Travel Guide Divčibare (Дивчибаре)

An alpine resort 38 km southeast of Valjevo, perched on the peaks of the Maljen massif, Divčibare is located at 980 m above sea level and surrounded by the Maljen Mountains. Very pleasant in any season, it blows a fresh wind coming from the Mediterranean which aerates the atmosphere and limits the rains (924 mm per year). The climate is therefore dry and the temperatures are around 18°C on average. During the Serbian continental summer, many locals go up to Divčibare to seek refuge in the shade of the forests and stroll in the large meadows. This exceptional climatic situation explains why Prince Miloš Obrenović chose this place as early as 1822 as a summer resort. Although between the wars it took more than fifteen hours by train to get there, Divčibare became popular in the 1930s, and beautiful wooden villas and cottages were built there by wealthy Belgraders. It is even said that at the time, the resort's only hotel served only French and Hungarian food! Today, the upper middle class has moved on, leaving behind some very interesting 1930's villas, made of woodwork on stone foundations. Three buses from Valjevo and one from Belgrade take you there. But the main interest of Divčibare, besides its magical location, on this high plateau with a powerful charm, is that the resort has remained very small. Indeed, nothing to do here with Zlatibor and its hundreds of villas. The impression of living in a mountain hamlet participates in the charm of the place, and so much the worse if the lifts and ski slopes are few. Divčibare is first of all a wonderful environment for long walks: mushrooms, narcissus, wild strawberries and blueberries are waiting for you along six marked trails (several routes from 40 minutes to 6 hours). For the more sporty, there are also four protected reserves in the middle of the forest, with the Crna Reka canyon, or the Skakalo waterfall on the Manastirici river. During the four snowy months of winter, four ski slopes from 300 to 800 m in length await you: not very spectacular, they may bore the experienced skiers, but the calm of the place and the landscape will delight the others.