Bosnia and Herzegovina currently offers more than 400 hiking routes and it’s hard to choose one. Here is an overview of some of the best hiking routes around.
Photo Credits: Peter Ubiparip
Šator
Sator is a mountain in western Bosnia and Herzegovina, part of Dinaric Alps range. Šator was named like that for its shape with sharp steep hillsides inclined to karst plateaus resembling a tent (šator means tent in Bosnian languange).
Šator Lake on Šator Mountain
The name of the Šator’s highest peak shares the same name as the mountain and its 1875 m high. Just beneath is a glacial lake called Šator lake. The lake covers the area of 35.000 m2 with average depth of 1,5 m and a maximum depth of 3 m.
Besides hiking, Šator is suitable for a nice family trip due to a mountain road that reaches Satorsko Jezero Lake.
Šator and area around the mountain were enormous pastures for thousands of cattle, which was driven here even from Dalmatia but today you will hardly meet any on the mountain.
Mount Šator has great numbers of rare, endangered and endemic plants, particularly notable is a rare and medical herb Gentianalutea ssp. Symphyandraand, an endangered species of Leontopodium alpinum, which has been protected world-wide.
Cincar
Cincar is mountain in western Bosnia and Herzegovina. Also part of Dinaric Alps chain.
Cincar MountainPhoto Credits: Vanja Hadžiavdić
Cincar mountain and its highest peak at 2006 meters, share the same name. Other high peaks of Cincar are Malovan (1826m), Osjecenica (1798m), Osin Glavica (1720m) and Voloder (1640m).
Mountain Cincar is the meeting point of different eco-climates – warm climate, experienced to the south, and a cold Alpine climate characterized by snowfall.
This mountain is a home to many endemic communities, mainly senselia, bearberry, edelweiss, and others. Feral horses are tourist attraction and a reason for hiking Cincar.
Čvrsnica
Located on the right side of Neretva river with it’s steep cliffs on the east and mild ones on the west, Čvrsnica mountain is a great place for a hiking tour complemented only by the sound of wind in treetops of centuries-old trees and relaxing sounds of forest inhabitants.
Čvrsnica Mountain
Čvrsnica is named after its strong built (čvrst means strong in Bosnian languange). The highest peak Pločno is at 2228 meters but there are more than 10 peaks higher than 2000 metres.
Čvrsnica is part of Nature Park Blidinje and Hajdučka vrata, amazing natural phenomenon in the form of an arc, is protected as a natural monument. Hajdučka vrata (bandolero’s door) is a place where, as local legend says, bandoleros would come and by passing through the door became protected. Here, they used to take a vow to protect their group of bandoleros.
A lot of the endemic forms may be found here, edelweiss (Leontopodinum alpinum) and subspecies triton.
Visočica
Visočica was named so due to its high peaks (visok means tall in Bosnian): Mosque (1967 m), Great Ljeljen (1963 m) and Vito (1960 m). Visočica offers beautiful view on the summits of the surrounding mountains: Bjelašnica and Hojta in the north, Treskavica in the northeast, in the south Velež and Crvanj and Prenj mountain in the west.
On several sites within Visočica stećci are found. These medieval tombstones are typical for Bosnia-Herzegovina and were erected in the 14th and 15th centuries.
Visočica has two so-called necropoli that are of particular interest because they are located at high altitude amidst these mountains where no trace of contemporary or historical habitation can be found.
Photo Credits: Selma Pajevicc
The necropolis at a site called Poljice, at the side of the mountain road at 1500 m., features two stećci that bear the rare medieval Bosnian Cyrillic inscriptions. Even further up from this site, at 1700 m. in a high deserted valley called Jezera, there is another sizable necropolis that features several ornamented stećci, one stećak showing a most striking image of -most probably- the Good Shepherd and another showing the Bosnian Lily. One passes this impressive site while hiking along the marked trail towards the summit of Džamija.
Bjelašnica and Lukomir village
Bjelašnica is a mountain in central Bosnia and Herzegovina, 32 km southwest of Sarajevo. Bjelašnica (whose name was derived from word bijelo meaning white in Bosnian) was named for the snow that lingers on its peaks long after winter has passed. The white snow cupola of Bjelašnica is a familiar sight from the higher points in Sarajevo in the period from mid October until early June.
Bjelašnica’s tallest peak, by which the whole mountain group got its name, rises to an elevation of 2067 meters (6782 feet). Other notable peaks are Krvavac (2061 m), Mali Vlahinja (2055 m), and Hranisava (1964 m).
Bjelašnica has an alpine tundra climate with long, cold winters lasting for most of the year and short, cool summers. During winter, snowfall is extremely heavy and very constant, falling on most winter days. Bjelašnica’s base is largely forested – mixed forest, mostly beech but there are no trees above the 1500 meter line.
During the 14th Sarajevo Winter Olympic Games in 1984, Bjelašnica hosted competitions in alpine skiing disciplines for men. Downhill, slalom and giant slalom tracks were built at the time. Today, Bjelašnica is restoring its former glory of an Olympic Centre, with well-groomed trails and renovated vertical transportation and hotels, it meets all the necessary conditions for good winter recreation.
A number of hikes exist here. One trail approaches the Bjelašnica main summit (2067 m) from the north and is called Josipova Staza after its most famous hiker: Josip Broz Tito. One of the hikes leads parallel to the river Rakitnica Canyon, departing from village Umoljani and ending at Lukomir, known to be the last all-year-through inhabited semi-nomadic settlement at this altitude in the Balkans.
Photo Credit: Samir Avdić
Lukomir (in Bosnian harbour of peace) is located above 1.500 meters above the sea level which makes it Bosnian highest and the most isolated mountain village.
Photo Credit: Samir Avdić
This magnificent place resembles an open air ethno museum and an absolute must see place.
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