A Guide to Living on The Serbian Water
Lake Perucac is about three hours away from Belgrade, in west Serbia. It’s an artificial lake – the result of a dam which was built back in 1966. Thanks to thousands of years of work by the Drina river, this lake is carved into the edge of the Tara mountain range, making for breathtaking views. Beautiful scenery and its proximity to Tara National Park has made Perucac a popular vacation spot in Serbia.
Things to know before you visit
There are houses around the lake, but they are booked early and often: It can be hard to find any availability around or on the lake in the summer, so make sure to plan far in advance. We chose to stay at one known as Kucica na Vodi, mostly because the pictures looked fantastic and it seemed to always be fully booked, and it accepted dogs. When we randomly noticed a weekend available in early October, we booked it immediately.
If possible, stay “in” the lake: All of the houses on this lake are floating in the water. In our case, we had to take a sort of poor-man’s gondola from land to the house. Most homes (including ours) offer row boats and paddle boards in case you want to get out on the water.
It’s chilly in the fall: Going into it, we didn’t have the slightest clue what October weather would mean in this part of the country. Turns out it’s a bit chilly and windy. If you go in the fall or spring, we strongly recommend you research the house you’re reserving to make sure you know what it has. The bathroom of our house was outside, and so was the stove, which made the stay a bit more challenging than we were expecting. Some of us dove in the water, but can’t say it was enjoyable.
Communicate with the owner of the house before arriving: This is probably a good idea for any rental in Serbia. Unbeknownst to us, Kucica na Vodi consists of three separate and significantly different homes. Two are more of a modern fully functioning home and a third is a cabin. We went in thinking we were getting a modern home and ended up getting something closer to a cabin. We aren’t against “roughing it” from time to time but the problem was we were completely unprepared.
Things to Do
Explore Tara National Park: Obviously, you could spend days simply exploring Tara National Park. It’s a large national park (250 km2) with marked trails, view points, resorts and restaurants sprinkled throughout. One of the most popular hikes is to the Banjska Stena viewpoint which has a perfect vantage point of the river carving through the mountains. Of course we went on the worst day possible. Search Banjska Stena on google and you’ll see why we will definitely be going back.
Visit Bajina Basta: This is the closest city to the lake, with a downtown area that is serviceable but nothing special. There are a number of restaurants, pubs, and cafes in the pedestrian area, our favorite being Basta u Basti. This restaurant stood out as the only location with a modern look and turned out to have good Serbian food.
There was construction and Covid so we’re not making any judgments. Case in point, one of the main attractions, BB Klekovaca – the oldest running distillery in Serbia, was closed due to Covid. It’s claim to fame is a traditional rakia of Bajina Bašta and the Tara mountain region called “Klekovaca”. Essentially, a plum brandy (slivovitz) with added juniper berries.
Take a walk by the river: The Drina River flows through most of the area, from Bajina Basta to Lake Perucac and more, and you’ll notice many spots on the side of the road to pull over. The area is generally pretty empty, with the exception of some fishermen, so our pups had a great time.
Fishing is a big deal around here: The entire weekend we stayed on the lake there were people fishing from Dusk till dawn. There are multiple signs along the river and apparently, it’s a sort of trophy fishing destination with over 30 types of fishing and great conditions for fly fishing.
Stop at the Drina River House: On your way out of the city, there is the famous Drina River House. It’s a small wooden house sitting on a rock in the middle of the river, almost defying nature. Apparently the river has already washed away six of these houses, but they keep building it as a symbol of perseverance. There are a couple restaurants around the house, and we’d recommend checking out Studenac. It’s traditional Serbian food, with an authentic feel to it. If you’re leaving Perucac later in the day, this is a great place to stop, take some pictures and fill up because there aren’t many food options on the journey back to Belgrade.
The Drive from Belgrade
The drive there and back can be steep and windy, but it’s also gorgeous with plenty of outdoor activities along the way. Obviously there is hiking, but there are also businesses that offer river rafting, paddleboarding and rock climbing.
We strongly encourage you to save some time to make some stops along the way. In the summer, we stopped in the mountains and bought delicious blueberries, jam and Rakia. On both trips we’ve make a quick pit stop at Kapija Podrinja – it’s only an observation deck, but has an amazing view.
During our latest trip, we pulled over and hiked up the Gvozdačke stene mountain. There weren’t any marked trails that we could find so we turned off onto a country road and simply started hiking. The landscape in this part of the country is beautiful so make time to enjoy it.
