara also boasts a rare endemic Tertiary species, the Picea omorika, or Serbian Spruce, which is now protected in a small area of the park. Because of its rarity and scientific importance, it has been placed under national protection. Locally, Tara is home to many different species of wildlife, including brown bears, chamois, roe deer, lynxes, otters, wolves and others. More than 100 bird species also make their temporary or permanent homes on the slopes of the mountain: the golden eagle, the griffon vulture, the peregrine falcon, the Eurasian eagle owl, the black grouse, among many others.

The Tara National Park can be reached from Bajina Bašta directly (by the Bajina Bašta - Kaludjerske Bare road), from Perućac via Bajina Bašta (by the Perućac - Mitrovac road) and from Kremna (the Kremna - Kaludjerske Bare road). The Drina Gorge, which is an integral part of the park, can be toured by boat.

Tara National Park is home to Mitrovac, a children's recreational center and several hotel facilities, including Hotel Beli Bor, Hotel Omorika (a large hotel with many conference services), and Hotel Tara.