Slano Kopovo Special Nature Reserve

Slano Kopovo is a special nature reserve in Vojvodina, north-east of Novi Bečej and the Tisza river, and one of the last preserved salt marshes in Serbia. It is a unique Pannonian habitat of salty, muddy pools that sometimes becomes a lake and dries out in summer. It is one of the ancient meanders of the Tisza, and it appeared in the 17th and 18th centuries after the marshes were drained and embankments built; evaporation then left layers of salt, sometimes several centimetres thick. The warm air above it can produce mirages and unusual winds. The reserve has been on the Ramsar list since 2000.

Visiting Slano Kopovo

The reserve is best known as an autumn stopover for cranes: up to 17,000 have been reported landing in November, and a local bird-watching event has been held on the penultimate weekend of November (check the date). Counts list 203 to 220 bird species, and the reserve is dry from roughly March to November, so water-bird viewing is best in late autumn. It lies about 7 km from Novi Bečej, and you need a car; visitors usually park by the road and walk in. A fire has been reported to have damaged part of the reserve, and an avian-flu outbreak led to a warning not to enter at one point, so check with the reserve's management or the Novi Bečej municipality before you go.