vlasina lake

3 friends and I went for kayaking in the lake in late December. We brought our own kayaks from Sofia. The lake is a very picturesque place at that time of the year. We were the only people in the lake and it was very peaceful. There was a heavy snowfall during the first night of our stay at hotel Villa Best. Nevertheless the roads were cleaned and spreyed with salt and sand in the morning. The food and services at Villa Best were great and unforgettable. The rooms were modest.

I recommend this place for a weekend visit or long period relax - it is very beautiful and the hotels around are very cosy and welcoming.

1200 meters above the sea level, the perfect oases of health and untouched pure nature. This is the lake 12 km long and has a phenomenon called "Stratoria" which is floating island. Don't expect to see it cruising, but at one time it is seen at one place, the other time at another. What is special about Vlasina lake is that although it has hotel, houses, football pitch and a camp, the nature is not destroyed and it has preserved it's own beauty. Lovely scenery, a lot of birches, wild horses and fresh air. The lake is perfect for many sports, especially water sports, riding bicycle, running, jogging, and above all, you can go there during winter and enjoy skiing. If you go across the lake by boat, you could find lovely sandy beaches, but always ask local people about them. I could talk about Vlasina lake for 3 days and I could only warmly recommend it to all from the age of 1-101. Warm and kind people, great food and paradise.For adventurers, all you need is a tent, a guitar, barbeque and a strong will.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QCzlsJJ440Uhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zo4Yn8b1q4Y

If you like nature, ecology, peacefulness, creeks, water, organic food you must go to this ecological paradise. When you there you fill like the time has stooped and you are in some area that is 50 years behind the present days. It is on altitude of approx. 1200m and the water and air are so clean and fresh. The area is famous for sporting facility and is ideal for training. However you may enjoy the unspoiled nature and landscape that is very difficult to find in Europe.There are two hotels with a room cost almost the same as a beer price in some European pubs.However, beside the natural beauty there is a problem with a local sewage and hygiene around the lake as the local council has no budget or willpower for this works.

We saw the reviews below and thought it sounded like the film Spirited Away. We weren't disappointed, although we found it a lot more difficult to get to than planned. Driving from Nis, we weren't quite anticipating that we would literally have ti drive over a mountain to get there. We drove up a perilous untarmac'd road with no railing whatsoever, through the most magical Autumn forests. When we finally arrived we wandered along the shoreline meeting only very few people, looking at the amazing peat islands, beautiful light, wooden cottages etc.. I'm told that Serbian athletes do altitude training here and I can well believe it - it's a strange feeling to be on a large plateau surrounded by mountains. Driving on to Sofia was much easier with better and safer roads.

If you are travelling on the main E75 road connecting Hungary with Greece, some 320 kms south of Belgrade at a small town called Vladicin Han, at the end of Grdelica Gorge (Grdelicka Klisura) you leave the main road and take a B road to Surdulica. You should take a break there and enjoy local grill specialties at more than reasonable prices. Surdulica itself surrounded with lush green mountains, two small rivers, where tap water is the mineral water Rosa, one of the best in the area. When you leave Surdulica you climb along the river Vrla and after twenty kilometers at an altitude of over 1200m you reach the Vlasina plateau. This ecological paradise is still undiscovered by the tourists of the world. Its man made lake that stretches over ten kilometers reflects the beauty and the colors of its surroundings.At the top of the plateau the road forks; straight on the road takes you the the border crossing with Bulgaria and further on to Sofia. If staying at the lake area you take the left fork and drive along the lake meandering through the magical fields speckled by silver birch and other trees. This stunning scenery for all seasons stretches for over ten kilometers until you reach Hotel Vlasina and further on another hotel by the name of Narcis. July is the most colorful month to visit when fields are covered with myriad field flowers of many colors, however yellow and purple are the predominant. The purity of the air, the clean waters of the lake and the mountain ranges are an unforgettable experience. It is one of the best and favorite places for many sports teams to train such is the effect on one's health. Driving on the road you should mind people walking and enjoying the sheer beauty of the place as well as roaming cows, stray deer and other animals. Keep an eye on the sky to spot rare birds like storks and many others. Of course this only if you are not driving.. There are some pedolinos you can hire nearby Hotel Vlasina and thus enjoy the view from the middle of the lake. At the local improvised market you can buy many Forrest fruits like blueberries, blackberries, Forrest strawberries and so on.

The Lake Vlasina is at the southeast part of Serbia 20Km after Surdulica town towards to mountains following the Vrla river. The altitude of the lake is 1211m and is about 16 km². I travelled there at the mid of August 2011 to escape from the very hot lowlands of Serbia and i found a very beautiful and unspoiled area with breezy air and a lake for swimming and other activities. The place was a vacation area for locals and the foreign tourists were rare until now. It has 2 big hotels and smaller pensions and a very good camping area next to the lake.Also there happens one of the lake's most famous feature which is the "floating islands", occurring when the water during high levels breaks off the loose chunks of peat off the shores, 0.5–2 m thick and driven by the wind, they float from one shore of the lake to another, carrying the flora and fauna, and serving as the shelter and food source for the fish underneath. Generally is one of the places that worth a visit if you are travel at that area and is on the road to pass the borders to Bulgaria south of Sofia (Pernik) and you don't want to go to Nys which is much further.

Vlasinsko Jezero kan ik aanbevelen, een meer dat ook door veel mensen uit Servië zelf wordt bezocht in verband met de schoonheid van de natuur. Het meer is het een-na-grootste stuwmeer in Servië en wordt omringd door een middengebergte tot ca. 1.300 meter hoog. De hellingen van de bergen dalen rustig af naar de oevers van het meer, zodat sprake is van een mooi panorama. Behalve zwemmen en vissen, bestaan ook diverse mogelijkheden voor wandelen en mountainbiken.De faciliteiten om het meer zijn de laatste 10 jaren aanzienlijk uitgebreid met enkele restaurantjes, 2 campings, een hotel en vele particulieren die appartementen en kamers verhuren. Wel geldt nog steeds dat een camping in Servië anders is dan in landen als Nederland, Duitsland en Frankrijk. De luxe is duidelijk minder. De natuur is echter schitterend en wanneer je gaat eten, merk je dat je salades hebt die echt zongerijpt zijn en vlees komt van dieren die echt bewogen heeft. De regio van Zuidoost Servië met Pirot en Leskovać staat bekend om de kwaliteit van de grill, stoofvlees, kaas en salades. Geniet daarvan. De prijzen zijn voor ons ongekend laag en de smaak van het eten ongekend goed.Wanneer je behalve kamperen en rondtrekken ook de cultuur beter wilt leren kennen, bezoek dan een plaats als Niš. Daar zijn mooie historische bouwwerken (overblijfselen uit zowel de Romeinse als Turkse tijd), goede musea (onder meer voor Contemporary Arts) en een mooi winkelcentrum te bezoeken. De steden Pirot en Leskovać zijn qua architectuur niet bijzonder mooi. Het is wel heel leuk om daar een dag naar toe te gaan en het leven daar te bekijken, de markt te bezoeken en vooral van een restaurantje te genieten.Meer informatie onder meer over overnachtingen zijn te verkrijgen via websites. Nog niet alle websites in Servië zijn in Engels of Duits te raadplegen maar onder meer die van serbiatouristguide (com) wel. Dan kijken naar: Destinations. Vervolgens: Lakes in Serbia.Als u andere websites wilt zoeken, de Servische benaming intypen van Vlasinsko Jezero, al of niet aan elkaar geschreven.