Day experience
Ovčar-Kablar Gorge & its Monasteries
A private day from Belgrade to the "Serbian Holy Mountain": the meanders of the West Morava between Ovčar and Kablar, small monasteries in the forest, a walk to Sretenje and the spa of Ovčar Banja
- No payment now
- Private, on your dates
- Planned by our own team
- Duration
- 11 hours
- Travel style
- Private
- Pace
- Classic
- Starts and ends
- Belgrade
- Guiding
- EnglishAll languages on request
- Group
- 1–8 guests
- Price
- On requestWritten offer first, no payment now
The day
Your day, step by step
-
11 hours The gorge of the West Morava and its monasteries
Drive south from Belgrade by motorway to Čačak and into the Ovčar-Kablar gorge. Stop first at Vavedenje, by the road at the mouth of the gorge. Continue to Blagoveštenje above Ovčar Banja, and to Nikolje on the river below Kablar, home to a community of nuns. After lunch (optional) in Ovčar Banja, walk with your guide from Preobraženje, rebuilt in 1938 after the old monastery was demolished in 1911 to make way for the railway, up a forest path to Sretenje, high under the summit of Ovčar, where your driver meets you. Return to Belgrade in the evening.
- Belgrade
- Vavedenje Monastery (Ovčar-Kablar)
- Blagoveštenje Monastery (Kablar)
- Nikolje Monastery (Kablar)
- Ovčar Banja
- Preobraženje Monastery (Ovčar)
- Sretenje Monastery (Ovčar)
Included: Private vehicle with driver; licensed guide.
Total planning time for the day, including about 45 minutes of short drives between the monasteries; about 2¼–2¾ hours each way. Your driver meets you above Sretenje. Short walks at each monastery; a forest path of about 2 km with a steep climb to Sretenje.
Easier or optional: Lunch in Ovčar Banja; a boat on the lake in the gorge (summer, when running).
Driving times are approximate and don’t include stops. Every day can be adjusted: tell us what you’d change when you enquire.
What’s included
Included and not included
Included
- Private licensed guide for the whole day
- Private car or minivan with driver, hotel pick-up and drop-off in Belgrade
Guiding in all languages available on request, subject to availability.
Not included
- Lunch and drinks
- Boat in the gorge
- Donations at the monasteries
- Tips
Why this day
Why you’ll love it
- The West Morava winding for about 15 km between Ovčar (985 m) and Kablar (889 m)
- Blagoveštenje, whose stone church was rebuilt in 1602 on medieval foundations
- Nikolje, a nuns' monastery on the river below Kablar, first recorded in the 15th century
- A forest path from Preobraženje up to Sretenje, set high under the summit of Ovčar
- Vavedenje at the mouth of the gorge, and the thermal spa of Ovčar Banja
Signature moments
A monastery for every bend
About ten monasteries and churches stand on the slopes of the gorge, which is why it is called the Serbian Holy Mountain.
Up to Sretenje
A path through the beech forest climbs from Preobraženje to the small monastery tucked under the summit of Ovčar.
A gospel far from home
An illuminated gospel of about 1400, written in Bosnia and kept for centuries at Nikolje, is now in the Chester Beatty Library in Dublin.
Before you choose
Is this day for you?
A good fit if
Travellers interested in Orthodox monasteries and quiet landscapes, walkers who want a short forest climb, and repeat visitors who have seen Studenica and Žiča.
Maybe not if
Anyone expecting large frescoed medieval churches: these are small, mostly 16th–17th-century monasteries, several rebuilt in later centuries.
Pace and effort
About 11 hours, with about 2¼–2¾ hours' drive each way by motorway and about 45 minutes of short drives between the monasteries. Short walks at each monastery and one forest climb of about 30–40 minutes (about 2 km, steep in places).
Make it yours
Change anything
A boat on the lake in the gorge (summer, when running) · The view over the meanders from the Ovčar or Kablar viewpoints (a longer hike) · Lunch in Ovčar Banja · Combine with Topola and Oplenac on a two-day trip.
Customise this dayHow booking and payment work
From enquiry to voucher
We never ask for card details by email or on this website. Bank details are only sent in your personal offer or invoice.
- 1 You send an enquiry Free, with no obligation.
- 2 We send a written offer Availability and your final price, confirmed.
- 3 You accept the offer
- 4 You pay securely Card payment link (Visa, Mastercard, Maestro) or bank transfer.
- 5 We confirm your payment
- 6 You receive your confirmation and voucher
Booking terms for this journey: Price on request. This is a private programme, arranged on request for your dates; there are no fixed departures. The final offer, price and availability depend on confirmation of the services (accommodation, guides, transport and activities) after your enquiry. Nothing is booked and no payment is taken until you accept the written offer.
Ovčar-Kablar Gorge & its Monasteries
Tell us when you’d like to come
We’ll check availability for your dates with our local partners and guides, then send you a written offer with the confirmed price. Asking is free.
- WhatsApp us
- office@love2travel.rs
- +381 60 40 80 510
- We send your first proposal within 2 working days.
Request a quote
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Individual services
Need something else?
For travellers who don’t need the complete journey, Travel2Serbia can also arrange individual services.
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