Zlatibor

Gold Gondola on Zlatibor was officially put into operation on January 11, 2021. With its impressive nine kilometers long route, it now has the title of the longest panoramic gondola in the world. Zlatibor's Gold Gondola connects the center of Zlatibor with the Tornik ski resort, which is also the highest peak of the mountain. With a current capacity of 600 passengers per hour in 54 separate cabins with 10 seats each, the gondola provides tourists with an unforgettable experience and 25 minutes, which is how long is a one-way ride, of enjoying the picturesque landscapes of Zlatibor. The gondola has one intermediate station on Lake Ribnica, where the development of the Novi Zlatibor project is planned (high category tourism, on over 200 ha of land). Gold Gondola is open to visitors every day. The first ride starts at 08:30 AM from the terminus on Zlatibor. The last ride from the terminus on Zlatibor is at 03:00 PM (from Zlatibor to Tornik). The last ride from the terminus (from Tornik to Zlatibor) is at 04:00 PM. The maximum capacity of the gondola is planned to be 90 cabins and 1,000 passengers per hour. With over 36 cantilever arms, at a speed of 6 meters per second, the gondola begins its journey at the altitude of 531 meters and ends it at the 1,496 meters high Tornik peak. The height of individual pillars ranges from 6.45 m to 30 m, and every single piece of the gondola was designed in accordance with the static calculations, while respecting all the necessary safety conditions and requirements related to the crossing of the cable car over the lake, accompanying facilities, all infrastructure routes, ski tracks and construction land. The span between the pillars and their height vary depending on the geometric route. The distances between the pillars are mostly in the range of 160 to 450 meters. It’s almost inconceivable to have a real and authentic mountain vacation experience without the panoramic gondola that will take you sailing beneath the clouds and cruising above the most beautiful places, ski tracks and other recreational and sports facilities. To skiers, excursionists, adventurers and all those interested, Gold Gondola offers an unforgettable view of Zlatibor.

Ski center "Tornik" is the largest ski resort on Zlatibor. It is located 9 kilometers from the tourist center of Zlatibor at an altitude of 1,110 – 1,490 meters. This ski resort has five trails (Cigota, Tornik, Ribnica, Zmajevac and Stankova ravan) with a total length of about 10 kilometers. The capacity of the ski resort is about 5,400 skiers per hour. The Tornik Ski Center is equipped with the most modern 6-seater cable car, with 107 seats, a speed of five meters per second and a length of 1,850 meters. Its terminus is at an altitude of 1,110 m and climbs to 1,490 m (the highest peak of Tornik being 1,496 m). The capacity of the 6-seater cable car is about 3,000 skiers per hour, and there are two more ski lift anchors on Tornik, with a total capacity of 2,400 skiers per hour. A 150-meter-long conveyor belt has been installed for the youngest and beginners. All five trails are covered by an artificial snow system, so this ski center is no longer dependent on weather conditions and its winter season has been extended to about 100 days. Ski center Tornik is attractive both in winter and summer. During the summer months, the 6-seater cable car is used for panoramic rides, and in this center there is a new type of installation, the so-called "Tubing", which, like the cable car itself, can be used in both summer and winter, and provides immense pleasure and excitement to anyone who decides to try it. The ski center is also equipped with a children's playground and a carousel. Among the summer facilities, there are also bobsleigh rails, an adventure park, a mini golf course, multifunctional sports courts and a zip line. During the summer months, there is something for the adrenaline lovers too. The trails for mountain biking: Ribnica, Beli kamen, Previja and Vidikovac, while for recreational cyclists there is the Marici trail. In addition to these trails, visitors can enjoy a new downhill trail, as well as a mountain cart trail. Bicycles and carts can be rented at the Ski Center "Tornik".

Gostilje waterfall is certainly one of the most attractive hydrologic values of Zlatibor. It is situated in the village Gostilje, about 25 km away from Zlatibor centre. Before the confluence of the river Katušnica the water of Gostilje river pours down the 20 m high limestone cliff, forming thus a unique waterfall. Downstream the brook forms some smaller waterfalls and cascades until it joins the river Katušnica.

26 km away from the tourist centre Zlatibor, in the village Siirogojno, there is the only open air museum in Serbia “Staro Selo”. Works on construction of this museum started in 1979. On a 5 hectare location beside St. Peter and Paul’s church, old log houses were brought from all parts of Zlatibor to be presented and preserved here. The museum has got two entireties. The first is a group of houses which have kept initial look and purpose and they make a museum display formed into two Zlatibor farmsteads. The second whole is a group of houses that have preserved their original look but their purpose has been changed; they have been adopted for tourist needs. They are a hall, a souvenir shop, an inn, apartment buildings… As we have already mentioned, the two Zlatibor farmsteads in the permanent museum display are testimony of living culture in Zlatibor region at the end of 19th century and the beginning of 20th century. The way of life in these houses was specific because they lived in extended family groups (cooperatives) with up to 50 members. The museum has been made of Zlatibor log cabins that belong to Dinara-type log cabins. Farmsteads were always built on the slope turned towards the sun. The houses were square shaped; the walls were made of horisontal logs bound in “ćetr” (four) in the corners. The roofs were covered with shingle, stone tiles or straw. On the roof there were openings “bađže” for air circulation, and on the very top of the roof there was a chimney called “kapić”. Characteristic for Zlatibor farmstead was a great number of smaller objects all around “the main house”.

Stopića cave is situated on the north-eastern side of Zlatibor Mountain between the villages Rožanstvo and Trnava. It is 250km away from Belgrade, 30km from Užice and only 19km from Zlatibor tourist centre. The main road Zlatibor-Sirogojno goes above the cave and there is an access path from it to the very cave. Stopića cave is a river cave with the Trnavski stream flowing through it. It consists of three speleological and hydrologic horizons: the periodically flooded horizon, the river horizon and the youngest horizon the crack. Without its youngest system Stopića cave is 1,691.5m long, it covers the area of 7,911.5 m2 and its volume is over 120,000 m3. The cave has got an impressive entrance hole from the right side of the Prištavica River. The entrance is at 711.18m above sea level; it is 35 m wide and 18 m high. Limestone layer in the cave dates from trias period and is over 100m thick. The climate in the cave is under the influence of the outer climate, it’s cold in winter and hot in summer. The cave got it name after the settlement Stopići that belongs to the village Rožanstvo. The first written data about the cave were given by Radoslav Vasović in 1901 in the Serbian Geologists’ Association report and the first speleological researches were done by our great research worker and father of our scientific speleology Jovan Cvijić in the years 1909 and 1913. There are five units of Stopića cave: the bright hall, the dark hall, the great hall with baths, the canal with baths and the river canal. The tourist part of the cave has got some attractive elements like: spacious entrance, “dugure”-the openings on the ceiling, sipar arch “Dog’s cemetery”, “The source of life” waterfall and a number of “siga” tubs. Because of their uniqueness, the "siga" tubs are the greatest attraction of the cave. They were made by deposited limestone. They are dents bordered by walls of stone or by winding vermilion “siga” wrinkles in which water collects and later flows over the tubs to the lower ones. "Siga" tubs are periodically flooded and they stand out from the others in Serbia by their size and depth (some are up to 7m deep). In the River canal there is a whirlpool above which “siga” toboggan arises. It becomes the “siga” cascades between which there are the “siga” tubs and “enormous pots”. Water is pouring down the cascades forming waterfalls when there is little water, while when there is a lot of water one unique waterfall, whose height is 9.44 m, is formed. You can’t hear the person you are talking to because of deafening noise of water. It looks as if the foamy water mass is falling down from the heaven, the air trembles of tiny drops, cold comes from the wet walls and the visitor feels horror-stuck in the pitch darkness of this cave. In spite of this the waterfall has been called “The spring of life.”