THRILLGROUNDS Ground 43 · Montenegro & Herzegovina · Montenegro & Bosnia-Herzegovina · Budva · Žabljak · Nikšić · Mostar · Kotor
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The five concrete arches of the Đurđevića Tara Bridge spanning the green Tara canyon

43° 09′ N · 19° 17′ E · From a paraglider over Budva to a raft in Europe's deepest canyon · Ground 43

Montenegro & Herzegovina

The canyon is 1,300 metres deep.
You start above it and end in it.

Montenegro is small enough to fly, jump, slide and paddle in a week, and its numbers are not small: the Tara cuts the deepest canyon in Europe, 1,333 m at its worst, and the road bridge across it stands 172 m over the water with a zipline strung beside it. These grounds start on a ridge 770 m above Budva where the tandems launch towards the beach, cross to Mostar for the 24-metre jump the town's young men have made from the Old Bridge for centuries, drop into the Nevidio – the canyon nobody entered until 1965 – and end at river level in a raft on the Tara.

1 · the view3 · sweaty palms5 · heart in your throat
Jump
A red paraglider high above a turquoise bay and white cliffs (symbolic image, Kefalonia, not Budva)

Stop 1 · Tandem paragliding · Brajići to Bečići beach, Budva

770M · TAKE-OFF AT BRAJIĆI

Off a ridge above the old town, down to the sand

The van climbs the hairpins to Brajići, 770 m up the Lovćen slope, and you run three steps off the grass. Then fifteen minutes of Budva Riviera – the walled old town, Sveti Stefan on its rock – and the beach at Bečići.

Pulse 4/5 our editors' rating
Take-off
Brajići, 770 m, above the Budva–Cetinje road
Flight
about 15 minutes standard, 30 minutes cross-country; up to 900–1,000 m in thermals
Who
6–80 years, up to 100 kg and 200 cm
Price
€109 standard, €150 for 30 minutes; transfer from Budva included

Photo: a paraglider over Myrtos beach on Kefalonia, not Budva.

↓ Above your pulse limit – keep falling

A rider on a zipline trolley crossing high above a forest river (symbolic image, Karelia, not the Tara)

You clip in on the rim next to the five concrete arches and go. The cable runs 824 metres across the canyon, the river a green thread far below; the second line is over a kilometre and the fast one, past 100 km/h.

Pulse 4/5 our editors' rating
The bridge
Đurđevića Tara, 1940: roadway 172 m above the river, 365 m long
Lines
824 m at the bridge, a second cable of about 1,050 m; a 1,200-m line over Lake Piva
Speed & time
above 100 km/h on the long line; about 3 minutes in the air
Price & season
about €45–55 on the spot or online; March–October

Photo: a zipline over a river in Karelia, not the Tara.

↓ Above your pulse limit – keep falling

Stop 2 · Zipline · Đurđevića Tara Bridge, Durmitor

172M · THE BRIDGE ABOVE THE TARA

Eight hundred metres of cable beside a 172-metre bridge

A diver in mid-air below the arch of the Stari Most, the crowd watching from the parapet

Stop 3 · Bridge jump · Stari Most, Mostar, with the Mostari Diving Club

24M ABOVE THE NERETVA

Twenty-four metres, feet first, into a river at twelve degrees

The divers have done it since the Ottomans; you can too, if the club says so. First the technique on dry land, then the low platform. Only then the parapet: 24 metres of air, the green Neretva, a crowd on both banks.

Pulse 5/5 our editors' rating
Height
24 m from the parapet to the water; the river is 10–14 °C
How
Mostari Diving Club: instruction, a supervised training jump, then the bridge – feet first only
When
1 April–1 October, weekdays 11:00–19:00; not during the diving festival (26–27 July) or the Red Bull weekend
Price
about €25 to the club for the jump, paid on the bridge

Direct only. The jump is arranged with the Mostari Diving Club in the tower at the bridge – no platform sells it, and the club can refuse you. The day trips from Dubrovnik and Split (further down) bring most people here; they do not include the jump. Photo: one of the club's divers.

↓ Above your pulse limit – keep falling

A canyoner in a helmet wading through the dark, narrow slot of the Nevidio canyon

Nevidio means the unseen. The Komarnica disappears into a slot so narrow that the 400-metre walls almost touch above you; you swim, slide and jump your way down 1.7 km of it in a 5-mm wetsuit, cold even in August.

Pulse 4/5 our editors' rating
Canyon
1,700 m long, walls up to 400 m; first traversed in 1965
Route
2–3 hours of swimming, slides and optional jumps up to 8 m; no abseiling
Who
swimmers only; minors with a parent; June–September
Price
€120 with 5-mm wetsuit, helmet, harness, guide and photos; about 5 hours door to door

↓ Above your pulse limit – keep falling

Stop 4 · Canyoning · Nevidio canyon, Komarnica river, near Šavnik

8M · THE BIGGEST JUMP

The canyon nobody had walked until 1965

A raft of paddlers in blue helmets punching through a white rapid on the Tara

Stop 5 · Whitewater rafting · Tara canyon, Durmitor National Park

0M · ON THE TARA

Fourteen kilometres on the floor of Europe's deepest canyon

The standard run is the last 14 km, Brstnovica to Šćepan Polje: class 2–4 water, green as glass, between walls that climb more than a kilometre. Most people come on a long day from Kotor or Budva; from Žabljak it is a morning.

Pulse 3/5 our editors' rating
Canyon
82 km long, up to 1,333 m deep – the deepest in Europe; UNESCO since 1977
Route
14 km short run (2–3 hours on the water), 60 km over two days; class 2–4
From where
Žabljak 45 minutes; Kotor and Budva about 4 hours each way
Price
€50–85 from Žabljak, about €135–140 with the transfer from the coast

↓ Above your pulse limit – keep falling

Touchdown. Now build your day on these grounds.

    Also on these grounds

    Getting to Mostar: the day trips

    Pulse 1/5

    From Dubrovnik and Split the coaches run daily to Mostar and the Kravica falls – the most-booked day trip in the Adriatic, 10,345 reviews on the leading one. Two hours in town is enough to watch the divers; jumping yourself needs a full day.

    The grounds in numbers

    ActivityPulseThe numberDurationFromReviewsBookable online
    Paragliding · BudvaBook now →
    Zipline · Tara bridgeBook now →
    Bridge jump · Mostar5/524 mhalf a dayMostari Diving Club—no – on the bridge
    Canyoning · NevidioBook now →
    Rafting · TaraBook now →

    Before you jump

    Can tourists jump from the Old Bridge in Mostar?

    Yes, through the Mostari Diving Club in the tower at the bridge: you get technique instruction, do a supervised jump from the lower platform, and if the divers are satisfied you jump the 24 m feet first for about €25. April to October, weekdays 11:00–19:00, not on the festival days. The water is 10–14 °C and the club will refuse anyone it judges not ready – people have died jumping untrained.

    How high is the paragliding in Budva?

    Tandems launch from Brajići at 770 m on the Lovćen slope above the Budva–Cetinje road and land on the beach at Bečići; in thermals the pilots climb to 900–1,000 m. The standard flight is about 15 minutes for €109, the 30-minute cross-country €150, ages 6–80 and up to 100 kg, transfer from Budva included.

    How long is the zipline at the Tara bridge?

    The main cable at the Đurđevića Tara Bridge is 824 m long; a second line runs about 1,050 m and there is a 1,200-m line over Lake Piva. The bridge itself stands 172 m above the river. Around €45–55, March to October, no booking needed on the spot – or online with the GetYourGuide listing.

    Is Nevidio canyoning for beginners?

    It is the hardest thing on this page after the Mostar jump: 1.7 km of slot canyon with 400-m walls, 2–3 hours of swimming, slides and jumps of up to 8 m in a 5-mm wetsuit. No abseiling, all jumps optional, but you must swim well. €120 including equipment, June to September, from the Jatak restaurant near Šavnik.

    How difficult is rafting on the Tara?

    The classic 14-km run from Brstnovica to Šćepan Polje is class 2–4 – a proper whitewater trip in spring, a scenic float by August. Two to three hours on the water; from Žabljak a half-day for €50–85, from Kotor or Budva a 12-hour day for about €135–140 with the transfer.