Serbia · Vojvodina

Carska bara

Directions

Царска бара

Carska Bara, the “imperial pond”, is the largest individual bog in Serbia, about 15 km south of Zrenjanin. With the old Begej arm called Stari Begej it forms a special nature reserve and Ramsar wetland, one of the most important bird habitats in Europe, a maze of reeds, three connected ponds and quiet water.

How it formed

The wetland took its present form after the Begej was rerouted in 1964 for the Danube–Tisa–Danube canal system, which turned the old channel into a marshy oxbow.

History

People have lived here for some 4,000 years. One legend links the name to Attila the Hun, while other accounts credit the Austrian emperors who hunted here. The reserve was proclaimed in 1955. A stubble fire in 2018, droughts and silt have damaged parts of it, among them the Tiganjica pond, and new managers took over in 2022 with plans for dredging and restoration.

Nature

About 240 bird species have been recorded. All the European herons and egrets breed here, and the heron is the reserve’s symbol; pygmy cormorants, white-tailed eagles, whiskered terns, bluethroats and bearded tits breed too, and tens of thousands of white-fronted geese winter here. Some 500 plant species include white and yellow water lilies, marsh orchids and water chestnut, and 24 species of fish live in the water.

Visit

Swimming

No reliable information

Tips

The reserve is on the Belgrade–Zrenjanin road, about an hour north of Belgrade; the car park is behind the closed Hotel Sibila, and the address is Beloblatski put, Lukino Selo. A boat safari of about an hour and a half runs on the Stari Begej, and you can hire canoes, bicycles and e-bikes. May to October is the main visiting season, so ask the reserve about boat times.

A self-guided trail of nearly 5 km follows the Stari Begej, with a small fee, a boardwalk through the reeds and an observation tower. A levee route of about 5.5 km leads to Belo Blato, for walkers and cyclists only. Birding is good all year, and winter and migration are best. Arrive early, before other visitors disturb the birds, and carry water, as there is almost no shade.