Bosnia and Herzegovina

Road to Višegrad

Leaving Serbia, we headed into Bosnia and Herzegovina (known as BiA). It was formerly part of Yugoslavia but gained independence in 1992. 

The population is about the same size as New Zealand (approx. 4.5 mil) and is mostly Muslim but with a sizeable Christian population.

Bridge over the River Drina

We crossed the border easily and enjoyed a very scenic drive alongside the River Drina. 

The road wound its way through mountains, gorges and tunnels – fabulous scenery.

The language seems to be a mix of Cyrillic and Latin so we heaved a sigh of relief as it was not too hard to understand signage.

Sarajevo-Ali Pasha's Mosque

Arriving in Višegrad, a small town on the river surrounded by hills, we found an ATM to draw some local cash, then took a walk across the old Ottoman bridge.

Sarajevo, the BiA capital, was our destination and the drive there highlighted more stunning scenery. 

Sarajevo- Serb-Bos war bullet holes

The road twisted its way through very picturesque gorges and more tunnels – tunnel after tunnel – we counted at least 40 tunnels.

Our Sarajevo camp was a good place to relax for a few days. 

It was an easy walk to the local shopping centre to catch a bus to the tram, and then rattle and bump onwards into Sarajevo city centre.

Sarajevo-Baščaršija Quarter, Marg

While on the tram, we passed the big yellow Holiday Inn where foreign journalists were holed up during the 1990’s Bosnian War for Independence.

During the war, thousands of Sarajevans lost their lives under the constant bombardment and sniper shooting at civilians, by break-away Serb forces.

Being here is sobering as the evidence of that war lingers on even now. 

There are still many buildings showing bullet holes, and landmines are a constant threat in Sarajevo and in fact, throughout BiA.

In the old part of Sarajevo, containing the Baščaršija bazaar, there are lots of pedestrian streets with lots of little shops and a huge amount of cafes and restaurants.

There are also many mosques, churches and cathedrals, and Ottoman and Austria-Hungarians style municipal buildings.

It is very attractive, friendly, compact, and easy to get around.

On the morning we were leaving, we caught a taxi to the Tunnel Museum. 

During the 1990’s war, a tunnel was built under the airport to receive goods to feed and assist Sarajevans. 

Sarajevo tunnel, Leigh

The museum maintains a 20m section of the tunnel and it gave us a glimpse of how difficult and deadly it must have been for the people of Sarajevo.

Our taxi driver back to camp was one of the original planners and builders of the tunnel, and it was very interesting to hear his comments about how it was then, and now in Bosnia.

Leaving Sarajevo, we drove toward Mostar following the Neretva River. It was another very scenic drive through more tunnels and more gorges and rivers, with picturesque towns perched on each side.

We drove around the edge of Mostar city heading to a campsite in the village of Blagaj. 

Luckily the camp owner could fit us in as it was a very tiny family-run site, right on the Buna River. 

The water in the river came from the mountains and was about 8° – freezing compared to the air temperature which in the high 30’s!

Mostar-Blagaj campsite

It was a magic spot with views across the water to a restaurant and bar, lots of green trees and the hills beyond.

We met a young English couple in their campervan, Simon and April from Southampton, and had an enjoyable time chatting and sharing travel experiences.

Blagaj-Velagic Family house

The next day we walked around the charming village of Blagaj which is overlooked by the remains of a fortress high on the rocky cliffs. 

We stopped to view the interesting Velagiv Family Complex of houses that were built in the Ottoman period right alongside the river.

Down the hill we came to a Dervish House right under a high cliff with a cave within which is the source of the River Buna.

This is a religious site and a very popular stop as there were huge crowds of people there. The location was lovely - right on the edge of the river with restaurants on the other side reached by narrow bridges.

Blagaj-Dervish House

We walked back to camp past churches that have not been repaired from being damaged in the war, a mosque that had been reconstructed post-war, and a bridge that was built in 1570.

Back at the camp, a group of around 10 Dutch teenage scouts arrived and gave us great entertainment as they attempted to put up their two large tents. 

However, we and others soon became tired of their raucous and insensitive behaviour, and they had no qualms about intruding in our and other’s space.

We decided to escape, so wandered across the bridge and had a lovely and enjoyable meal at the restaurant just over the river, opposite our camp.

The following day we caught the local bus into Mostar - a pretty town built right along the river, with its very famous bridge which was destroyed in the war but now rebuilt, and a UNESCO site.

Another hot day which made it a bit of a challenge walking around.

Mostar old bridge

Sp we moved from shade to shade through the town, admiring cute little cobbled streets, more mosques, the old bazaar and many houses overlooking the river.

We walked down a steep cobbled street towards the famous bridge. 

These cobbles were huge and very shiny from so much use.

Mostar

There were lots of tourists and a huge group blocked the narrow streets, so we decided to wait them out over lunch. 

We found a lovely café with a view down to the river and bridge.

Feeling more refreshed, we crossed the bridge and explored lots more narrow winding little streets on the other side. 

We ended up in a very popular beach area below the bridge.

Mostar Cafe

It was daunting watching young boys making the huge jump from the bridge into the river below.

We had an enjoyable but hot day in the town and were relieved to catch our bus back to camp.

It was quiet there as most people were out for the day, so we had a quick paddle in the icy river water to cool down.

Mostar beach

We then relaxed in the shade until everyone returned - including the scouts!

They were so in our face we decided to go out and have a meal back at one of the restaurants on the river by the Dervish House. 

There we had a delightful meal of local river trout and good local wine – very yummy!

Mostar-Karadozimaja Mosque

The next morning we headed out, sadly saying goodbye to our English friends Simon and April.

But we very glad to see the last of the teenage scouts.

We had read that BiA wines were good and had tried a few during our various restaurant meals (we like Zivalka, a bit like Chardonnay; and Blatina, a light red). 

Mostar Wine route road

So we decided to do the wine trail out of Mostar, which took us up a very steep narrow winding road to Čitluk. 

Well - we followed the trail but it turned out to be all signs, lots of vines but no wine – at least not for tasting as we know it!

A bit frustrating, but then coming back over the mountain we came across the ancient town of Pocitelj.

Pocitelj

This was a lovely find and we had a hot but lovely walk through its hilly cobbled streets.

A little later on, we came upon a sign for Kravica Waterfalls so took a short trip down a side road to find that. 

It was a very touristy place full people swimming, sunbathing etc! Almost like a lido!

Kravica Waterfalls

Our destination for the night was Split in Croatia as we had 14 days up our sleeve and thought it would be a good place for a sunny holiday after the humid, wet weather of Bosnia.

Onwards we went over the mountains to the border - goodbye Bosnia and hello Croatia. 

We wound our way down an amazingly rocky and steep hill road to come down onto the coast - and lots and lots of traffic.

Bosnia-Croatia mountain road

We had travelled through Croatia in 2011 so knew of a campsite we liked just out of Split. 

On the way, we passed lots of very full camping grounds and we suddenly realised that we might have made a mistake coming to such a popular holiday destination at a peak time. 

Road to Jajce

Our worst fears were realised when we pulled into our camp to discover they would not let us in because it was absolutely full, and everyone was jam-packed in like sardines! 

Not good!

It was extremely hot so we parked up to decide what to do. 

Jajce camp

After a lot of thought, looking at maps etc, we decided that the Croatian coast in August was not the place we wanted to be as it would not be relaxing. 

So reluctantly, we turned inland to go back to Bosnia and the humid rainy weather.

Jajce-Pliva Lake watermills

Rather than drive over the mountains again in the rain at night, we overnighted in a hotel car park by a river in a little Croatian town called Trilj.

Next day, we drove the misty mountains into Jajce, a small Bosnian town with a waterfall, lakes and our next camp site. 

Unfortunately, there had been rain for ten days and most of the camp was under water.

Jajce camp Bosanski Lonac

Feeling that the weather fairy had deserted us, we picked the driest spot and parked, grateful to be off the road.

A few hours later a little white van hove into view and it was our English friends, Simon and April again! 

It was lovely to see them, and as the rain had stopped we all walked around the lake to a local restaurant for dinner and had a lovely evening. 

Jajce waterfall

It rained again in the night and the next day they headed off to Croatia seeking sun.

We wished them farewell and good luck in finding a camping spot! We stayed in Jajce.

We endured a bit more rain and cooler weather, then it fined up and the days became full of sun and very warm. 

Jajce fortress

This gave us a chance to relax as well doing stuff to get Vanni ready for sale, like washing all the curtains – a big job but boy did they look good afterwards!

We bought a few essentials at the local store to keep us going, including a bottle of local white wine. 

It was very cheap and we had a giggle when we went to open it as it had a top like a bottle of beer!

It tasted OK but a little sweet for our taste.

The camp was near a wonderful lake and park and we enjoyed several walks around it, viewing the ancient watermills there.  

The camp also had a good restaurant serving traditional food.

 On our first visit, the chef cooked outside a dish called “sača”, which is veal cutlets and vegetables slow cooked in a big metal dish sitting on heated bricks and covered with hot coals – absolutely delicious!

Another night Marg had grilled trout and Leigh had “Bosanski Lonac” a traditional meat and vege dish served in a clay pot.

The next day there was supposed to be a storm coming, but the sky looked clear and it was hot and muggy, so we hopped on our bikes and had a lovely ride alongside the river and its several waterfalls, into the centre of Jajce.

After getting a close up view of the stunning main waterfall, we parked the bikes, and made the steep climb up to Jajce’s ancient fortress. 

It was worth the effort in the heat, as the walls were pretty intact, and there was a great view of the surrounding countryside, including the waterfalls.

We then walked down the steep cobbled streets to visit a catacomb which was dug into solid rock and was delightfully cool on our overheated bodies, then walked around town. The town did not feel very prosperous and was not particularly attractive. 

It seemed to have more touristy type restaurants than shops. We saw quite a few buildings with bullet holes in them as a stark reminder of the 1990’s war.

We cycled back after a supermarket stop to replenish supplies, to see storm clouds approaching. Full power on the throttle and pedalling madly, we made it back in time to put the awning away before the wind blew it inside out! 

A few more days relaxing here and then head east to Serbia.

Bosnia seems to be a place where east meets west; we have seen women in full birka, as well as women wearing colourful scarves and long skirt to cover head, shoulders and legs, and young women with no head covering and wearing short shorts. 

We have seen churches built two doors up from mosques; people tilling fields and hay being cut and turned by hand; tasted great wine; noted the wonderful absence of fast food chains, and seen stunning scenery. 

We have really enjoyed BiH.