FRUSKA GORA (Waterfalls 7 springs, Dumbovac and Sakotinac)

The beginning of this interesting trail is at monastery Rakovac (15th century). From Belgrade, the road to Rakovac leads through the towns of Ruma, Irig and Vrdnik. The distance between Belgrade and Rakovac is about 95 km (an hour and a half of drive).

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If you come to the monastery by car, some 100 m before the monastery gate, you will see a signpost “Beli Majdan”. From the monastery, the site of Beli Majdan can be reached in 10 minutes of walk (600 m). Beli Majdan is an old mine.

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From Beli Majdan, return to the asphalt road and go up. Some 600 m from the monastery, there is a marked turn and a marked path to the waterfall Dumbovac. Distance between the monastery and the waterfall is 3 km (1 hour of walk and 150 m of ascent). We decided to hike a little bit longer and different path. We went for another 100 m, uphill, by the asphalt road, to the turn for the top of Veliki Gradac (470 m).

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Veliki Gradac is a viewpoint, to which a marked path leads. From the turn, to the top, there is exactly 2 km (45 minutes of walk and 250 m of ascent). From the top, you can see the top of Kraljeva stolica (King’s Chair 507 m) and the city of Novi Sad.

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From Veliki Gradac, we continued by the marked path to the waterfall 7 springs, half an hour (2 km) away. Previously, we climbed for about 100 m, by a steep slope, to a place called the Gate of Paradise (Vrata Raja).

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Some 5 minutes (400 m) from the Gate of Paradise, there is a waterfall 7 springs. It is 2-3 meters high. The descent to it is steep, and I do not recommend it when the terrain is wet and slippery. There is hardly any water at the waterfall.

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From 7 springs, a slight descent leads to the most visited and most attractive waterfall at Fruska gora, waterfall Dumbovac. From 7 springs, a marked trail will take you to this pearl of Fruska gora in 15 minutes (800 m). Unlike most of Fruska gora waterfalls, there is always water at Dumbovac waterfall.

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There are about 40 waterfalls at Fruska gora! These are mostly smaller waterfalls, 2-3 meters high. But, waterfalls Dumbovac nad Sakotinac are different. Dumbovac is 5 m high, and Sakotinac 6 m, and represents the highest waterfall at Fruska gora.

From Dumbovac, we continued to the monastery Beocin, 3.5 km far (1 hour of walk). From waterfall Dumbovac, the trail goes uphill. It is necessary to overcome 70-80 m of ascent, until the path becomes flat. The trail is well marked and leads through the spring called Rome.

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At the Beocin monastery, there is a flower garden, which was made by a group of gardeners who arranged the Versailles Park, in the suburbs of Paris.

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From the monastery Beocin, to the Sakotinac waterfall, the trail is no longer marked. There are some pale markings, towards the waterfall, when you cross the highway. GPS or some good application is helpful here. The waterfall is about an hour of walk from the monastery (about 3.5 km). For us, the biggest waterfall of Fruska gora was also our biggest disappointment, because it was completely without water, even though it was April! When there is water, I’m sure it’s unique!

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Some 600 m from the Sakotinac waterfall, there is an asphalt. You exit at the village of Gornji Sakotinac. To return to the starting point, near the Rakovac monastery, you have two options. The first is to call a taxi at Novi Sad, and the second is to walk for another 9 km (2.5 hours).

If you decide to visit only Dumbovac and Sakotinac waterfalls, the length of the trail will be 10 km (3 hours of walking and 200 m of ascent). If you include Veliki Gradac and the waterfall of 7 springs, the length of the trail is about 14 km (6 hours of walking and about 400 m of ascent). Whatever you choose, you will make no mistake. Fruska gora is a huge mountain and offers great opportunities for exploration, and it is a real lure for adventurers and nature lovers.

April 2021.