Ovčar-Kablar Gorge

Ovčar-Kablar Gorge (Serbian Cyrillic: Овчарско-кабларска клисура/Ovčarsko-kablarska klisura) is a gorge in the western Serbia, part of the composite valley of the West Morava river. With over 30 monasteries built in the gorge since the 14th century, it is known as the "Serbian Mount Athos".

The Ovčar-Kablar Gorge is in western Serbia, halfway between the towns of Čačak (17 kilometers on the east) and Požega on the west, some 155 kilometers south-west of the capital Belgrade.

The gorge is a narrow of the West Morava's composite valley, a continuation of the Požega Depression on the west, while itself continuous into the Čačak-Kraljevo Depression on the east. The gorge is carved between the 985 meters high mountain of Ovčar on the south and 889 meters high Kablar on the north, thus gaining its name. The river meanders through the gorge for 15 kilometers. Epigenetic in nature (type of galleric epigenia), the Ovčar-Kablar Gorge was crucial for the genesis of the entire West Morava valley (West Pomoravlje).

Hydrogeological researches were insufficient, though they were conducted in two periods, 1978-83 and 1989-92. It was concluded that the area represents a complex, discontinuous water-bearing terrain. The terrain itself is the tectonically damaged and karstificated limestone from the Middle Triassic. The land was drilled up to 50 m (160 ft), where the hot water of 58 °C (136 °F) was discovered. There is also an unusual hot spring in the bed of the West Morava itself which noticeably warms the river's waters in the spring area.

The spa of Ovčar Banja is located in the gorge, at an altitude of 278 meters. It has a hot, sulfuric water (37,5 Celsius), which is helpful for the treatment of rheumatism, nerve and skin diseases.

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