Horse riding vacations in Serbia

Get the best seat in the house – whether you’re in the saddle, or out on the terrace, enjoying the mountain views after a day’s riding.

What’s it like to trot for two hours straight without stopping? For Igor Gajic founder of our partner Horse Adventures Serbia, it felt like one sneeze from his horse, and he’d fall straight off. Then again, he was attempting to cross the entire country on horseback – that’s one long journey in the saddle.

There’s no trot ‘til you drop on our Serbia riding vacations, but there’s still plenty of long, adventurous riding.

Igor is a qualified long-distance riding guide with miles of experience. He is one of the guides you might have leading you – guides that will help you get the most out of your trip. Come for eight days of point-to-point rides from Igor’s property in the hills, just two hours’ drive southwest from Belgrade.

In 2017 Igor crossed the entire country on horseback for an art installation. The Transit of Hermes by artist Ross Birrell saw four riders take on a 3,000km-long journey between Greece and Germany. Igor was drafted in to find a route through Serbia from Macedonia to Croatia.

The route passed by Povlen Mountain in Western Serbia, and the group, who had ridden in some of the world’s most striking landscapes, stopped.

“When they saw this region they said, ‘Look, Igor, this is beautiful: you have to settle down here’,” he says. He bought land, built his house and now lives with his wife, children, rescue dog Mimi, who accompanies every ride, and their stable of horses. The mountain became a nature reserve in the 2020s.

“It’s very green, with a beautiful view, and a clean water source from the forest,” says Igor. “It’s really for people who like riding, nature, and good food.”

Riding out from Povlen, you get panoramic views across the landscape all the way to Durmitor National Park, and ride through raspberry fields owned by small family farms – Serbia is the world’s third largest producer, growing particularly delicious red berries.

Highlights on our Serbia riding vacations include following the Drina River along the border with Bosnia, long canters across the Divcibare Plateau, herb-rich meadows where you can stop to let the horses graze and dense forests so dark the trees look black – the Sumadija region has lots of woods (‘Suma’ means forest). The views up at 1,000m from sea level are plentiful and beautiful, and with 170 bird species in Povcen alone, you can birdwatch from the saddle, too.

Rural Serbia is threaded with forgotten mountain paths and quiet routes, and the Serbian Steppe – a Mongolia in miniature – is practically made for long gallops. The country has four mountain systems – the Carpathians and Balkan Mountains in the south, and the Rhodopes in the south-east. In the west are the Dinaric Alps. Riders will need to come prepared for the slopes. There are flat plateaus with fantastic views, but there are also steep sections where it’s better to dismount and lead your horse on foot. “It’s pretty adventurous,” says Igor. “It’s not dangerous, but you need to have riding experience, as well as stamina.”

Your mounts are a good match for their impressive surroundings. The horses you’ll find grazing in the Serbian mountains are sure-footed and reliable. Many of Igor’s horses are crosses between domestic mountain horses, domaci brdski konj and Arabian horses, raised here in the mountains, where they live year-round. They are fast, but reliable – and used to the mountainous terrain. Spare horses are taken on the ride, too.

In the 20^th century, horses in Serbia were put to work. Non-mechanised farming was practised in many areas later than in other parts of Europe. Horses were a valuable commodity. “If you had one horse you were already a rich farmer,” says Igor. He grew up in the Balkans surrounded by horses – in the 1980s every farmstead had them – and has ridden since the age of four.

The trails you ride in Serbia, from old Roman routes to half-forgotten mountain paths, lead to homestays, hotels and campsites – Igor scouted for places to stay along the routes – going by horse, on foot, and on his motorbike to find suitable accommodation to host riders and their horses. The result is connections with locally-run properties around the area where you might be greeted by someone wielding a wooden rack of shot glasses of homemade rakia, which you can enjoy in the garden before a homecooked meal.

“Sometimes we ride to a village and local people stop me and bring over drinks. They are happy to see us horses and riders – and Serbian people are very hospitable.”

You won’t see many people on the trails when you’re out riding, but Western Serbia is more developed for tourism than other areas, and facilities are changing. Divcibare ski resort is down the road. Igor has noticed an increase in riders on the trails, and more tourism – and has appeared on television talking about his horses and his project. He’s currently witnessing more development in the country. “I’m really happy that people are starting to buy horses and now we have a lot of stables in Serbia.”

Most of the trails suit more experienced riders – and you’ll be given a horse that suits your experience and your needs – whether you want a steed with a smooth and comfortable gait, or a mare that goes really, really fast (experienced riders only). As with most riding vacations there is a weight limit to protect the horses – though this can be flexible; horses with higher weight limits may be available depending on demand. It’s best to bring your own helmet, and choose leather hiking boots that you can both walk and ride in – not long riding boots. You can reach the venue by train or take a transfer from Belgrade by road.