Review of a day trip to Vrelo Grze⛰️
Last weekend I visited one of the most popular tourist spots in Serbia — Vrelo Grze — and did a loop route from the source of the Grza river over Mount Južni Kučaj with a well-known tour company. Sharing my impressions.
By the way, here you can not only hike but also just take a walk in the woods or rent a cabin and relax in nature.
The Grza river starts at the foot of Mount Južni Kučaj. The spot is just 18 kilometers from the town of Paraćin and 177 kilometers from Belgrade, and it has the status of a third-category protected nature area.
In spring, any route, even the most modest one, automatically becomes beautiful. That's how it was with the route over Južni Kučaj. Blooming wild cherries covered the mountains like clouds. It wasn't just beautiful, it was very beautiful! And the ground turned into a colorful carpet. So many flowers I saw: violets in purple, blue and white, bright lungworts, pansies and so many more I couldn't identify. And in general it's so wonderful to watch nature waking up after winter, the first buds opening. And sleepy beetles and lizards slowly crawling about their business.
Because of the many fallen trees and long climbs, the route was more of a medium category and definitely not the advertised "light". And of course the Serbian guide ran so fast there was no time to take photos, and I really wanted to. At least he redeemed himself when he led us into a small wild cave where it was pitch dark, with tiny bats hanging from the ceiling, clinging to the stalactites with their tiny little feet. 🦇 Those feet were so cute you could forgive a lot for them.
Along the way we climbed up to a couple of viewpoints; I can't say the view from there amazed me – more or less a typical Serbian landscape. ⛰️
So, to sum up, the most beautiful part of the trip was the Grza waterfall with its mossy stones, which looked very picturesque. Two lakes — Lower and Upper — with crystal-clear blue-green water. Rumor has it there's trout. And, of course, flowers and more flowers!
The not-so-beautiful part - I'd really like "light" to finally mean light. When you're in the mood for a stroll, not for rushing out of the forest for no clear reason.
We had dinner 3 km from the starting point at the restaurant Ognjište. Everything was tasty; I especially recommend the lamb under the sač.
More photos inside
Published March 26, 2025 · Open the post in Telegram ↗
