Beautiful Bosnia

After our exploration of Sarajevo we decided to head in a northwesterly direction to stay in the hills, aiming for Una National Park on the border with Croatia.

There was no respite from the heat and the long range forecast only promised more heat.

The ride out of Sarajevo was fairly straightforward and pleasant on a bike path to the western suburbs that transitioned into a large green space once we crossed the Željenica River.

It’s always a bit of work to transition from cities back into rural areas, traversing industrial zones and often having to ride on busy roads.

But soon enough we found a small rural road into the hills that would take us to Visoko, home of the Bosnian “pyramids.”

Semir Osmanagić, a Bosnian-American, has claimed these natural pyramid-shaped hills are the oldest man-made structures in the world. It’s complete nonsense but he has managed to create an entire tourism industry around it since 2005.

The road was mostly paved running through small villages and farm land where remnants of the Bosnian war are still very much present.

As a precaution, going into the bush to relieve yourself is not an option.

Sometimes the road was just a bit too steep for riding but never for long.

We stayed near the entrance to a pyramid site but avoided getting fleeced, instead enjoying the cooler temperatures brought on by an intense thunderstorm.

By chance we found a rail trail not marked as such on any mapping apps we were using. As luck would have it, the trail ran all the way to Travnik and on to Jajce, the towns we were heading for.

The Old Rail Trail was a joint project between Bosnia-Hercegovina and Germany. It uses the route of an old narrow gauge railway built in the 1890s and in use until the 1970s. Now it’s a great cycling route.

In places the trail was a bit overgrown and had some rough sections but generally the trail was in excellent condition. In Travnik, one of the old locomotives that was used on the “Spalatobahn” was on display.

Travnik is a beautiful little hill town with a large fort drawing tourists. There is also a beautiful mosque in the old town with its steep streets. Of course, our accommodation was at the top of one of the steepest streets.

We continued on the rail trail climbing gradually but the promise of a tunnel meant we wouldn’t have to climb up over the pass. Except, we couldn’t find the tunnel. Some locals who were cutting wood told us the tunnel was not passable because it had caved in. Up over the pass we went.

It was a long day of 73 kilometres, mostly on the trail. Arriving in Jajce, we were tired and and a bit muddy, and of course our accommodation was at the top of a long, steep climb. Thankfully, the hotel also had a bar and the beer never tasted so good.

Since we had a big lunch on the road we decided to stay in the comfort of our air conditioned apartment and make a salad and some charcuterie for our evening meal. The store across the street had everything we needed.

Camping hasn’t been much of an option because of the heat and a lack of camp sites along our chosen route. Lack of water and the possibility of land mines meant wild camping was not an option.

We rented a little bungalow the next day just outside Ključ. The owner was very gregarious and said he would drive us into town to his restaurant for dinner whenever we wanted.

There was a small pool and we were happy to have a refreshing dip before being driven out to dinner. Delicious traditional food and a great way to cap the day.

We were excited to have spotted a camp site ahead on our route. It was touted as a nice place to stay, run by a family on a small farm.

It was a relatively quick ride with one long climb. Amazingly, as has happened often, a café appeared at or near the summit so we pulled in for a coffee and a cold drink.

Nobody was home at the camp site but there were instructions on what to do and where to camp. We had lunch, showers and relaxed. Oliver and his family appeared a few hours later and we had a nice visit with a tour of the farm.

It was nice to camp again after so many nights in rented accommodation. It was a warm night without sleeping bags.

We said goodbye to Oliver and his family and headed into the hills toward Una National Park. We had rented a place in Kulen Vakuf for two nights as the weather forecast called for thunderstorms and heavy rain for the following day.

Martin Brod, a few km south appeared to be a destination to see with many waterfalls. After unloading our stuff at the apartment, we rode out to see the sights.

The rain did come the following day but not nearly as much as had been forecast. That didn’t matter much as we all needed the rest so we spent a fairly lazy day hanging around Kulen Vakuf, a small town with not much going on that day. The perfect place for a day off the bikes.

Our time in Bosnia was at an end. we crossed the border into Croatia en route to the mountains of Slovakia.

Some more impressions from Bosnia: a complicated country with a complicated history but a resilient people who welcomed us.