Busy in Bosnia

Busy (adjective): "having a great deal to do"

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Bosnia, or Bosnia and Herzegovina as its officially known, is a relatively short bus/car ride from Dubrovnik. A melting pot of religions, architecture and culture, Bosnia boasts spectacular scenery, unique cities and delicious food. We booked a day trip to Mostar and Kravice waterfalls with Laus Travels through TripAdvisor for 55 Euros each. There are a few other cheaper options if you go with a bigger group – however, as we booked reasonably late, all those spots were full.

Nevertheless, our guide, Ivan, was informative, funny and engaging. Having a smaller group also meant we spent less time waiting at the many border crossings (you will have a total for 6 border crossings, as to get to and from Mostar. You have to cross out of Croatia and into Bosnia, then back into Croatia and then BACK into Bosnia – and then repeat the whole fiasco in reverse on the return journey.) However, there is a new bridge set to be completed in early July which will link a Croatian peninsula to the mainland and therefore remove the necessity of an extra border crossing.

Mostar – Day Trip from Dubrovnik - April 23

Temperature: 10 – 21 Degrees

Suggested Attire: Jeans, T-shirt, light jumper and rain jacket to ensure you are prepared for everything. Also bring your swimmers if you aren’t afraid of a cold dip!

Currency: The Euro

Fun Fact: Bosnia hosted the first-ever Winter Olympics in a communist country

The 1984 Winter Olympics, also known as Sarajevo 1984, were the first Winter Olympic Games held in a socialist state and a Slavic language-speaking country. It was also the first Olympics to take place in the Balkans, since the first Olympic Games in Athens.

Kravice Falls:

First stop on our trip and about a 1.5 hour drive from Dubrovnik, Kravice falls is one of the most popular attractions in Bosnia – and it’s easy to see why. Entry to the park will cost you 10 Euro or 20 Kuna (the Croatian currency) and can be paid in Kuna or Euro to your tour guide or Euros only if purchased at the park directly.

An endless, blue-tinged, crystal-clear cascade of water falls over a 25m cliff, casting off perpetual mist. The waterfall has a lake at the base which is 120 meters in radius, making it a very popular spot during the summer months. However, be warned, even though the outside air temperature can reach 45 degrees in summer, the warmest the water gets is 15 degrees. When we visited, the water was sitting at 10 degrees, which is about the same temperature as most recovery ice-baths. However, the temptation to swim in such an iconic location was too strong, and we changed into our bathers and braved the cold water.

Once I got over the initial shock of the cold, I quite enjoyed myself for a few minutes, before gratefully clambering out to get dry and warm again. Like I’ve said before: you never regret a swim!

Mostar (Old Town)

Next up, about a 40km drive from Kravice Falls is the Old Town of Mostar. The most popular city in southern Bosnia, Mostar’s most iconic landmark is a giant, arched bridge which is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Indeed, Mostar was named after the bridge keepers (mostari) who in the medieval times guarded the Stari Most (Old Bridge) over the Neretva. There is an ancient tradition of young men jumping from the 27m high bridge into the water below as a demonstration of strength. In summer months, tourists can undergo training and also brave the jump. Sadly, in reply to my excited expression, our tour guide informed us that we were too early in the season and even if we arrived in summer, we would not have had time to complete the training course on such a short tour.

It’s a predictably picturesque town, with cobbled streets, winding alleyways and low-set buildings. Unusually however, you will find a smattering of mosques and churches grouped together in close proximity. The mosques in particular are unique to this area, and have rectangular shaped buildings with grey, slate-stone roofs instead of the more traditional domed towers.

We wandered the streets for a few hours, exploring the stores, Mostar is famous for its leather tanneries and copper jewellery, so if you’re after an authentic souvenir, a beautifully handcrafted leather bag or copper jewellery piece would be a winner.

We also tried some of the local dishes at a stunning restaurant overlooking the bridge. I can highly recommend trying the Bosnian coffee (although not if you want to sleep in the next 6 hours, its veeeery strong) and the traditional fig pudding Smokvara. It’s prepared with a dark-brown dough consisting of fig pekmez—a thick syrup-like product—wheat and corn flour, sugar, oil, and water. I haven’t had anything like it, and enjoyed it immensely. Trust me, it tastes better than it looks!

General Cost:

Actually Quite Reasonable: Even in touristy areas, Bosnia is cheap by most standards. Euro is the accepted currency and cash is the preferred payment method. Great food, drink and product, I definitely wish we could spend a few more days exploring this very underrated country.

Things to Note:

Beware of pick-pockets. Petty theft is rife in Mostar and most parts of Bosnia. Keep your valuables insight and protected at all times. We held our backpacks on our fronts and even that wasn’t enough to deter the bold gypsies. While I was distracted by a jewellery shop, a young woman reached out her hands and was about to undo the zip on my bag. Fortunately, I am under a self-imposed no souvenir buying embargo and I turned around and looked directly at her. Immediately she dropped her hand and walked off as if nothing out of the ordinary had taken place.

Organised begging can be very confronting. Throughout the streets of Mostar, you will find women laying on the sidewalk – often accompanied by young children. Most of these women and children are part of an organised begging syndicate run by local crime-lords. It is confronting to walk past pleas for help and moans of anguish and even more disconcerting to feel the gentle tug of a desperate child’s hand on your arm. If you feel like helping them, offering food or clothing is usually a good way to distinguish between genuine beggars and professional beggars. Those who have enough money for food and a safe place to sleep at night will turn down the offer of food or goods, whereas the people in desperate need, will gladly accept any assistance you can offer.

Check your visa requirements before reaching the border. Usually if you don’t require a visa to get into Croatia, you wont need one to get into Montenegro, however make sure you check before getting to the border.

The border crossing can take a while, so be patient. The guide will collect your passports and hand them to the customs officer, and if the officer is having a good day, he will process them while you all remain on the bus. If he is having a bad day, he’ll make everyone get off the bus, and if he's having a really bad day, be will check your luggage. Thankfully we got him on a good day, but it's still a frustratingly slow and inefficient process.

There is a restriction on some items and produce. You are not allowed to bring meat, cheese or more than 2 packets of cigarettes back into Croatia from Montenegro. If that customs officer who is having a bad day decides to check your luggage and you have cheese, meat or cigarettes, you will be in for a big fine and a very bad day.