RIVER KRATOVO CANYON

The village of Kratovo is located after the village of Rutosi, a few kilometers before the town of Pribojska Banja. From Belgrade, it is about 270 km (3.5 hours by car). In the beautiful canyon of Kratovo you will see small waterfalls and cascades, tunnels, caves, griffon vultures and a medieval hermitage. The path through the canyon is easy and about 2 km long. And marked very well. First you must visit Bjelickovica cave, above the canyon, 9 meter high and 25 meters deep. After the small bridge, at the beginning of the trail, turn left and uphill for the cave. You will walk for about 600 m, with 200 m of ascent, to the cave. This is the hardest part of this wonderful tour.

Kratovo – beginning of the trail

Bjelickovica cave

The entire canyon is full of caves, which I believe were places of prayer for medieval monks. There is only one “official” cave hermitage in the canyon, Bjelickovica, but access to it is difficult if you don’t know the way. It is not on any map, so going to it is pure improvisation. First I went to a further cave, which is called the Great cave (Velika pecina).

Kratovo river

A hundred meters after the fourth (last) tunnel, the only turn to the left (which enters the forest) takes you to the Great cave. At that turn, you can also see the hermitage of Bjelickovica, high in the rocks, if you turn your face towards the tunnel and look carefully to the right. Great cave is marked on the maps, but the path to it is not marked. At the end of the forest path, you will reach a small meadow, from which you have to enter the forest again (at the end of the meadow on the left) and find the path towards the Great cave. The path exists, but it is barely noticeable. I think there is about a half kilometer from the tunnel to the Great cave, with an ascent of 150 m.

Great cave

From the Great Cave, I went back by the path I came. To reach the hermitage of Bjelickovica, turn left, after the fourth tunnel, uphill, toward the small cave in the rocks. There is a barely visible path, that leads into the forest. After approx. 100 meters turn left, onto the rocks. There you will spot the hermitage. Hermitage consists of three floors, but it is not possible to reach it, because the path to the hermitage was destroyed during the centuries.

Hermitage Bjelickovica

If you visit Bjelickovica cave, the hermitage and the Great cave, you will make a nice tour of some 6-7 km. River Kratovo canyon is underestimated, but I hope that will change in the future, because it really has a lot to offer.

August 2025.