Walking in Bosnia & Herzegovina

Discover majestic landscapes and gripping history in one of the lesser-visited European destinations

With swathes of rugged wilderness, Bosnia & Herzegovina is a nature-lover’s paradise yet, surprisingly, remains untapped by mass tourism. This itinerary includes all the essential elements: ascending Maglić, the highest mountain in Bosnia; exploring Sutjeska National Park, home to one of the last primeval forests in Europe and the mighty Durmitor mountains; and passing hidden waterfalls and glacial lakes. There’s plenty of cultural intrigue too, with sightseeing in the history-soaked cities of Sarajevo, Mostar, and Dubrovnik in Croatia.

Did you know you can travel by train to this trip? Find out more here

People, Places & Planet

We work hard to create trips that have a positive impact on the people and places we visit and look after the planet we explore. Learn more about our sustainable travel ethos and practice here and find out about the work of the Exodus Travels Foundation here.

Some sustainable travel highlights of this trip include:

People

How this trip helps improve life for local communities.

• Local guides keep you well informed about local traditions and cultural-social sensitivities.
• This trip brings income and opportunity to the destination community through the inclusion of locally owned hotels, restaurants, and other enterprises, and by championing locally produced food wherever possible.
• As a part of our work with local people, we organise lunch with the Maslesa family in the mountain village of Lukomir,
• We also visit a small winery run by a local family in the Herzegovina region.
• Read more about our other initiatives

Places

How this trip helps protect and conserve local landscapes and nature.

• By travelling in a small group, we ‘tread lightly’ to minimise our impact on local resources and the environment.
• We work with our partners on the ground to proactively reduce waste; this includes eliminating all single-use plastic water bottles by providing refills for reusable bottles.
• The payment of entrance fees to natural reserves and archaeological sites generates income used to upkeep and develop these important sites.We visit the oldest national park in Bosnia, Sutjeska, which was established in 1962. We also visit the Unesco-protected Mostar Old Bridge.
• We rewild 1,075sqft (100sqm) per passenger to compensate for all trip and flight emissions.
• Read about our commitment to nature protection and restoration here, including our rewilding commitment for every customer who travels with us.

Planet

How we seek to keep the carbon footprint of this trip low.

• Accommodation and restaurants in the itinerary use locally sourced food which has not been transported long distances.
• Walking trips like this have very little detrimental impact on the environment and the locals, as it is a quiet, low-impact activity requiring comparatively few resources to support.
• Read about our climate action here, including our carbon reduction and compensation commitments.

Tips for sustainable travel on this trip

• Leave no trace: We do all we can to ensure we leave no rubbish in the wild and beautiful places we visit; we ask that you do the same. If there are no recycling facilities in-country, consider bringing recyclable materials home with you.
• Plastic waste reduction: Please bring a reusable water bottle on this trip, also consider avoiding single-use hotel toiletries, which generate a large amount of plastic waste.

Visa

Bosnia & Herzegovina

Travellers from the UK, US and EU normally do not need a visa to enter Bosnia and Herzegovina. Please note, visa requirements often change and it is your responsibility to obtain any required visas for this trip. Therefore, we recommend that you check with the nearest embassy or consulate of your chosen destination(s), including any countries you may be transiting or transferring through.

Some local governments provide guidance on what visas their citizens need. To help, we’ve gathered a selection of useful links below.

• Australia: www.smartraveller.gov.au/destinations/europe/bosnia-and-herzegovina
• Canada: www.travel.gc.ca/destinations/bosnia-and-herzegovina
• United Kingdom: www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/bosnia-and-herzegovina/entry-requirements
• USA: www.travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel-Country-Information-Pages/BosniaandHerzegovina.html

Croatia

Travellers from the UK, US and EU normally do not need a visa to enter Croatia. Please note, visa requirements often change and it is your responsibility to obtain any required visas for this trip. Therefore, we recommend that you check with the nearest embassy or consulate of your chosen destination(s), including any countries you may be transiting or transferring through.

Some local governments provide guidance on what visas their citizens need. To help, we’ve gathered a selection of useful links below.

• Australia: www.smartraveller.gov.au/destinations/europe/croatia
• Canada: www.travel.gc.ca/destinations/croatia
• United Kingdom: www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/croatia/entry-requirements
• USA:  www.travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel-Country-Information-Pages/Croatia.html

Montenegro

Travellers from the UK, US and EU normally do not need a visa to enter Montenegro. Please note, visa requirements often change and it is your responsibility to obtain any required visas for this trip. Therefore, we recommend that you check with the nearest embassy or consulate of your chosen destination(s), including any countries you may be transiting or transferring through.

Some local governments provide guidance on what visas their citizens need. To help, we’ve gathered a selection of useful links below.

• Australia: www.smartraveller.gov.au/destinations/europe/montenegro
• Canada: www.travel.gc.ca/destinations/montenegro
• United Kingdom: www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/montenegro/entry-requirements
• USA: www.travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel-Country-Information-Pages/Montenegro.html

Vaccination

Bosnia & Herzegovina

There are no required vaccinations. However, you may want to consider vaccinations for tetanus, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, rabies, tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) and tuberculosis. Please confirm with your doctor or travel clinic.

Croatia

There are no required vaccinations. However, you may want to consider vaccinations for hepatitis A, hepatitis B, tetanus, rabies and tick-borne encephalitis. Please confirm with your doctor or travel clinic.

Montenegro

There are no required vaccinations. However, you may want to consider vaccinations for tetanus, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, rabies and tick-borne encephalitis (TBE). Please confirm with your doctor or travel clinic.

Eating and Drinking

All breakfasts, five picnic lunches and four dinners are included on this trip.

Typical meals:

• Breakfast across the Balkans usually consists of bread and pastries, dairy products such as yoghurt and cheese, cereal, eggs cooked in a variety of ways, smoked meats, honey, tea and coffee, milk and juices.
• Breakfast in Sutjeska will be a choice of a warm or cold set meal. In Sarajevo, Mostar and Dubrovnik there will be a choice between a hot and cold buffet.
• Lunches will be picnics including bread, cheese, sausage, meat and vegetarian pâté, salad, chocolate bars, cookies, trail mix, and coffee/tea.
• Evening meals in Sutjeska are three courses and include soup, a selection of traditionally prepared meat, vegetables, and a dessert.

Typical Bosnian cuisine consists of ingredients such as tomatoes, potatoes, onions, garlic, peppers, cucumbers, mushrooms, spinach, courgette, beans and dairy products such as milk, cheese, pavlaka (sour cream) and kajmak (similar to clotted cream). Meat dishes usually consist of beef and lamb and specialities include cevapi, burek, dolma (stuffed vegetables with meat) and goulash. Desserts often have an Eastern influence with baklava being very popular. The alcoholic drink rakija, made from apples or plums, is also common in this region.

Croatian and Montenegrin cuisine both share similarities to Bosnian cuisine but are also heavily influenced by Greek and Italian food.

Vegetarian and special dietary requirements can be catered for, but options are limited throughout Bosnia & Herzegovina – please inform your sales representative of any specific requirements upon booking.

Weather

Bosnia & Herzegovina enjoys a similar climate to most of central Europe: hot summers, cool springs and autumns, and cold winters with considerable snowfall. We visit from June to September when temperatures will be generally warm (25C-30C/77F-86F), but these temperatures will be a little lower in the mountains. Rain can fall at any time of the year, although in midsummer it is more likely to come as short, sharp thunderstorms. Walking on Maglić and Volujak can be unpredictable and it has been known to hail in August.

Is this trip for you?

This trip has been rated Activity Level 4 (Moderate/Challenging).

It includes five daywalks through moderate to difficult terrain, where you will need to carry a daypack. We usually walk between four and eight hours a day, with a picnic lunch en route. The trails are mostly rocky and uneven, often rough and stony underfoot. The daywalks involve steady ascents and descents (maximum: 3,280ft/1,000m). The walk on Day 3 will be long but worthwhile.

There are steep, long drops on sections of this trip, plus paths that traverse ridgelines. The walk on Day 3 is not recommended for those who suffer from vertigo.

Following a review of all our trips we have categorised this trip as generally not suitable for persons of reduced mobility. However if you are a regular traveller on such trips, please contact customer services to discuss the trip and your personal condition.