Rafting the Tara River
Montenegro, a land with a fjord to rival any in Norway, has a breathtaking northern mountain range to compare with any in New Zealand. One particular sight, that of the Tara river gorge, is one of the most impressive in the world. The gorge is the deepest canyon on the European continent and registers as a UNESCO heritage site (see Durmitor National Park). I decided that it would be fun to raft down the river, it was the first run of the season and the weather was mostly rainy, but I don’t regret it one bit. Something about the rain does add a little bit of intensity to a water soaked ride down a river.
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A Departure from Kotor
I would recommend taking this tour with 360 Monte, a Montenegrin company offering day trips from Kotor. I was staying at the Old Town Hostel (located in the old town of Kotor), an excellent hostel with an association with the company. 360 Monte will pick you up right at the door of your hostel in the early in the morning. The tour takes you out of Kotor, located on an Adriatic bay, via Perast for a beautiful view of the waterfront. From there the van takes you for a ride up though the mountains. The first stop on this tour is at Piva lake, created by the construction of Mratinje Dam. Built in 1975, under Tito, it is one of the most impressive dams in Europe as well as one of the highest at an elevation of 220m. The view of the Tara river and Piva lake offered from the top is unparalleled. The emerald blue waters will really catch your eye, especially for North Americans like me.
From the dam, the tour takes you to the Blue River Rafting Camp. This facility is located at the very north end of the country, directly across the river is Bosnia territory, hence the river is the border. It is from here that the rafting takes place.
Rafting
After a quick breakfast, you will put on your gear. Once ready a guide will load your group up in a van heading upstream. Due to the forested shoreline, there is not much to see from the bus, but not to worry, you will soon be ready to raft down the river.
The river is cold in mid may, but not totally unpleasant when you have the equipment on. It was the first time of the season the tour ran and I can see why, there was intermittent rain and it was a tad cold out. While rafting down the river, there are stops for swimming and one to check out a small waterfall. This will give you a good break from the paddling. Since some sections of the river have more current than others and so you will find yourself paddling a little harder at certain points.
The real treat is enjoying the beautiful scenery that surrounds you. Floating down the Tara river offers beautiful vistas. The sections of rapids that you do are not nearly as impressive as some we have in the great North American rivers but are pleasant all the same.
By the time we floated downstream we were soaked from head to toe. The event lasts a few hours and it is enough to work up quite the appetite. Back at the rafting facility you get served a proper lunch, where I had the best beef I have had in my life. Montenegro has some great produce.
Return to Kotor
The way back to Kotor, the tour was quiet in comparison to the way up. We were exhausted but we still had a few stops along the way. Here you can see a badly maintained section of road and tunnelling that lead further into the mountains. This was a failed building project by Tito as the road does not lead to any populated area and is emblematic of the type of construction undertaken during communist years. The crazy roadway only has a narrow paved section and boulders can sometimes block the way and can damage vehicles. It is a long drive back to Kotor and I needed a nap so I passed out, along with many of my hard partying hostel friends.
If you happen to come to northern Montenegro, other things to see include the Durmitor bridge, the village of Zabljak, the city of Nikšić (where the beer comes from) and the Ostrog Monastery.
