We were just lucky enough to spend a week in Bosnia & Herzegovina and we had some of the most amazing experiences! I only wish we could have stayed longer to experience more of this amazing country. This is one of those places that really stole my heart and I know we’ll be returning.
Experiences in Bosnia & Herzegovina near Mostar
Via Ferrata Over Mostar
The Via Ferrata over Mostar was our very first experience with a Via Ferrata and we LOVED it! You’ll be catching us finding them whenever we can now! In case you’ve never heard this term, a Via Ferrata is essentially a hike involving cables, metal rungs, ladders, and bridges.
This Via Ferrata is particularly special because you climb RIGHT over the city of Mostar. You can look down and see the entire city laid out before you. We did this one for sunset and it was SUCH an epic experience!
First of all, if you’re going to do this, you HAVE to do it with Adi from Future Travel Mostar. He is the absolute best tour guide and if we’d had more time in Mostar I would have had him take us around to some other spots too! Not only did he support us throughout the hike but he also taught us so much about the history and culture of Bosnia & Herzegovina.
As long as you are reasonably fit you could absolutely do this hike! There were a few bridges and some cables etc. The hike took about 2 hours overall but we stopped to talk A LOT. We could have done it much faster. When we reached the top we walked down on a trail on the other side. Adi also offered us a ride down if we wanted but we were interested in the walk.
Here is the link to the exact tour we did and absolutely LOVED with Adi! —-> Mostar Via Ferrata
Watch the Mostar Bridge Jumpers
The Mostar Bridge Jumpers aren’t really an official experience, but they basically are. There is even a local club for it. It is a really interesting and unique experience to get a chance to watch one of them jump! Even better if you catch it from the coffee shop overlooking the bridge, or from one of the bars down below.
The bridge jumpers will basically hang out on and around the Stari Most bridge during peak times. They will show off and climb up over the edge of the bridge to create interest. They’ll look like they’re gonna jump but they are just biding their time. When enough tourists start gathering/giving money, they will eventually feel they have enough and one of them will make the jump! It is really neat to see them jump and it is very well coordinated for safety. They make sure boats on the river are paused for a moment before the leap happens.
As a visitor you CAN jump from the bridge also. HOWEVER, you must first pay a fee and take a course with the bridge jumping club. It would not be safe to just do this on your own as there are actually a lot of logistics that go into it to make sure everyone is safe.
Kravice Waterfalls
This is such a fun little get away if you’re staying in Mostar. It took us about 45 minutes to drive here and we went FIRST thing. Actually, I technically opens at 7 am. We arrived at about 8:45 and we were some of the very first people there. Showing up early isn’t necessary, you can enjoy the are anytime. However, if you want some great pictures and want to enjoy the scene before it fills up, you should go early.
You have some options for things to do/places to be here. We were able to get front row chairs for about 3 euro each and it was so nice! We really didn’t spend any money here besides the chairs and a few water bottles. There are restaurants here so you can absolutely sit and have a full meal. There are also spots to sit and just have drinks. You can take a little rowboat ride out onto the water if you’re interested in getting closer to the falls and you don’t want to swim. You can also just bring a towel/blanket and relax wherever you’d like that there is free space.
You can swim in the water and it’s honestly great. It was so refreshing and clear. There are water snakes in there, but they didn’t bother us and seemed to keep closely to the areas where plants were growing.
We stayed until about 12:30 and though it got a lot more crowded, it never felt overwhelming. I think we hit it right at the right time. Overall, I absolutely think it was worth seeing and spending a few hours there and I do recommend it!
We didn’t do a tour to the waterfalls since we had our own car, but if you are traveling using public transport you may want a guide for this one. You can check out some options here! —-> Waterfall tours and day tours
Blagaj
Blagaj is a historic village and it’s also quite nearby to Mostar. We traveld here after the waterfalls, but you could visit any time. It is known for it’s Dervish monastery which is right on the river and is such a beautiful site to see.
There are a ton of souvenir shops here and there are a few restaurants as well. We had a lovely lunch here right on the river. We had fresh river trout and chicken and a lovely salad. Then we explored around the area a bit.
It’s a beautiful area to explore and enjoy, I’d say you only need a few hours here.
Experiences in/near Sarajevo
Sarajevo Picnic
This is one of the most lovely experiences in Bosnia and I highly recommend it! One of my favorite things to do almost anywhere we visit is to have a picnic, but sometimes the logistics are complicated. This is the answer to that! We booked this tour through Sarajevo Experiences and I’m so glad we did.
They prepared a beautiful picnic spread for us. It included nuts, berries, cheese, meats, jams, bread, a salad, wine, beer, rose water, and more. The set up included a huge comfortable blanket, pillows, a nice little “picnic table”, a stand to hold glassware, and basically anything else you could possibly think of.
The spot we were taken to was somewhere we never would have found on our own. The yellow fortress in Sarajevo is famous for sunset and this spot was significantly higher than that! We could see the whole city and surrounding area. The sunset was gorgeous and besides a few other people stopping by we had the place entirely to ourselves.
This experience also included pick up and drop off so we didn’t have to worry about any logistics at all!
If you want to book the same picnic we did, you can check it out here —-> Sarajevo Picnic
Cable Car and Walk the Bobsled Track
This is such a fun little half day adventure that you can do all on your own. There is a cable car right at foot of the Trebević mountain in Sarajevo that you can take all the way to the top. Up at the top you can wander around many different beautiful trails. You can also explore the abandoned bobsled track from the 1984 olympics. This is what we chose to do. The cable car cost about 15 euro for a round trip and I think 10 for a one way.
The abandoned bobsled track is SO neat to see. It is about 4000 feet long so there is a lot to explore! It was heavily damaged during the Bosnian war and is now covered in street art and graffiti. You can explore it on your own however you’d like. There are also a few neat tours we saw where you can slide down it or do your own spray art on part of the track.
However you choose to experience it, it is really worth seeing and a unique experience to walk down a bobsled track through a forest! I don’t think there’s anywhere else you can do this!
You don’t need to hire a tour guide to go visit the Bobsled Track. But if you want to, this seems like a fun option —-> Bobsled tour with an Olympian!
Sarajevo Food Tour
We always try to do a food or walking tour when we arrive in the city to get a lay of the land. Learning about the local foods before you begin your adventure is the best way to make sure you don’t miss anything!
This tour started with a visit to the market and some history of Sarajevo. Bosnia & Herzegovina have a brutal and tragic history and no matter what kind of tour you book, it’s likely you’re going to learn a bit too as it is woven into everything here. We were able to see the Sarajevo Roses on the ground in the outdoor market and learned that they are marked in locations were lives were lost. We then entered the indoor market to collect some meat, cheese, and fruit.
We sat on a park bench to enjoy our snacks and learning more about Sarajevo before heading onward into the lively Old Town side of the city. We tried three different spots that all served popular Bosnian specialities. I loved that we stopped in very local and relaxed places along this tour. Our guide also gave us tons of suggestions for other places to eat, drink, and hang out around Sarajevo throughout the tour. We took many of his recommendations throughout our time there.
You will not need to eat anything else after doing this tour! The visit concluded with our guide making us traditional Bosnian coffee in an alleyway and teaching us more about the coffee culture in Bosnia as well.
Experiences in/near Konjic
Rafting Konjic
I’ll admit I was nervous to book a rafting experience. I had never been rafting before and I wasn’t too keen on falling out of a raft and into a rushing river. Luckily for me this was an entirely peaceful experience, maybe even a little too peaceful!
We booked online and showed up at the starting point in the morning. We were given our vests, helmets, and water shoes and we hopped into a bus to drive about 45 minutes away. When we arrived we helped carry the rafts into the water and we were on our way.
We had to paddle a bit due to slow rapids and after about 30 minutes reached our spot to have lunch. It was a gorgeous spot down in the canyon and we explored around while the crew cooked lunch for us. Lunch consisted of Ćevapi (a traditional minced meat sausage), bread, tomato, and onion. It was honestly delicious especially in such a beautiful setting.
After lunch we continued onward for a few more hours. We occasionally passed what could be called rapids and the raft went a little quicker or over some rocks. But overall the day was entirely peaceful and we actually had to paddle to keep going quite a bit. The best part of this tour was the scenery. Being down in the canyon was unreal and I’d honestly not ever seen landscapes so incredibly beautiful and water so clear.
My one regret was letting them worry me into thinking I should leave my phone behind. It would have been totally fine to bring in a waterproof case, but I left it back in a locker. I’m disappointed I don’t have many photos and videos from this experience as it was so incredibly lovely! If you’re looking for companies you could also look for one that provides waterproof cases or one that takes photos for you! Overall though, I would definitely recommend spending a day in the canyon if you’re in the Konjic area.
Here is a link if you’re looking to plan a rafting adventure —-> Rafting Link
Lamb House Jablanica
I know this is a meal and technically not an experience, but having a lamb dinner in Jablanica is one of the most popular things to do here! We had dinner at “Lamb House” but there are a number of options in the area and they all provide a similar experience.
Jablanica is an incredibly beautiful area so you do want to make sure you eat at a place with a view. We split a kilo of lamb with honey, some veggies, and had a yummy desrt here. We really enjoyed the experience and the views and I’d highly recommend a stop here.
If you’re traveling between Sarajevo and Konjic you can stop on the way for lunch or dinner. Note that many places in Bosnia & Herzegovina do not sell alcohol. If you want to have a drink with your lamb the Lamb House wouldn’t be for you. Check for another spot along the same area that does serve alcohol.
Full Itinerary
If you’re interested in our full itinerary for Bosnia & Herzegovina and how we did it by car, you can check out my blog post here. All of the above experiences fit into the itinerary as well —-> 6 Days in Bosnia & Herzegovina.
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