What Rtanj tea is
Rtanj tea is the folk name for winter savory, an aromatic plant growing on the rocky slopes of Rtanj. The tea made from it is famous across Serbia.
Why it is no longer picked freely
Because of over-harvesting and pulling plants out by the root, the Institute for Nature Conservation of Serbia banned summer harvesting in 2019 until the plant recovers. The same year Rtanj was declared a special nature reserve. So buy Rtanj tea from local producers, and on the mountain only smell it.
Rtanj catmint
Rtanj is also home to a plant that grows nowhere else on Earth: Rtanj catmint (Nepeta rtanjensis), discovered in 1974. The northern slopes are covered with forest, many springs of drinking water and native species, and roe deer and wild boar are the most common animals around the mountain.
Herbs in the village
In the village you can taste Rtanj tea at the bar, and in the season we organise walks about the plants of the mountain, without picking.
