Reviews

Most Inspirational Moment

So many… Lukomir was a great day. Walk around the lake and the fantastic village food provided by the family. Be warned. There is lots to eat…have a small breakfast! Sarajevo is a mini Istanbul.. great atmosphere in the old town but the tunnel museum shows exactly what they went through in the war. Watching the divers jump from the bridge at Mostar. Wine tasting was fun as was the trip to the Ostrog monastery.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Evelin was a five star guide. Enthusiastic, energetic, inspiring…. he bonded well with the group and took care of everyone. He did more than was expected…accompanied us on extra trips eg up the cable car in Sarajevo to see the bob sled run from the 1984 Olympics. He worked so hard and was always cheerful . Samir was a very careful driver and the various city guides were knowledgeable. Evelin was great when we encountered a 2 hour road closure…we all ate wonderful goulash in a roadside cafe and had a really fun few hours. The restaurants he chose were first class.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Go now as this region is still not too touristy apart from Mostar. Take walking boots if you have them for the Black lake walk and the Tara gorge viewpoint. The walking is not hard but the gravel can be slippy . Take sterling to change in Sarajevo . Very hard to use a card anywhere except Dubrovnik. Euros are accepted here and there but we ended up changing euros for Bosnian marks. Good to go in June as the scenic roads are open. The drive from Zabljak across the mountains is stunning.

Most Inspirational Moment

Very many. From driving round hair-raising mountain bends to reach the beautiful Ostrog Monastery in Montenegro and being given a delicious traditional lunch by a local family in the countryside. In Sarajevo visiting the Tunnel Museum to see how the city had managed to bring in supplies to survive the siege during the 1991-5 war. Taking the cable car high above the city to walk along the winter olympics bobsleigh track. Watching the divers in Mostar plunge from the Stari Most bridge.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Evelin was brilliant. Kind and caring, he made sure the whole group had the best experience of his country (Bosnia). He was very knowledgeable about the region's history, environment, current politics. He was able to answer all our questions. He carried luggage to the ladies' rooms at a hotel with no lifts, helped take orders in restaurants, and even acted as waiter in one.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Sun protection and a hat are necessities, also sturdy walking shoes for walks on rocky uphill stretches. It's certainly worth staying on in Dubrovnik as there's plenty of sightseeing there.

Most Inspirational Moment

The Sarajevo Tunnel Museum visit , as described in the trip notes, sobering and fascinating.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Evelin was excellent: enthusiastic, knowledgeable, respectful and caring with a real passion for his country. Worked seamlessly behind the scenes changing bookings when diversions were necessary due to roadworks or weather and making recommendations. Also praise for the wonderful driver Samir, who calmly drove us safely through long and winding mountain roads.

Advice for Potential Travellers

As described in trip notes. Some long drives but balanced with stops en route.

Most Inspirational Moment

The scenic drive through Durmitor en route from Zabljak in Montenegro over the border into Bosnia was amazing . The drive out of Sarajevo on the visit up to Lukomir was spectacular. I would have loved to have spent more time around the scenery in this area. I will now look into the walking holiday! I can also recommend going for a swim at the Kravica waterfall! I also really learned a lot from the time in Sarajevo hearing more about the complex history of the country and in particular the terrible suffering during the time of the siege of the city in the 1990’s. Some of what I read in the museums in the city and also what I heard about from our guides will stay with me for ever.

Thoughts on Group Leader

We were very lucky to have two guides ! Lorenc was our leader and we were joined by Dina who was learning the tour. Both were super - they were a great team ! Very friendly and shared a lot with us about their country.

Advice for Potential Travellers

If you have not been to Dubrovnik before it is worth adding on an extra few days at the end of the trip if you want to see more of the city.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Great

Most Inspirational Moment

Visiting Sarajevo and driving up into the mountains of Montenegro and Bosnia

Thoughts on Group Leader

Excellent. We were her first solo tour and she did everything to keep us comfortable and well informed

Advice for Potential Travellers

Take walking boots. There were several stony paths and steps.

Most Inspirational Moment

I loved Sarajevo, it is a beautiful, vibrant and bustling city. It is hard to believe that three decades ago it was under siege. The siege museum is a must to fully understand what the people of the city endured and how far things have come.

Thoughts on Group Leader

We were truly blessed to have two guides on our tour: our main tour leader Lorenc and a new leader in training Dina. Both were superb, keeping us safe, informed and entertained at all times. They shared much of themselves on this trip, which was a true blessing and aided greatly the understanding of the turbulent past and how things have changed.

Advice for Potential Travellers

This trip does not include much time in Dubrovnik. To round off the trip nicely I would heartily recommend tagging on a couple of extra nights in Dubrovnik to fully experience this spellbinding and thoroughly accessible city.

Most Inspirational Moment

The fabulous wild flowers, swimming in the Kravica Waterfalls, getting in amongst the alleys of all the old towns; but the trip to Lukomir up in the hills was amazing. Many miles on very bumpy dirt track ending at the village with spectacular views of the gorge and a great lunch was breath-taking.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Lorenc. Sorry, I don't know his surname. his is the most polite, caring leader you could wish for. We were also accompanied by Dina who is a guide already, but not for this trip - she was learning about it. Her knowledge of the history was great.

Advice for Potential Travellers

If you are very interested in the history of this conflict I suggest you read up on it first. A couple of the guides were OK, but did not give as much information as they could have. A good overview was achieved.

Most Inspirational Moment

Having lunchtime meals in villages in Montenegro and Bosnia. getting to see the welcome from the local families.

Thoughts on Group Leader

It was Fatima's first solo lead and she had to cope with two trips to A&E to help travelers who got sick or injured - a baptism of fire. She was understandably nervous but determined we should all have a great time. Her personal passion for Bosnia and all that it has gone through in recent times shone through and made the trip very memorable - reminding us of the challenges of the conflicts of the recent past.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Some longish days in the bus but worth it for the scenery. The first day after pick up from airport you do go back into Bosnia Herzogovina for a lunch stop - it does not take cards and there was no ATM near by so we had to borrow some local currency from Fatima - please remember to pay her back!

Most Inspirational Moment

One of the standout experiences was the visit to the home of a family in the village of Podgora. We were offered the most delicious lunch, most if not all sourced from their land. Their hospitality was so warm and welcoming. The city tour of Sarajevo with guide Alem was really interesting and his delivery was superb as was our tour of Kotor and Cetinje with the fabulous Ivana.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Fatima was the most wonderful guide to us from start to finish. From the depth of her historical/social/ political knowledge of the places we visited to her care and compassion towards us was above and beyond. She clearly loves her role and we enjoyed the enthusiasm, humour and smiles she bought to each day. The world needs more Fatima’s!!!

Advice for Potential Travellers

Be prepared for some quite long coach journeys but you are certainly rewarded with stunning scenery. Our morning trip to Durmitor National Park with walks around the black lake -you’ll find a toilet block at the beginning of the walk with a wooden decked path up to it. This decking was very slippery on our visit. It had been raining the night before. So perhaps under similar weather conditions it would be safer to use the toilet in the adjacent cafe.