Mokra Gora from Zlatibor: The Sargan Eight and Drvengrad

Mokra Gora is the classic full day trip from Zlatibor. It is about 40 kilometers by road, roughly an hour of driving through hills, and it holds two things people come for: an old narrow gauge railway and a wooden hilltop village. You can do both in a day without stress if you plan around the train time.

The Sargan Eight railway

The Sargan Eight is a restored narrow gauge line that once linked Belgrade and Sarajevo. To climb the steep grade, engineers laid the track in a loop shaped like the number eight, which is where the name comes from. Today it runs as a tourist ride. The train leaves from Mokra Gora station, climbs through tunnels and over bridges to Sargan Vitasi, and comes back. The full ride takes about two and a half hours with a couple of photo stops.

• Departures are set, so book or check the times ahead.
• The ride is around 2.5 hours return.
• Tunnels and viewpoints along the way; sit on the valley side if you can.
• Bring water and a snack, since the break stop has limited food.

Drvengrad, the Kusturica village

A few kilometers up the hill is Drvengrad, also called Kustendorf, the village the director Emir Kusturica built for a film and then kept. It is a small wooden settlement with a square, streets named after people he admires, a church, a cinema, and places to eat. You can walk the whole thing in an hour. It is part film set, part real hotel and restaurant.

Some people love it and some find it staged. Either way it is a pleasant walk, and the views over the hills are worth the stop.

How to plan the day

The train is the fixed point, so start with its schedule and build around it. A common plan is the morning train, lunch nearby, then Drvengrad in the afternoon.

• Leave Zlatibor with time to spare for the drive.
• Book the train in high summer, since it fills up.
• Combine both sites; they are minutes apart.
• Carry cash for tickets, parking, and small cafes.

From Apartman Bolero it is an easy morning start, and you are back in Zlatibor for dinner.