My friends and I were recently at the Tara River Canyon and planned on going rafting. It’s the most popular thing to do, after all.

But The Bold Passport isn’t about doing the most popular thing.

Don’t get me wrong- rafting can be awesome (I’ll talk about it more later, if you’re interested). But it’s unnecessarily expensive at times, and it’s not the only way to reach those dazzlingly turquoise waters.

A few weeks ago, I stood on top of that extraordinarily high bridge looking down at the river below. The “tear drop of Europe”, they call it, since it’s so incredibly clear.

And I wanted to reach it.

A quick Google search didn’t yield the answers I was looking for. But after a bit of exploration, my friends and I found the perfect spot to swim in the Tara River.

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The Secret Beach on the Tara River

Let’s skip the introductory fluff and get on with it.

If you’re like me, you’re searching this up from the top of the Đurđevića Bridge and don’t have much desire to hear what year it was built or some similar hogwash.

The beach is a not a secret in the sense that it’s never visited. It’s actually one of the main stops for rafting groups.

But it’s not supposed to be reached without joining a tour.

My friends and I located the entrance to this swim spot off the side of the main road. We found a trail entrance and followed it, unsure of where it would lead us.

What we found was a sizable, sandy, and empty beach along the magnificent turquoise waters of the Tara Canyon.

Needless to say, we weren’t disappointed.

Exact directions (a bit complicated)

The directions to reach my secret swim spot on the Tara River are a tad complicated, so pay close attention.

Starting from the bridge, you’re going to start driving (assuming you have a car, of course- though I guess you can walk it too) down Route P4.

Note: This is not the location of the beach. This is merely to show the direction in which you should drive from the bridge. I’m going to tell you exactly where to stop.

At a certain point, you’ll reach a tunnel that looks like this.

Don’t enter the tunnel. Instead, turn off the main road to the gravel path on your left.

Continue along this path until you reach the end. It’ll look like this-

Park your car here, or a little bit earlier where there is more room to park.

Then, head down the path I indicated with the red arrow above.

Do note that the path is quite steep. You should have shoes with decent grip, and make sure to use your hands as you descend.

Falling backwards is alright, but a fall forwards- well, it wouldn’t be ideal. Let’s leave it at that. Be careful.

It doesn’t take long. 5-10 minutes, and you’re down.

At the bottom, you’ll reach a fork. The beach is to the left, but if you want, take a detour to the right where you can see a waterfall that converges into the river.

It’s another stop that all the rafting tours take you to. And you get it for free.

When you get to the beach, take a swim in the stunning (and, frigid) waters and relax on the sand.

As I mentioned before, this is a popular spot for rafting groups.

There’s some fun in lounging on the beach casually watching the rafters arrive, the guides looking at you both confused and impressed.

But it’s better to have the beach on your own. If you come after 3, it’ll be empty. The only drawback is that you won’t have much sun.

If you come earlier, that’s fine too- it’s empty most of the time. Just be aware that when the tour groups come in, they come for at least 20-30 minutes or so.

Bastards.

Other Great Swim Spots along the Tara River

While the secret beach is my favorite spot to swim on the Tara River, there are a couple others that are worth mentioning.

The rafters really do hog the best spots on the river. And another good spot to swim is where the rafting groups begin. It’s located a little further down the road from our secret beach.

I actually pinned the spot on the map earlier in the post, but I’ll do it again so you don’t have to scroll up.

I’m in a giving mood, what can I say.

It’s not great in the middle of the day (for obvious reasons), but it’s a great choice after 3:30 or so, when all the rafting groups have gone. And you’ll still have enough sun.

Another good spot is located in the opposite direction of the bridge, on the other side of the river.

I’m going to be honest- this one was word of mouth. But I was assured that it was fantastic.

Drive to the chapel, and then it’s a short walk down to a swim spot.

Sadly, I don’t have any photos. But a local’s word is a local’s word. It’s not like I was given this advice by some random Brit.

I wouldn’t do that to you guys.

My Thoughts on Rafting

I don’t fully discourage rafting on the Tara River.

Just not in the summer. I get that there are fans of slow, leisurely rafting- in other words, losers, whose highlight is spotting a duck.

If you’re here in summer, stick to swimming for your Tara River activity. The price is not worth it for rafting, in my opinion.

In spring, however, the rapids are in full force, being fed continuously and ferociously by snowmelt.

So if you’re here in spring, I’d highly recommend.

A Few Tips

Because a few tips never go amiss.

• Bring water shoes. For multiple reasons.
  
  One, the bottom of the river is rocky, and having water shoes will make things more comfortable. Not that you’ll be able to feel your feet, anyway.
  
  Which brings me to my second point. The water is cold. Like, really cold. My body can stand cold water, but my feet always throb painfully within a few seconds. Water shoes help insulate.
  
  That may just be a me thing. But if it’s not, go buy one locally or buy my favorite ones here.
  
  On second thought, don’t think Amazon operates in Montenegro. But at least you’ll have them when you get home.
  
• Visit at the right times. I made the point multiple times above, but sometimes it’s good to repeat things.
  
  Try and be strategic about things. For instance, go to the secret beach around 130-2 and head to the spot where the tours start after 3.
  
• Drive further down Route P4 (the road to get to the two rafting swim spots). The road is awesome, full of winding turns that are a dream to drive and full of scenic views of the river.

There’s also the added fun element of fallen/ing rocks from the cliffs on the side of the road that you’ll have to dodge.

They’re mostly fallen. But still- keep your eyes open.

Do be aware that as of summer 2025, the road eventually becomes blocked off due to construction. So this road is only a pleasant detour- for now. Eventually it may become a great shortcut that I feature in my 10-day Montenegro itinerary (ahem, click ⤶).

Hope you enjoyed the tips. But now, it’s time to go for that swim!