A road trip through the Balkans, in Southeastern Europe, is a get-out-your-paper-map, pull-over-and-ask-for-directions, no-reservations-required kind of old-school travel. Train passes—popular in Western Europe—tend to lead to sideways looks at train stations in Bosnia and Herzegovina or Montenegro. Travelers here quickly find that renting a car is the best way to see the unspoiled backcountry on the western half of the Balkan Peninsula.
Below is a road trip, which winds through the mountains of Bosnia and Herzegovina to the coast of Montenegro. The idea was to explore each country without the traffic … and the tourists. With a little help from a local adventure tourism agency like Sarajevo’s Green Visions, the route can easily be planned. What cannot be expected—and the reason to book a trip to this region before it becomes overrun—are the embarrassment of highlights seen along the way. Grand limestone mountain ranges, deep canyons blanketed by ethereal forests, and frequent interactions with helpful locals adding texture to to every turn and each travel story.
Day 1: Into the Mountains
The journey begins along the banks of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Neretva River. First, rent a car in the town of Mostar with its Ottoman-era bazaar and famous bridge. With most visitors traveling out of the capital city, Sarajevo, securing a rental car in a smaller city like Mostar (about 2 hours south) typically leads to better prices and easier pick-up and drop-off locations.
Mostar Photo: xiquinhosilva, CC-BY
From Mostar, head southeast towards the Montenegrin border, veering north onto the M20 motorway towards Sutjeska National Park. After the defeat of the Germans by the Yugoslavian National Army in Sutjeska during the Second World War, former Yugoslavian President Josip Tito commissioned futuristic war memorials throughout the Balkans. Located less than 400-meters from the M20 roadside in Sutjeska, stop to admire the unkempt but powerful concrete structures accenting the jagged movement of the Valley of Heroes.
After making your way into Montenegro on snaking roads meant for one-way traffic, spend the night in Durmitor National Park at Autokamp Kod Bo?e in Razvršje, roughly two miles south of the alpine town of Žabljak. The camp sits under one of the country’s highest peaks, Bobotov Kuk, with miles of hiking trails, access to Black Lake, and acres of open space for unspoiled late night stargazing with a clear visibility of the Milky Way. The front desk of Autokamp Bo?e stays open throughout the night and offers apartments, bungalows, and campsites for outdoor-loving travelers (costs at 30, 8, and 2 euros respectively).
Pro Tip: For rental cars in Bosnia, search online for rental businesses and call several for price comparisons. A good deal for a 4-day rental goes for around 200 Konvertible Marks—or KM (about $113 at 1.77 KM to the dollar).
Day 2: Along the Tara River Canyon
Photo: Andrey Chudaev, CC-BY
Your second day leads southeast along the Tara River Canyon towards ?ur?evi?a Tara River Bridge. Constructed in 1940 in the former Yugoslavia, the Roman-inspired concrete arches rise 172 meters over Europe’s deepest canyon. For around 15 euros, snag a zip line and a better view of the turquoise Tara River over the tree line and across the valley.
