Let talks teleportation, Star Trek Style.
Destination? Rural Bosnia and Herzegovina.
But you don’t know where you are, and looking around you can be forgiven for initially thinking that you’re somewhere else.
Switzerland. Slovenia. Scotland.
While at a quick glance these scenic scenes may be reminiscent of another place, there’s something about Bosnia and Herzegovina that is unlike anywhere else I’ve been.
Let’s take a walk in to the mountain village of Lukomir…
Triangular roofs of mismatched tiles, wood and iron, complete the basic stone structured houses, speckling the village in a collection of colours like a quirky patchwork quilt
Looking around the sparsely equipped surroundings, I couldn’t have felt any further away from civilisation and the hustle and bustle of life as I know it. I loved it!
Modern appliances and technology are alien to the residents of Bosnia’s most remote village.
Although I did spy one, not sure if it’s fully operational however…
Lukomir is tucked away high in to the Bjelašnica Mountains, at an altitude of 1495m; that’s 150m higher than the UK’s tallest Mountain, Ben Nevis!
As a result, the views are AMAZING!
Venture through the village for the starting point of the mountain hiking trails.
All along the route you’ll stumble across a series of nature’s wee gems…
How cool is this wee guy?!
After our hike, my Med Experience group headed back to village for…
…a traditional coffee inside the warmth of one of the modest, yet surprisingly comfortable village homes
…a high altitude pee in a rather ‘interesting’ toilet
… to buy some unique, handmade woollen items from a local lady called Megra. At 75 years of age she has lived in the mountains all her life and has 6 children. Her husband died 15 years ago.
As we drop back down to normal oxygen levels, the roads between our city destinations exhibit the most charming countryside, sprinkled with village life and agriculture
While some of the group went rafting in Konjic, our guide Mustafa and the rest of us wandered off to explore the nearby village of Dzajici…
…via a secret waterfall, tucked away amongst a jungle of bright green vegetation
Check out the colour of that water!
We continued on to the village…
…passing by local women as they tended to their crops. They smiled and exchanged pleasantries with our guide
The makeshift houses and gentle streams exude rustic, natural charm
…while others lie derelict and empty, the plant growth only disguising some of the holes from numerous shell attacks during the 90’s war (you can read about the war in my Bosnian War Survivors post here)
How about this wee place? No annoying neighbours, a nearby waterfall to swim under and a back garden of infinite lush greenery…
Any takers?
I travelled through rural Bosnia and Herzegovina, and to the cities of Mostar and Sarajevo, on a 1 week Bosnia Adventure Tour with Med Experience. For all the details and to book, visit here
Have you visited Bosnia?
Is it how you’d imagined it would look?
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