Day 1
We are pleasantly surprised, we hadn't expected to like Bosnia so much!
And we weren't prepared for the Riga airport staff to remove the drone batteries from our bag.
We had been planning our trip to Bosnia and Herzegovina since last year. We have excellent cooperation with one of the Cantons of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and they have prepared a week-long itinerary for us, including everything we will see and film, to show it to our viewers later.
We flew with Lufthansa through Frankfurt, where we had to wait 6 hours, and successfully arrived in the capital of Bosnia, Sarajevo.
We walked to the hotel, Great Wall, which we had booked about 10 minutes from the airport. When we got to our room, before midnight, we opened the large bag and found a long receipt stating that 5 batteries had been removed - 3 for the drone and 2 for the screen.
We could do without the screen batteries, but not without the drone.
My question to the Riga airport staff: if they remove batteries, couldn't they have informed us at Riga airport? We would have put those batteries in our pockets or something.
Now our task is to get at least one battery so we can film something. Today is Sunday, all shops are closed, we will start looking tomorrow, very hopefully we will be lucky.
In the morning, a driver picked us up and took us from Sarajevo to Mostar. On the way, we got acquainted with the driver, and it turns out that in his free time he is a guide and works in tourism, but his main job is in the police, he is an investigator. Two hours passed unnoticed; the driver had so much to tell, and on the way, we saw so many beautiful places: green rivers, mountains, canyons, forests, and villages. Within the first few hours, Bosnia amazed us, and the driver's stories made us want to get to know this country as quickly as possible.
It's a shame that the driver won't be with us for the next few days, but we have exchanged contacts and maybe we'll meet again someday.
Our first day is spent in the town of Mostar, home to the country's main and most popular tourist attraction, the Mostar Bridge. We are staying at the Almira hotel, right by the old town and 1 minute away from the bridge and the pedestrian street. From our hotel balcony, we can see the bridge and the entire old town.
We've just checked into our room, changed, and are heading out for our first walk to the bridge, and also down to the river. Here, you have the option to take a motorboat ride, priced at 10 EUR per person for 10 minutes. But 10 minutes is more than enough, and after lunch, we also took one of the boats.
At two o'clock, we have lunch at the hotel. We go back and our table is already set, with a plate of salad in front of us. They bring vegetable soup with chicken, next is a slice of some pie, and then the main course: a plate of french fries with grilled meat, grilled sausages, and kebabs. This portion could feed 6 people, well, if they hadn't eaten everything before, they might have been able to finish this portion, but this time we couldn't even eat half.
After such a lunch, we need a little rest in the room, and after a while, we head out again. There are a lot of people, often we even get stuck and have to wait for someone to let us pass. Everywhere is full of cafes, souvenir shops, and ice cream vendors. It's hot outside and we are constantly looking for some shade to hide from the sun, so we don't get burned on the first day.
This place pleasantly surprised us; the old town and the bridge truly have their own charm, with smooth stone streets, ancient buildings, and smiling people. Today we have seen the bridge from all sides and even from below; all that's missing is flying over it with a drone.
Once the streets have been walked, it's time to rest a bit, and as soon as the sun has set, we are ready to go for dinner at the restaurant, Labirint, which is located by the river with a view of the bridge. Even though we are not hungry yet, we go to enjoy the evening and the romantic view of the old town and the illuminated bridge.
This time we are smarter and order half portions, but even with half portions, we are thoroughly fed. Once the town has been seen in both daylight and evening lights, it's time to rest, because tomorrow we have to get up early and finally start working, filming the show for the autumn season.
Day 2
Herzegovina's only coastal town, Neum.
In the morning, right after breakfast, a driver picked us up and the first place we went was an electronics store, hoping they would have drone batteries.
To our great surprise, the store had many different DJI products and also batteries for my drone. They weren't cheap, but we had no other options, so we had to buy them. We bought the only 2 batteries for 370 EUR and were happy that we would be able to fly the drone and film many beautiful places, showing how they look from a bird's eye view.
We also stopped at a shop and bought a SIM card with 20 GB of internet for 15 EUR. Since Bosnia and Herzegovina is not in the European Union, we didn't want to risk using our Latvian internet.
While everything was green and surrounded by forests between Sarajevo and Mostar, heading towards the sea, the grass becomes yellower and in places even brown, with only small trees and bushes instead of forests. All around are rocks and mountains that haven't seen rain for quite some time. Our driver, who will also be our guide for the next few days, says that in 2 weeks all the grass here will be brown and sun-scorched, as rain is a rare phenomenon during the summer months, often not falling for two months.
We have reached the town of Neum, or rather, a small town; in winter, only 3000 people live here, but in summer, this number climbs to 20000.
Our hotel for one night is the Grand Hotel Neum. It is a large hotel with 400 rooms and was built during the time of Yugoslavia. Going down to the lower floor, you can reach the beach area through a long tunnel, but the corridor doors are from ancient times and are larger and thicker than safe doors in Swiss banks. This must have been a secret exit from this building in case of war.
At the hotel, we meet today's guide, Nikola, who is the head of tourism for this city, and with him we will walk along the long promenade, which is an excellent path for those who like to exercise; Edvards Juhimenko couldn't resist and went for a run in the evening.
This path runs along the sea; on one side there are small concrete and stone platforms where people relax and sunbathe in the summer, and on the other side there are houses, 90% of which are rented out. Today we saw very few people, but already at the beginning of June there is a battle for every square meter here.
This city is chosen as a holiday destination by both locals and tourists from other countries. Here, compared to Croatia and Montenegro, it is much cheaper, but the sun is the same and the sea is a bay, often warmer than the open sea, which makes it a popular place for families with children.
Apartments with 2 rooms for 4 people cost on average 100 EUR per night.
In the afternoon, Nikola takes us to his wife's relative's olive grove and shows us both young olive trees and trees that are already 300 years old.
But before dinner, Nikola takes us for a ride in his motorboat and we have the opportunity to see the city of Neum from the sea.
Today the weather is spoiling us, it's +23 degrees outside, the sun is shining and there's no wind. Walking along the promenade is very warm, we crave shade and it's hard to imagine how one can stay here in summer when the temperature rises to +39 degrees.
Before dinner, we still go to the hotel's Spa area and pool, but we enjoy dinner on the terrace, with a view of the sea and the sunset, where the sun sets directly into the sea, above the bridge that connects Croatia to Croatia.
Yes, I didn't get anything mixed up, the city of Neum is in Herzegovina, and to the right of this city is Croatia and to the left is also Croatia. Just a few years ago, to get to Dubrovnik, you had to drive through Bosnia and Herzegovina, but now there is a bridge connecting Croatia with Croatia, and if you don't want to, you no longer have to drive through Herzegovina.
Day 3
Vetrenica is one of the most impressive and scientifically significant caves in the Balkans.
Breakfast at the hotel, and at 8:00 AM, a driver has arrived to pick us up, and we are heading straight towards the city of Ravno, where a guide awaits us to show and tell us all about the Vetrenica cave.
It is the longest cave in Bosnia and Herzegovina - the explored part extends for more than 7 km, and it is still being explored.
The name "Vjetrenica" ("wind cave") comes from the strong air currents felt at its entrance - even in hot summer, a cool wind blows there.
Biological richness - the cave is famous for more than 200 different underground species, the most famous inhabitant is the so-called "human fish" or olm - a blind amphibian that lives only in underground waters.
We just talked about this in the series about Slovenia.
The cave is included in the UNESCO World Heritage list, which confirms its global significance.
In the caves, you can see impressive stalactites and stalagmites, underground lakes and rivers, especially during winter when rainfall is heavy, the water level is high, and in some places it even splashes onto the walking path. But in the middle of one hall there is even a large waterfall that cascades from about 19 meters high, and above this cave there is another 600-meter-high mountain, which means that the water passes through this entire mountain.
The water in the caves is perfectly still, it looks like a mirror, and if you take a good picture, the picture with the reflection turns out to be very beautiful.
Near the cave there is a monastery and an Orthodox church, partly built into the rock.
Since Edvards Juhimenko and I are wearing shorts, we have to put on long skirts that cover our legs, and only then are we allowed to enter this area.
With us is the head of tourism for this region, and he is our guide in this monastery, and he has so much information that we call him a walking encyclopedia.
He tells not only about this monastery, but about the entire region and country as a whole.
In the series about Bosnia and Herzegovina, we will introduce him to you.
Later we visit a traditional Herzegovinian village, built entirely of stone, and for lunch, we head to a former railway station, converted into a restaurant, while the railway itself has also been converted and now serves as an asphalt path for cyclists; this path goes from Mostar to Dubrovnik and is 140 km long. It is said to be a fantastically beautiful route.
After enjoying various delicious grilled dishes, we bid farewell to our guide and continue our journey to the town of Stolac, where we visit an ancient burial site with large stones and carved symbols on them, then we climb a mountain to see the ruins of an ancient town called Daorsan.
Daorson is one of the most impressive ancient archaeological sites in Bosnia and Herzegovina — often called "Balkan Macedonia" due to its monumental stone walls.
This was an ancient city that belonged to the Illyrian tribe Daorsi.
Its heyday was around the 4th–1st century BC.
Daorson was a fortified city (acropolis) with political and economic significance in the region.
This city is special for its massive stone walls – built from large, precisely cut blocks, similar to those in Greece (hence the comparison to Mycenae).
How these stones were cut so precisely at that time, how they were brought here, and how this wall was built, is a good question, similar to that of the pyramids.
The Daorsi were in close contact with the Greek world, which is evident in their architecture and even their coins. They had their own coinage – this indicates that it was a quite developed and autonomous society.
Daorson was destroyed around the 1st century BC, possibly in conflicts with other Illyrian tribes or the Romans.
After Daorson, we drive on to explore Stari Grad Vidoški, a medieval fortified castle complex that was once one of the largest and strongest fortified centers in all of Herzegovina.
The stone walls are up to 2 meters thick in places, and the total area is 20,000 m2.
From the top, there is a charming view of the surrounding mountains and the town of Stolac.
After another 30 minutes, we are in the town of Čapljina and will spend this night at Hotel President.
We are a little tired but happy with what we saw during the day. Tomorrow is another day and new adventures, see you very soon.
Day 4
Mostar is one of the most famous cities in the south of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is located on the Neretva River and is famous for its impressive old town, Ottoman architecture and iconic bridge.
Mostar is one of the most impressive and at the same time most beautiful cities in the Balkans. Of course, it is one of the most popular cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
It is located on the Neretva River and is famous for its impressive old town, Ottoman architecture and iconic bridge.
It is interesting that the Neretva River is colder compared to other rivers, but very clean.
The symbol of the city is Stari Most - "Old Bridge", which was originally built in the 16th century during the Ottoman Empire. The bridge was destroyed in 1993 during the Bosnian War but was later rebuilt and included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Although the city is visited by many tourists and is very popular, in many places, the city still shows traces of the war, shot house walls, blinds, and burnt houses.
Day 5
Međugorje - a unique city in the Balkans, visited by millions!
More about this city later, but for now, everything in order.
In the morning, we meet the director of Hutovo Blato at the hotel and join him for a boat trip through the canals and lake, where hundreds of different bird species reside.
Hutovo Blato is a true natural wonder in Herzegovina, with vast wetlands, lakes, and rich wildlife, giving the impression that you have entered another world, a bird world.
Hutovo Blato is one of the most important bird habitats in Europe – a true paradise for nature and photography lovers.
There are 3 species of larks here, or rather, today there were even 4 species of larks.
We had the opportunity to take a boat trip through the canals and lake, and see many different birds. If you are heading in this direction, children will definitely enjoy this adventure.
After the boat trip, we head to see the town of Počitelj and its ancient ruins. The climb up the hill takes less than 10 minutes, but the view from the top is worth the effort in the hot sun, climbing up the smooth stones laid on the path.
The house windows here remind us of Berat in Albania, but the round Hamam roofs remind us of the sauna roofs in Tbilisi. It feels like in ancient times, Pinterest also existed and everyone copied ideas from each other.
Time for lunch, but on the way, we stop to visit the Green Park campsite, which has received various awards as one of the top 100 best campsites in Europe.
Some interesting facts about this campsite:
1. costs only 15-20 EUR per camper,
2. for those staying at the campsite, kayaks, bicycles, and SUP boards are free of charge,
3. for those staying at the campsite, the dentist is free of charge,
3. the campsite has a restaurant, showers, and many sweet cherry trees.
After a camping lunch, Edvard and I ordered a grilled meat platter for 2 people. It's embarrassing to say that we are bad eaters, but we really didn't finish the platter.
After lunch, we visited an Orthodox church and monastery, as well as a 100-hectare vineyard where the grapes grow in stone piles or stone furrows. This way, the water reaches them less, there is more shade, and the berries are sweeter.
Time to tackle the town of Međugorje.
This town is very small and barely noticeable on the map of Europe, but it attracts millions of people from all over the world.
Many consider this place to be one of the most important pilgrimage destinations in Europe. People come here to find peace, answers, or simply a special feeling that is difficult to put into words.
Regardless of whether you are a believer or just a curious traveler – Međugorje will not leave you indifferent.
Here we also meet people from all over the world, we even managed to interview people from France, America, and Spain. But on the streets and by the church, you can see people of various races and ages.
Not only is the church full of people here, but people sit all around the church and stand in lines to talk to the priests who have come from various countries around the world. Also, behind the church there are seats for 7,000 people and two huge screens showing what is happening inside the church. Mass and prayers are held here twice a day.
But why exactly is this city so popular among pilgrims and religious people? We will tell you in the series about Herzegovina.
If you're interested in stories about Herzegovina and you've read everything to the end, please comment "izlasīju" (I read it).
