Serbia Lakeside Yoga & Hiking Week in Tara National Park

The retreat runs for 7 nights, 8 days, at Zaovine Lake inside Tara National Park in western Serbia. You stay in two wooden houses built in the traditional local style but with modern fittings, sitting right beside the lake. Each room has its own bathroom and kitchenette. Some rooms have two single beds on the ground level; others are split over two levels with a single bed downstairs and a double bed upstairs. You pick between a triple room (for three people coming together), a double room, or a single room.

Mornings are for practice. The class usually runs about 90 minutes and combines Hatha yoga with elements of Iyengar and Vinyasa Flow, with attention on alignment and breath, and finishes with a guided sitting meditation. Brunch follows, buffet style and vegetarian, cooked at the house by the retreat cook using mostly local ingredients — honey, fruit and vegetables, dairy. Afternoons are for getting outside: hikes around Tara National Park to the most impressive viewpoints, with paths starting right in front of the houses. There's a boat ride down the Drina Canyon all the way to Višegrad in Bosnia, and because the lake is basically on the doorstep, swimming and kayaking happen most days.

Evenings bring a shorter yoga session, then dinner served around 7pm. After that there's no set programme. Tea and coffee are available at the house throughout.

What separates this from a standard yoga week is where it is. Tara National Park is canyon and mountain country, not a resort strip, and Zaovine Lake is quiet enough that the houses feel alone on the water. The Drina Canyon boat trip and the viewpoint hikes are the two things people tend to remember. The group is deliberately small, which means classes stay hands-on and the walks move at whatever pace the group actually wants.

Marija leads the yoga. She started practising as a university student and has studied with teachers from India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, the USA, Turkey and Serbia, all of whom shaped how she teaches. She teaches Hatha with Iyengar and Vinyasa elements, and treats meditation as part of the class rather than an add-on — every session closes with a guided sitting meditation on observing the breath and physical sensations.

Getting there: the closest airport is Belgrade, about 200km away. Organised transport leaves Belgrade at 10am on the first day and returns to Belgrade by 3pm on the last day; private transfers can be arranged if your flights don't line up. You can also make your own way by local bus to Bajina Bašta, about 30km from Zaovine, and take a taxi for the final stretch.

What's included

- 7 nights accommodation - Two meals per day (vegetarian brunch and dinner) - All yoga and meditation classes - Tea and coffee on the premises - All the hikes

What's not included

- Airport and other transfers - Kayaking - Boat ride down the Drina Canyon - Personal expenses