The Drežanka River Canyon is located in the Blidinje Nature Park, stretching between the high mountain ranges of Čabulja on the south and Čvrsnica on the north. Due to the completely preserved purity of the water and the untouched beautiful landscapes through which it flows, the river Drežanka is simply leaving everyone breathless.
There are few who, half-way between Jablanica and Mostar, turn right and enter the fairyland of the canyon, towards the villages Gornja and Donja Drežnica. It is so close to the Sarajevo-Mostar main road, yet so far and hidden that it causes admiration and surprise to all who go there.
Veliki Movran
Those who come for the first time, in addition to the unreal beauty of the river and its mountains, will be surprised by the size of this space. You expect one or two villages, and you will see a large area that you can explore for days and that will certainly not leave you indifferent.
From the spring to the mouth the river is adorned with natural springs, waterfalls, blue sky, rarely seen water purity, greenery and an abundance of trout and other fish species. Going fishing in Drežnica is a special experience for professional fishermen as well as those amateurs who, in addition to holding fishing rods, spend time watching beautiful mountain peaks.
Drežanka Canyon is ideal for weekend excursions, enjoying the unspoiled nature, searching for a photo frame that no one has ever caught before or just walking in silence. You just need some nice weather and the miles under your feet will just go down because you won’t be able to stop thinking that nature is doing some miracle in front of you and you should not miss it.
Somewhere halfway between Donja and Gornja Drežnica is the place where sometimes Veliki Movran appears, whose height reaches 400 meters and is one of the largest waterfalls in Europe. On the days when Herzegovina is dominated by good weather, you can forget about it, because it only appears after heavy rains.
Only in BiH can such spaces remain undiscovered and secretive. Anywhere else, Drežanka Canyon would be a must-see postcard and destination for thousands of tourists. Drežanka has many tributaries, the most important of which are Laloša, Ješevac, Meomača, Gračanica, Ledenica, Tisno and Ždilac.
Of the many natural springs, Balin Vir, Mujića Vir, Stupina, small and large Zelenak and Crna Stupina are particularly prominent. Stupina in Draga is a well-known swimming area where jumps were held as a preparatory competition for jumps from the Old Bridge in Mostar, while Crna Stupina in Striževo is for lovers of untouched nature. It’s called “crna“- black because the sun doesn’t reach the water, so the water looks black.
Outdoor Museum
Particularly noteworthy is the bathing area in Donje Selo near the dam, which has a beautiful beach, restaurant, car parking, and plenty of space for rest and relaxation in the shade by the river.
With all its visible layers of rock, both at the bottom and at the top and above it, Drežanka Canyon is a true paleontological open-air museum – where it is possible to find fossils from the geological past, spanning as much as 200 million years, from the Triassic, Jurassic, all the way up to the Eocene. It is undoubtedly one of the deepest true canyons in Europe and the world.
In all these places, one can experience unique and inimitable scenes that evoke all the beauty and splendor, and simply force the visitors to come again and admire the untouched nature that is rarely seen. This is simply one of those places that when you meet you will be sorry you did not discover it before.
