Matilda on Tour - Bosnia 🇧🇦 —Mountain Roads, Quiet Places and a Few Change of Plans
After Stolac, we headed north — mountains, wrong turns, and a change of plans, followed by waterfalls, quiet rivers, and a much slower pace.
Monday 20 April — Blidinje… or Not Quite
Day 51 — That’ll do… we’re turning round
Bosnia & Herzegovina 🇧🇦
After six nights in Stolac, it was time to move on. Next stop — Blidinje, a beautiful lake high up in the mountains.
As we left Stolac, passing back through places like Mostar, it was striking how quickly the scenery changed — the mountains now green, blossom everywhere, grapevines starting to come to life. Really beautiful.
The drive itself was stunning, meandering through the hills. From what we’ve seen so far, there aren’t many straight roads in Bosnia — everything twists and turns.
At one point we drove through a long valley lined with restaurants — clearly a bit of a tourist spot. The river running alongside was that incredible turquoise you only seem to get with mountain water.
We pulled over for a break — just a coffee in the van and a couple of photos.
Not long after, the route left the main road. Looking up at the mountains ahead, I had that familiar feeling… where exactly are we going?
The road climbed. And climbed.
Then suddenly, we were at the top — and what a view. A huge open plain stretching out into the distance. Proper wow moment.
Not for long though.
“Turn left.”
Onto a dirt track - five kilometres to go.
No chance.
Richard carried on for a bit — he’s used to handling much bigger vehicles — but eventually I called it. We turned around.
So… where to next?
Thankfully, we now have working mobile Wi-Fi, so a new plan was quickly found.
We didn’t go far — we found this place on the way to our next stop and decided to call it a day. A great restaurant and posh hotel — what a find. Authentic Bosnian food, really friendly staff, and they’ve even offered us electricity.
There was a big storm brewing.
One to remember.
Tuesday 21 — Jajce
Day 52 — Down from the mountains to Jajce
Bosnia & Herzegovina 🇧🇦
The storm hit the van overnight — with torrential rain and not the best night’s sleep, with large lorries making the most of the quiet roads.
Breakfast at the hotel was a good start to the day, and then we hit the road.
Dropping down from the mountains, the scenery changed quickly — green, lush valleys, trees full of white blossom everywhere, everything coming to life.
We passed herds of sheep, each with a shepherd and dog, young lambs alongside.
Our first stop was a memorial to a soldier from Richard’s regiment — sadly the first British soldier to be killed during the war in Bosnia.
A sad moment, but good to see the memorial is cared for.
From there, we carried on towards Jajce.
Jajce was well worth the stop — a couple of hours wandering around. The waterfall was in full flow after the rain the night before — really impressive.
The old town has a lot of character, with the castle above and narrow streets below. Sad to see some parts in such a state of disrepair though.
Our workout for the day was the climb up to the castle — great views from the top.
The river and waterfalls weaving through the heart of the town — a truly stunning sight.
Ancient and modern buildings nestled together in the old town.
On to the campsite next — good to see it open after yesterday’s change of plans. A nice spot by the river.
Time to chill.
Wednesday 22 April — Bukovac (near Gradiska)
Day 53 — Heading north out of the mountains
Bosnia & Herzegovina 🇧🇦
After a great night’s sleep, we woke to the sound of torrential rain — becoming a bit of a theme.
After some deliberation, we decided to head out of the mountains where hopefully it would be warmer.
The drive north was really good, following a river for miles through the mountains. Plenty of tunnels this time, and the road much better — although some of the older ones looked a very tight fit for the large trucks.
A few navigational hiccups along the way, with the Garmin Camper sending us on a bit of a wild goose chase, we switched to Google Maps. No more said.
We were then near the Croatian border at a great little site — almost like a mini zoo, with goats, a rabbit, a donkey, a dog, and a pond full of fish.
The owner is really friendly and made us very welcome. Feels like our own private site tonight.
It’s the polar opposite of last night’s stop — as flat as a pancake - Richard is happy no monster hills to cycle up.
Thursday 23 April — Near Gradiška
Day 54 — A slower day by the river
Bosnia & Herzegovina 🇧🇦
A lazy morning after a very chilly night with no heating (just another one of those van moments) - a few extra layers needed.
It’s been a lovely warm day, though with a bit of a chilly wind.
It was really great to get the bikes out - an easy ride today.
We joined the river near Gradiška, following a flood defence dyke alongside it before looping back into town. Nice easy riding — flat, quiet, a mix of tarmac and gravel - but it was a good change from the hills.
Coffee stop along the way — no cakes though!!
Back at the site, the electrician arrived… but no luck. Looks like it will be extra blankets again tonight.
A nice walk into the village later for a bite to eat.
An easy day — and we were definitely ready for it. Sometimes that’s exactly what you need.
Friday 24 April — Kozara National Park
Day 55 — Into the mountains again
Bosnia & Herzegovina 🇧🇦
It’s been a good day — the weather is warming up nicely.
After a bit of camp admin, we headed up to Kozara National Park.
Little did I know when I planned it that we’d be climbing one of those bendy mountain roads again, winding higher and higher.
Lots of trails to explore, though many still closed after heavy snow damage.
They had a late fall of snow a few weeks ago — up to four feet — and it all came down at once. You can still see the damage it’s caused to the roads and the trees.
We tried the bikes first, but that quickly turned into our daily exercise — down, up, down… and back to the van.
So we swapped to walking instead, which felt like the better option.
It’s an incredible place — so peaceful, with bright green beech trees mixed in amongst the fir trees.
We visited the monument and museum — a place with a lot of history. The monument marks a major World War II battle, remembering both the fighters and the many civilians who suffered here.
The Kozara Monument, rising from the forest in memory of World War II resistance.
From the top they ski in winter, but today it was a great spot to stop for a coffee — warm, sheltered, and quiet.
On the way back, we spotted a stork right out in the open in a village — lovely to see.
Off to a local restaurant later — just a short walk. The food’s good, so a nice way to round the day off.
We’re on the move again tomorrow — Croatia, here we come again.
After a few days of mountains, rain, wrong turns, quiet roads, kind people, and places we’d never even heard of before this trip, Bosnia has given us plenty to think about.
It hasn’t always been easy, but it has been memorable — beautiful, unpredictable, and very real. Tomorrow we cross back into Croatia, but I think Bosnia will be one of those parts of the journey we’ll talk about for a long time.
