On the mountains of Bosnia and Herzegovina, winter tourism is more developed than summer tourism. However, during the summer period mountains, with its green meadows covered with colorful flowers, the sound of streams and rivers and, and the song of birds, will provide visitors and nature lovers with a completely new atmosphere that you will find very hard to forget.
Mountains surrounding the capital city Sarajevo are best examples. Peace and tranquility on the mountains are ideal for escaping the city crowds, but also for a kind of anti-stress therapy. The team of Visit B&H, which used a beautiful June day to visit the Olympic beauties Bjelašnica, Visočica, and across Glavatičevo and Boračko jezero to go down to Konjic, came to same conclusion.
We started from Sarajevo early in the morning. On the way to Bjelašnica we met only a few cars and cyclists who told us that this Olympic beauty is empty. On Babin dol in Bjelašnica, a group of pupils scuffled playgrounds in the meadow below the ski slopes, while only a few nature lovers walked around and enjoyed. The greenery that surrounded us is a real holiday for the soul and the body.
Mushroom pickers
We continued to the village Šabići and along the road admired the beautiful meadows and green forests that surrounded us. When we arrived to Šabići, we could not resist, without visiting village Rakitnica and the beautiful river of the same name. In Šabići, we turned left towards Rakitnica through macadam road next to a beautiful meadow filled with flowers and forest strawberries. There is a crossroad leading to Sinanovići, Dujmovići and Trnovo. Also, there is a board indicating where the cycling path begins, where lovers of cycling can reach mentioned villages. We stopped to rest a bit and enjoy the greenery that surrounded us. Here we met several mushroom pickers who praised with the daily “catch” of mushrooms.
– We come here every day and we find a few kilograms of mushrooms. Rain that is almost daily falling is extremely suitable for mushrooms – they told us.
After a brief rest we returned to Šabići and then continued on to the mountain Visočica and the village Sinanovići, where we stopped by the Treskavica Mountain Lodge. The worker in that home warmly welcomed us and offered a place under the umbrella. We ordered Bosnian coffee and uštipci (fried dough balls) with cheese from Bjelašnica and kaymak (creamy dairy product). A warm recommendation for all those homemade food lovers, and it’s good to continue the journey.
– On weekends there are visitors, and on weekdays, there are mostly mountaineers. Tourists from Slovenia have been here for a few days. They sleep in the house and go early in the morning for a walk, and they return in the evening. They are delighted with the beauty of Bjelašnica, Visočica and Treskavica, and for the fourth year, they have been our regular guests – says the worker.
After a delicious meal and a great coffee that we paid 7.5 BAM (about 4 euros), we headed towards the top of the mountain Visočica and further towards Konjic. The sound of our car and a song of mountain birds disturbed peace and tranquility. When we climbed to the top of Visočica, the spectacular scene left us breathless. Due to the altitude above 1,500 meters, there are no trees, and the area is covered only with grass, flowers and stones. We began to descend towards the village of Luka with a tilted, asphalt road. Along the way, we came across the medieval toombstones, necropolis Police, which is a proof of life in this area 700-800 years ago.
Descent down the Visočica towards Glavatičevo requires a careful ride, because the road is curling, and before entering the village Luka there is even worse macadam road damaged by heavy rains. Fortunately, macadam road is less than two kilometers long, and then you can again enjoy the paved road that leads to Glavatičevo with a beautiful view of the canyon of one of the tributaries of the River Neretva. As we passed through villages Tucakovići, Pohar, Zabrđani and approached Glavatičevo, we more often encountered cyclists who enjoyed riding a bike through beautiful landscapes. It is necessary to draw attention to be more careful while driving through this part, because on the road there are often sheep and cows released by a sheppard.
Tourist season
Arriving in Glavatičevo way leads down the greenish Neretva River, so the scene is truly enchanting. Rafting tours along Neretva also start from Glavatičevo, so we have often seen cars that ride boats for rafting. There were anglers on the banks of the river, and numerous campers. Everything indicated that the tourist season began.
After a short rest on the Neretva coast, we continued our journey towards Boračko Lake. It is a glacial lake, located at the northeastern foot of Mount Prenj, at an altitude of 397 meters. It is 20 km away from Konjic and is connected by asphalt. It is 786 long and 402 meters wide and is a favorite picnic area for the citizens of Konjic, Mostar and Sarajevo.
Although during our visit the season has not started yet, on Boračko Lake we met several swimmers and campers who already occupied their place in the camp settlement.
– I’m here from mid-June until September 1. We are waiting for the season to start and then there will be tourists. Every year I am here and I can say that we are very satisfied with the visit – says one visitor.
Boračko Lake offers various content to its visitors, and everyone who wants to spend a few days in this beautiful lake can rent bungalows, cottages or a caravan. This is an ideal place for swimming, relaxing and recreation.
We finished a beautiful tourist tour in Konjic, a Herzegovinian city that abounds with tourist attractions, which are dominated by the old stone bridge, Tito’s bunker, and woodcarving handcraft, which last year was inscribed on the list of UNESCO’s cultural heritage.
