Stopića Cave

Stopića Cave opens in a limestone slope with an entrance arch about eighteen metres high and thirty-five wide, one of the largest in Serbia, and a stream runs through the system, which shapes what is inside: rather than dripstone forests, the signature here is the Source of Life, a waterfall of some ten metres falling into a series of stepped tufa basins, rimmed pools built up by mineral deposition and filled with water. The tour route runs several hundred metres on walkways. Because the cave is active and wet, the appearance changes with rainfall and the basins are fullest in spring. The Zlatibor plateau around it holds villages, the Gostilje waterfall and the ethno-park at Sirogojno, so it is one stop of several.

What you actually see

• The great entrance arch - one of the largest cave mouths in Serbia.
• The Source of Life - a ten-metre waterfall inside the cave.
• Tufa basins - stepped rimmed pools built by mineral deposit.
• The active stream - water running through the system year round.

When to go

April to October; spring gives the fullest waterfall and basins, and late summer can reduce them considerably. The cave is cool at around eight degrees, so a jacket is needed. Winter access is limited.

Honest expectations

Visits are guided and on a fixed route. It is wet, cold and slippery inside. The waterfall depends on recent rainfall and disappoints in dry spells. Summer weekends bring queues, particularly with the Zlatibor resort nearby.

Nearby

Gostilje waterfall lies south; Sirogojno is close by.