Hotel Rtanj on Kopaonik Montain is back in business!

Several months after a fire nearly destroyed it, one of the best known hotels on Kopaonik is back in business.

Rtanj is located right on the ski slope called Mali Karaman (this slope is serviced by a four-person double chair ski lift) and it sits on 1.786 meter about the sea level. Built in 1962 this mountain retreat first became known as the home of the GSS (Serbian mountain rescue service). For several decades, it was a place where students and other younger people used to stay during the ski season, mainly because of Rtanj affordable prices. Of course, with those came also a relatively low level of comfort and an aging interior that somehow managed to keep a lot of charm in spite of crackling wooden furniture and crooked main staircase.

Then the fire came and nearly put an end to Rtanj’s long history. The blaze that broke out in May 2013 took over the upper floor and luckily didn’t leave any casualties. But, in the wake of this unfortunate event came the possibility for a long aviated upgrade. Now, Rtanj looks more like a high end ski resort than a crumbling mountain hotel. Apart from the interior, the building itself was enlarged and now has another floor.

Now, you can stay in Rtanj and still get that phenomenal location for skiing, and also get a great place to stay and relax during your holiday. If this sounds good to you, check out Rtanj official Facebook fan page for more details.

Balkan Championship in orienteering

Do you like hiking in the mountains? Well, if you do, you will probably like orienteering.

The term represents a sort of sport – in it, the participants use their navigational skills, assisted by a map and compass to navigate in an unknown terrain.
The goal for competitors is to move from one predefine points to the other, and the first team or individual to reach the last one wins.

Balkan Championship in orienteering is an annual event that brings top team from the region, and this year, it will be held in Serbia, Jastrebac mountain to be precise. Jastrebac is located in central Serbia, near the cities of Nis and Prokuplje. Its well-forested hills and surrounding valleys are well known to aficionados of both hiking and mountaineering.

The opening day of the Championship is the 23 of October 2010, and it will last for two days. If you choose to visit Jastrebac in that period, you will have a chance to learn a lot about orienteering from the right people, and I bet there will be a lot of additional activities for non-competitors.

Find out more about the event by calling Serbian Mountaineering society on +381 11/2642 065.

Fruska Gora – introduction

I’m continuing to write about mountains in Serbia, but Fruska Gora is somewhat special.
Unlike the majority of places that I described so far, Fruska Gora is really close to my home, and I got to know it quite well.
Local pride aside, it’s really a great place in many ways, so I decided to make a series of articles about it.

First of all, it’s not a mountain. It’s more similar to a really small mountain range, and it’s made up from several elongate, wide hills, extending 80 km lengthwise east to west, and about 15 km north to south. The highest peak is Crveni Cot at only 539 meters, which is not exactly gigantic.
It’s located in the southern part of the northern province of Vojvodina, and it’s the regions only real non-flat part. Second largest city in Serbia, Novi Sad is practically just next to Fruska Gora; some neighborhoods are even almost on it.
Belgrade is around 50 kilometers to the south, depending from the point of reference.

If I had to describe Fruska Gora in one term, it would have to be: ‘’Green’’. The hillsides are covered with either orchards, grape and wine plantations (Grape dance in fact takes place in Fruska Gora), or with wild forest and meadows.
There are several mane-made lakes, and one or two natural ones. The most famous and beautiful is Ledinacko lake that was formed right in the middle of an abandoned quarry (there will be a special article about it, it’s really quite stunning, but has generated a lot of controversy).



To people that live near it or on it (there are several small towns and even more villages), Fruska Gora is very important.
For some, it’s their livelihoods or home, for other a great, accessible recreational destinations.
But trust me, everybody, including me, loves it very much.

You’ll find out why exactly in following articles.

Divcibare

Central and southern parts of Serbia have a very diverse mountainous landscape, but there is only one that is loved by every school kid in the country - Divcibare.

I'm not sure how exactly this whole thing started, but almost every elementary school takes it's pupils at least once to Divcibare. This has become an unwritten tradition.

Divcibare are located in the western Serbia. To get there, you will have to travel some 40 km from Valjevo, the largest city in the region, or 120-130 km from the capital, Belgrade.
The trip isn't hard, although the roads aren't great - expect potholes and bad surfaces.

Now, you're thinking: ''this is all fine and good, but what's that got to do with children?''.
Well, to put is simply - Divcibare are an ideal place for kids.

The highest peek is 980 meters above sea level, so Divcibare get a decent amount of snow every year; the resort has one ski lift, and the slopes are really mild.
But there are a lot of (no that expensive) ski instructors, so a lot of kids start learning how to ski or snowboard right there.

Divcibare have a very stable climate, and around 200 days a year are basically windless. Also, the air quality is so high that the mountain was declared a ''climate treatment resort'' in 1963.

During the spring and summer months, the activities can include hiking, boy scout trainings, nature schools and sports like tennis, handball and basketball. I'm not sure if there are any public pools, but it's more then likely.

In fact, only the late autumn period isn't interesting - every other period of the year is guarantied to be super-fun for the youngsters.

Visitors can choose between several hotels, apartments and private accommodations - whatever is your choice, be sure to try the local dairy and dry meat product - they are famous in the whole county, and for good reason.

So, if you have kids and are planning a visit to the region, take a 2 or 3-day detour to Divcibare.
It isn't going to be spectacular for you, but the younger members of the family will think different.

Kopaonik National Park

National park Kopaonik is located in central Serbia, 230km from the capital Belgrade. It is accessible from two corridors - Josanicke Banje and Brisa.

Although its one of the biggest nation parks, it doesn't cover the whole Kopaonik mountain; its situated on a flat region, a plateau caller Suvo Rudiste, and is surrounded by mountain peaks.
Around 118 square kilometers of protected forest and other mountainous landscape are incorporated in the park, and there are 12 separate zones (Kozje rocks, Vucak, Mrkonja, Jankova pond, Gobelja, Barska river, Samokovska river, Metodje, Jerak, Suvo rudiste and Duboka plain)

These zones are classified as ''special interest'' areas, because of the animal and plant species that live there, and are intentionally isolated and additionally protected (I'm not sure does this mean that they are no-go areas for tourist). Local laws, as well as a number of different international conventions regulate the park.

Of all the wildlife species that are living in the park, its variety of birds is probably most famous; those include scops owl, rock partridge and red-backed shrike. Bigger species of mammals like wolfs and bears are a rarity.

I have never visited Kopaonik National Park, but I have traveled to Kopaonik Mountain - the landscape is beautiful and often simply stunning. I can only imagine what the park looks like, but I can bet it's even more picturesque, due to it's protected status.

If you're into bird watching or are interested or love untouched mountain scenery, Kopaonik National park is the perfect place for a one-day visit.
For more info - kopaonik.net

Kosovo Mountains

Similar to the entire region, except the coastal parts, the climate in Kosovo is continental.

Much of Kosovo's terrain is rugged, and its mountainous area, including the highest peak Đeravica, at 2656 m above sea level, is located in the south-west, bordering Albania and Montenegro.The mountain range dividing Kosovo from Albania is known in English as the "Cursed Mountains" or as the Dinaric Alps.

The Kopaonik Mountain is located in the north, bordering Central Serbia, although all of its ski resorts and other tourist destinations are outside Kosovo. The central region of Drenica, Crnoljevo and the eastern part of Kosovo, known as Goljak, are mainly hilly areas.

The Šar Mountains are located in the south and south-east, bordering Macedonia. This is one of the region's most popular tourist and skiing resorts, with Brezovica and Prevalac as the main tourist centers.

I have never been to Šar, but it is supposed to be very picturesque and beautiful; its untouched landscape is covered by glacial lakes, pine forests and very small villages, populated by sheep herders. A big part of the mountain (39.000 hectares) was declared a national park in 1986, with the purpose of protecting more than 147 butterfly species, and around 200 birds.


Although some locations are promoted as skiing resources, many of those are poorly managed and maintained. I believe that only Kopaonik has a developed center suitable for ski tourism, and that you should skip all others.

On the other hand, if you are interested in hiking, camping and love nature, these places, especially the Šar Mountain are a perfect destination for you.