Tronoša and the Drina: monasteries and houses on the water in Mačva

There is a Serbia that organised tours never so much as brush against, and it begins where the Mačva plain crumples into wooded hills, along the border with Bosnia marked by the river Drina. Here you will find no queues, no automatic ticket machines: you will find country roads, plum orchards and villages where time seems measured by the pace of the tractors. It is the realm of undertourism almost by definition, because very few foreign travellers push this far.

The spiritual heart of the area is the monastery of Tronoša, tucked into a wood near Loznica. It is an Orthodox place still alive and secluded, where the nuns tend the garden and welcome the rare visitors with discretion. Do not expect great crowds or souvenirs: expect bells, candles and the rustling of the trees. In the surrounding villages, such as Korenita and Tršić, life revolves around peasant traditions and the memory of rural Serbian culture, told in the restored wooden houses.

But it is the Drina that steals the show. The river flows clear and calm between green banks, and it is here that you can seek out the famous little wooden houses built on rocks in the middle of the current, images that have become small photographic icons without, however, drawing mass tourism. A boat trip with a local fisherman, a stop at a tavern serving river fish and homemade rakija: this is the right rhythm. To spend money here means supporting family economies, not big chains.

To enjoy the quiet, avoid high summer and the weekends of July and August, when the Serbs arrive on holiday. Late spring and early autumn bring soft light, navigable rivers and almost deserted villages. Bring patience for the roads, a few words of Serbian and the desire to slow down: it will be repaid.

Getting there

The main hub is Loznica, on the bank of the Drina, from which the monastery of Tronoša lies a handful of kilometres to the south-east, along the road to Valjevo. It is easily reached by car among the villages of Tršić and Korenita. Loznica is connected by road to Belgrade, whose airport remains the reference gateway for the whole Mačva region.