Where East and West meet: Bosnia-Herzegovina

A blog on travel Bosnia-Herzegovina and what not to miss.

Bosnia-Herzegovina might be another country that has or has not been on your bucket list. Weirdly enough, for me it was. For those that know me, I am a sucker for countries that somehow have a ´bad image´ or better said unknown current image. 

In the case of Bosnia-Herzegovina, this country has been plagued by a fierce war throughout the beginning of the ’90s, leaving its marks until today.

However, from the few travelers that had visited the country before me, I had heard that it’s beautiful and that the people are the nicest of all of the Balkan countries, which was hard to imagine since we already thought the people in Albania were amazing (curious about Albania? Read my blog here)

So, time to explore of course!

Quick background on the Bosnian war

After World War II, the country became part (as did Croatia, Montenegro, Slovenia and Macedonia) of what was then called the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. As Yugoslavia fell apart in 1991, the majority of the population of Bosnia and Herzegovina voted for independence in a 1992 referendum. However, much of the country’s Serb population required independence and boycotted the referendum, with war as consequence. Ethnic nationalists, with the support of Serbia and Croatia, tried to take control of part of the country they considered their own. The infamous ethnic cleansings between 1992 and 1995 killed thousands of people and violently displaced more than two million people in much of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with the city of Srebrenica as a focal point. The international interventions in late 1995 led to the Dayton Accords, a final peace agreement. 

Nowadays, Bosnia-Herzegovina is a peaceful country with the kindest people. However, the scars of this war only 30 years ago are still visible. Especially in Mostar and Sarajevo, you can see the many bullet holes in the houses. 

What’s the difference between Bosnia and Herzegovina?

Being one country, the area of Bosnia occupies the northern and central parts of the country, whereas the area of Herzegovina occupies the south and southwest. Generally speaking, though of course not 100% waterproof, Bosnia tend to have more Serbs and Bosniaks and has a higher tendency towards the Muslim religion, whereas Herzegovina has more Catholics and is more Croat and Bosniaks. 

Planning to travel to Bosnia-Herzegovina do not miss anything and take this into account!

The local language in the country is Bosnian, though we found that many Bosniaks speak pretty ok English, or at least better than in Albania and Montenegro. 

Bosnia can get pretty hot in the summer months, and very cold in the wintertime, so I would recommend going in spring or summer. Herzegovina, the part of the country that borders the Adriatic sea, has a more mild climate with warmer winters. 

About 50% of the population is Muslim, making it the largest religion in the country. This means that you will see (and hear) mosques all around the country.

You´re probably best off renting a car or traveling in your own vehicle. Public Transportation is not as frequent as it is in other parts of the European continent. 

Enjoy the Bosnian Food and COFFEE!

This is absolutely something not to miss when you travel to Bosnia-Herzegovina: it´s food and coffee. Bosnians are proud of their local cuisine (rightfully) but for us, our favorite activity was getting real Bosnian coffee. Comparable with Turkish Coffee (but absolutely not the same, as the Bosnians are happy to remind you) this strong and intense coffee is an entire ritual (BBC dedicated a nice article to it).

It starts with roasted coffee beans that are pulverized into a fine powder and cooked in a small (generally) copper-plated pot with a long neck, called a džezva. Then, the cold water goes on the stove, and after boiling, a small amount of water is set aside. The coffee is then added to the džezva and put back onto the stove for a few seconds, allowing the liquid to boil yet again, rise to the point of overflowing and create a thick foam. This process may be repeated several times. Then the hot water that had been set aside is added.

Yes, I told you: it´s a process.

Three main places to visit

When travelling to Bosnia-Herzegovina, make sure to not miss these three places!

Kravice Waterfalls

Not very known just yet (though this is changing) the Kravice Waterfalls are an unreal place! With our van (in the off-season and during pandemic times) we camped within the park (of course, without damaging anything, respecting all rules and not leaving trash, etc.!) This means we woke up to the waterfalls, drank our coffee on the side, and took a little morning bath into the freezingly cold water (do not use sunscreen when you’re planning on bathing here, it damages the ecosystem).

For those not with their own van, there is a little restaurant next to the falls with very reasonably priced food.

Interesting is the little sign that says that it is forbidden to perform any religious rites. A couple of years back it was actually the conservative catholic travelers from Italy, Ireland, and Poland that made the local community put these measurements in place. According to them, Kravice is a natural beauty where there is no place for religion. 

Mostar

The capital of Herzegovina, Mostar is a beautiful little town that absolutely deserves a visit! The main attraction is the Stari Most (in English: Old Bridge). The actual bridge was destroyed during the 1992-1995 war but rebuilt after. In summer, you can find people jumping off of the 24 meters high bridge into the freshwater (not me ;))

Sure, once you´ve seen the bridge, you´ve seen it, but the little historical center around the bridge makes you feel like you ended up in a fairytale. 

The little shops around sell souvenirs and there are many small restaurants to eat at. Our hostel owner recommended us to try the food at Tima Irma. I can only say ´please, whatever you do, go eat there´.  The lady is a lovely, lovely woman and the (vegetarian) food was soooooo good!!! We absolutely loved it!

During our stay, we stayed for a night at a local hostal, Taso´s House, as we wanted to take a shower, fill up our water bottles, and do some laundry. The owner is super nice and we met up for some artisanal beers in the evening. 

Then, a little piece of randomness. There is a statue of Bruce Lee in Mostar. The story behind it is even more random as this statue was commissioned by the political elites in Mostar after the war. Since Bruce was an objective third party neither favoring the Croats of the Bosnians (“everyone loves Bruce Lee!”). 

Sarajevo

When you travel to Bosnia-Herzegovina, you cannot miss Sarajevo! The capital of the country, Sarajevo literally is where east and west meet. It’s one of a few major European cities to have a mosque, Catholic church, Orthodox church, and synagogue within the same neighborhood. Furthermore, you will walk from what seems to be Vienna, Austria, with modern hotels, libraries, and Hungarian architecture into the old Ottoman village with narrow streets, mosques, teahouses, and public baths. I am not sure what I was expecting from Sarajevo, but it definitely wasn’t this!

One of the key recommendations is to visit the Galerija 11/07/95 museum with an impressive photo and audiovisual collection explaining what happened in Srebrenica. The museum completely impressed us and silenced us for hours. 

Bonus: rafting

A first-time rafting experience for Heverton, we joined a bunch of Serbians in an unforgettable rafting experience at the Una river, within the Una National park at the border with Croatia. Sure, we ended up taking about twice as long since they brought along a bunch of water bottles that definitely did not contain water, but boy we had fun. And hey, the small rapids are also pretty cool!!! We went with Una RC Kiro Rafting

With this, I hope to have conveyed to you my enthusiasm for travelling Bosnia-Herzegovina and what not to miss when you go there. Please, go visit this amazingly beautiful country and learn and experience all that is Bosnia-Herzegovina