Homolje - the village of Bistrica and Luka's Stone

20.april 2024.

Dates

1 day

Duration

Years

easy

Homolje - an ecological oasis with untouched nature, numerous watermills, interesting caves, legends, myths and customs, is a true pearl of Eastern Serbia.

The village of Bistrica was named after the river of the same name, which is unique in Serbia in terms of the number of built and preserved watermills, which are more than two centuries old. There are eight watermills on this river and they are all in operation. Even today, corn and wheat are ground the way it was done in the past, 100 and 200 years ago.

On this tour for all ages, we will go on a hiking tour from the village of Bistrica to the top of Lukin Kamen (Luka's Stone). We will also visit the Vitovnica monastery from the 13th century, which is located on the banks of the river of the same name, ten kilometers from Petrovac na Mlava. It represents a cultural monument of great importance.

DEPARTURE LOCATION	Belgrade, the parking lot at the municipality of New Belgrade
DEPARTURE TIME	7h
INCLUDED IN THE PRICE	Transportation from Belgrade Hiking tour to Luka's Stone Sightseeing to the itinerary Guides and the tour organization Accident insurance
NOT INCLUDED	Lunch Transportation from Novi Sad Other individual costs

Additional notes:

Equipment for the Homolje - Bistrica village and Luka's Stone: Deep hiking boots, backpack, and layered clothing adapted to weather conditions, we recommend poles, bring enough water, and some food (snacks, sandwiches, fruit).
Information about a hiking trail:
- Length: 9 km
- The lowest point: 194 m
- The highest peak: 515 m
- Altitude difference: 321 m
- Category: easy, we will walk along dirt and forest roads
- Duration: about 3-4 hours with breaks
A minimum of 18 registrants is required for the Homolje - Bistrica village and Luka's Stone tour.
Price is for members of "Explore Serbia". You can find membership information here. For those who do not have a membership card, the price is 4600 dinars.
Own transportation: in case you come with your own transport, the price of the tour is 2,600 dinars (with Explore Serbia membership cards) or 3,600 dinars (for those who do not have a membership card).
Transportation from Novi Sad: the surcharge is 1200 dinars. Another option is to take the train to the Novi Beograd railway station, where you can wait for our transport. You can see the timetable here.
Accident insurance: in order for this type of insurance to be active, you need to send us your personal number (JMBG) when registering.
In case of insufficient number of registered passengers or unfavorable weather conditions, the deadline for notification of the postponement or cancellation of the tour by the organizers is 2 days before departure.
Trip cancellations by passengers:
- In case of cancellation of the trip by the passenger, 5 or more days before the tour date, the Agency retains the amount of 20% of the reservation costs.
- In case the traveler cancels the trip less than 5 days before the trip, the agency reserves the right to the entire amount. In case of replacement by another passenger who is found either by the passenger himself or by the Agency, 90% of the paid amount is returned to the passenger.
- In case of illness of the passenger and cancellation up to 3 days before the tour, the paid money can be returned or the amount can be transferred for another tour organized by the Agency, and the traveler is obliged to send medical documentation about the illness in writing. In case of illness of the traveler and cancellation less than 3 days before the tour, in addition to sending medical documentation about the illness, the traveler is obliged to compensate the Agency for the incurred costs (transportation and travel organization costs), and part of the money can be refunded.

The organizer of the tour is the travel agency Explore Balkans doo. With this program is valid Rulebook on conducting tours by Explore Balkans doo.

According to Article 79 of the Law on Tourism, protection is not provided for one-day tours in terms of travel guarantees.

Belgrade - Kamenovo village - Vitovnica monastery - Bistrica village

Departure from Belgrade at 7h
Traveling by highway through Pozarevac, to Kamenovo village which is known for the production of Homolje honey. We will take a break in the village, where we will visit one of the honey producers.
Continuation of the journey via Petrovac na Mlava, to the Vitovnica monastery from the XIII century. Tour of the monastery that lies along the river Vitovnica and at the foot of the Homoljske mountains. It is considered an endowment of King Milutin.
After that, a short drive to the village of Bistrica, which also lies on the river of the same name. The work of the village is a cultural asset of great importance, i.e. cultural-historical entity in which there are three rolling mills, ten water mills, a church with a chapel, a farm, and five houses, one of which has auxiliary buildings, then the building of the local community, the old school, and the inn.

Hiking tour to Luka's Stone

Departure on a hiking tour from the village of Bistrica, where you will have the opportunity to buy Homolje products - Homolje cheese, milled flour from mills.
The hiking trail goes along the river Bistrica itself, where we will visit mills that are 100 to 200 years old. We will take a rest break at the church of Emperor Constantine and Empress Jelena, and then we will continue to Luka's Stone at a height of 515 m. From Luke's Stone, there is a beautiful view of the Gornjačka gorge, the Reškovica monastery, the Vukan mountain, and the entire Stig.
Information about a hiking trail: length of about 9 km, duration of about 4 hours with breaks, with a height difference of 321 m. The trail belongs to the easy category and is suitable for all ages.
After the hiking tour, if desired, we can organize lunch in one of the nearby restaurants.
Departure for Belgrade where we will arrive by 9 pm.