Field trips

PRE-CONGRESS TOUR 

„Djerdap“ National Park („Djerdap“ NP in the following text - https://npdjerdap.rs/en/) includes the right side of magnificent The Iron Gates gorge on the river Danube - from Golubac fortress to Diana Karataš archaeological site near the town of Kladovo. It is the oldest national park on the territory of Serbia south of the Sava and the Danube rivers, declared in 1974. The highest peak (Šomrda) is at 803 m asl. Forests comprise almost 70% of the protected area. Pastures and meadows cover an additional 10%, while 7% of the area has been transformed into agricultural land and orchards. Aquatic ecosystems comprise around 9% of the remaining land.

“Djerdap” NP belongs to the IUCN category V of protected areas - Protected Landscape. It is also listed as Important Plant Area (IPA), Important Bird Area (IBA), Prime Butterfly Area (PBA), priority area of the European Green Belt network, and is covered by Carpathian Convention.

Four landscape types: Mediterranean rocky habitats, pastures and forests on rocky grounds; Sub Mediterranean-Balkan, predominantly deciduous forests; European, predominantly deciduous forests; and European steppe and forest-steppe, plus the number and diversity of aquatic habitats suitable for amphibian reproduction enable richness and specific composition of local batracho and herpetofauna. Fourteen amphibian species have been recorded in the area of „Djerdap“ NP (66% of the total number of amphibian species in Serbia). With additional two potentially occuring species it makes a total of 16 species (76% of the overall number of amphibian species in Serbia). Fourteen reptile species have been recorded in „Djerdap“ NP (58% of the total number of reptile species in Serbia) or 15 (62%) if one potentially occuring species is included.

The most attractive, but sometimes also elusive, species which can be seen there are: Fire salamander, Great crested newt, Smooth newt, Common spadefoot, Green toad, Tree frog, Common frog, European pond terrapine, Hermann’s tortoise, Meadow lizard, Balkan wall lizard, Snake-eyed skink, Large whip snake, Aesculapian snake and Nose-horned viper.

See a detailed itinerary here.