Intrepid is working with USAID Developing Sustainable Tourism in Bosnia and Herzegovina Project (USAID Turizam) and the Global Travel and Tourism Resilience Council to drive sustainable tourism within the area. We despatched photographer and journey author Annapurna Mellor to test-drive our new 8-day expedition.
Mersiha twists and turns the burek dough as all of us watch in marvel. She weaves the feta and spinach by way of the pie with ease; it’s a ability she mastered as a toddler through the Bosnian struggle, spending her days inside, away from the shelling, cooking along with her mum. Outside the window, the balcony opens as much as sweeping views of Sarajevo, twinkling within the darkness.
It’s our first evening in Bosnia and Herzegovina, on the primary departure of Intrepid’s new expedition to this intriguing nook of Europe. We’re opening the journey with an expertise that encapsulates why I like to journey with Intrepid: being welcomed into an area’s residence, sharing burek and dolma (stuffed greens) washed down with slivovitz, an area plum brandy, and exchanging tales with my hosts and fellow travellers from the world over.
Bosnia and Herzegovina past the headlines
Despite being only some hours away from the UK, and near fashionable journey locations like Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina receives comparatively few guests. I knew little about it earlier than my journey and I’m not alone. Many of the conversations I had pre-departure with household and associates have been intercepted with questions like ‘is it safe?’ and ‘wasn’t there a struggle there?’.
From day one, our native chief Muhamed stresses that whereas sure, there was a struggle right here from 1992 to 1995 (and certainly he has the bodily scars and heartbreaking tales to show it), Bosnia and Herzegovina deserves to be identified for a lot extra.
Muhamed is a proud Sarajevo native. So proud the truth is, {that a} tattoo of the town’s skyline adorns his shin. He’s been main Intrepid excursions throughout the Balkan area for years, however that is the primary time Bosnia has been given the highlight – with its personal devoted journey, taking travellers past the primary sights – and he’s thrilled to be exhibiting us his homeland, beginning together with his residence metropolis.
Sarajevo showcases the unbelievable cultural variety of this nation. The Baščaršija – or previous bazaar of Sarajevo – dates again to the fifteenth century, and the minarets of mosques sit alongside ottoman rooftops and the grand facade of the Austro-Hungarian metropolis corridor. On road corners locals eat conventional baklava subsequent to hip espresso spots, and church buildings, mosques and bars share the identical squares.
A cable automobile takes us excessive above the town, to the mountains which body the capital. From up right here, we see the vastness of the valley, and Muhamed leads us by way of the forest till we discover the deserted bob-sleigh observe from the 1984 winter Olympics. Bombed through the siege, it has since grow to be an open-air gallery for native graffiti artists.
Into the wild
The surprises hold coming as we drive out of the town, by way of autumn-red forests, into Bosnia’s pure magnificence. We spend a windswept afternoon within the foothills of Cincar Mountain, the place over 400 wild horses roam the panorama, and clink blueberry beers over native cheeses in a mountain hut. In Jajce, a small city surrounded by lakes, rivers and mountains, we get our first style of the pristine fantastic thing about Bosnia’s waterways as we eat lunch by a sequence of turquoise waterfalls.
It’s nightfall after we arrive in Mostar, a metropolis of winding cobbled streets most famed for its hanging Ottoman bridge. The panorama right here is drier to match the Mediterranean local weather; contemporary pomegranates cling from the timber and a way of calm permeates. It’s so inviting we might simply linger for days.
But to come back to Herzegovina and solely see Mostar can be an amazing disgrace. Tthe complete area is gorgeous and – like a lot of Bosnia and Herzegovina – feels criminally underrated. Exploring with native guides and travelling in a small minibus means we’re capable of get off the overwhelmed observe and perceive the intricacies of this area in a deeper approach than I might have completed as an unbiased traveller.
A spotlight is our go to to Blagaj Tekija, a Sufi dervish monastery that sits beneath a cliff by the aspect of the emerald-green Buna river. In the early morning, we benefit from the peaceable silence of this place, earlier than listening to the recollections of our information Ruba, who grew up on this village and spent her childhood visiting the monastery along with her father, a practising Sufi.
Ending on a excessive
Our closing cease earlier than returning to Sarajevo is Konjic. And as quickly as we attain the Prenj mountains I can inform that is going to be particular. Konjic is the journey capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Here you may hike, climb, raft, or just chill out by its glittering lakes. Our group heads excessive into the mountains for an exhilarating rafting journey down the Neretva River. Bosnia and Herzegovina’s nature has persistently blown me away, however the landscapes listed here are my favorite. High, rocky mountains stand up from layers of inexperienced and golden forest and the Neretva is a clear, crystal blue.
On our closing evening in Sarajevo, Muhamed recommends strolling as much as the Yellow Fortress. From right here, it’s unattainable to not discover the cemetery of white graves, nearly all relationship from the struggle. Throughout the journey, struggle historical past has been tangible. 40-year previous Muhamed lived his adolescence below siege, and each native we met had a special expertise to share.
But this journey has proven me how a lot Bosnia and Herzegovina has to supply past the historical past of battle. This is a rustic of unbelievable, untouched nature, numerous religions and cultures, scrumptious meals, and heat people who find themselves proud to welcome you to their residence. I really feel fortunate to have been capable of expertise this particular nation at a time when tourism is simply creating.
As the sundown casts a purple glow throughout Sarajevo’s medley of minarets and mountains, the night name to prayer begins. It echoes from all corners of the valley. After every week of unforgettable experiences, this second would possibly simply be the one which stays with me the longest.
Annapurna travelled as a visitor of Intrepid on a press preview of our Bosnia and Herzegovina Expedition, launching May 2023. Follow her on Instagram @annapurnauna.