Bosnia and Herzegovina · Zelengora

Donje Bare

Directions

Доње Баре

Donje Bare is one of Zelengora’s “mountain eyes”, a clear, dark-blue lake in Sutjeska National Park at the foot of Tovarnica, below the peak of Planinica. Alpine meadows with small marshy ponds spread to the north-east, and of all the Zelengora lakes it is the closest to Tjentište.

How it formed

Springs feed the lake from several sides, some of them arriving through underground channels, and one of the largest rises on the western shore. In winter the lake freezes and the country around it lies under snow.

History

Tito had a hunting villa built here, and the remains of a hut he used stand near the lake, close to a newer hunting lodge. Donje Bare is also a memorial to the Partisans who resisted a larger and stronger German army in the Second World War.

Nature

The lake is a watering place for the park’s wildlife. Brown bear, wolf, wild boar, deer and chamois all live on Zelengora, with golden eagles and peregrine falcons above them. Rainbow trout, which are not native, live in the lake.

Visit

Swimming

No reliable information

Tips

From Tjentište, cross the Hrčavka bridge and leave the asphalt 4–5 km further on; the lake is about 20 km by road from Tjentište. The road can be rough, and an off-road vehicle is often needed. The park charges an entrance fee. It also rents out a hut by the lake, with two bedrooms, a living room with a fireplace, a kitchen and a bathroom, and with a spring behind it, but no electricity. There are no cafés or restaurants at the lake, so bring food; the nearest are in Tjentište.

A short, easy walk leads to the Borić lookout on the edge of the Sutjeska canyon, with views of Maglić, Volujak and the Perućica forest. Gornje Bare is a couple of kilometres north-west through dense forest. The standard day hike, about eight hours and suited to beginners, crosses Uglješin vrh and returns here. Snow lingers into mid-spring, and winter hiking is only for experienced mountaineers. The water is very cold even in summer, and there are no bathing facilities.