Burek, Wild Horses, and Endless Macadam: Why We’re Riding in Bosnia

Riding the Sarajevo Olympic Bobsleigh and Luge Track!

I first crossed into Bosnia and Herzegovina back in 2008 as a wide-eyed and stingy backpacker. Crossing on a bus from Croatia to the capital Sarajevo,  I was fascinated by the collision of East and West that played out in the city streets. Neither one thing or the another, but both at the same time.

I had vague childhood memories of the Yugoslav War, of landmines and snipers and atrocities, the scars of which were still clearly worn on the buildings. But in the city, I found a vibrancy and energy that was captivating and hopeful, with the youth of the city not willing to bury the past but to learn from it, and to share their hopes for the future.

Outside of the city, it was the deep-green rivers and the warmth of the people that struck me. The country left a lasting mark on me, and fuelled my love of travel in this coroner of Europe.  Years later, I’d find myself back in the region, spending summers based just on the other side of the border in Croatia, working as a cycling guide.

On days off, I’d hustle a group of co-workers together to hop on bikes and pedal across the border into Bosnia for one primary reason: burek. There is nothing quite like earning a hot, flaky, meat, cheese, or spinach-filled pastry after a solid morning of pedalling. Best enjoyed with a cold kefir (a kind of fermented sour yoghurt!) to accompany it.  

Whilst the skinny-tired bikes we rode back then weren’t built to head off the tarmac, I’d see miles and miles of gravel tracks winding off in every direction.  Fast forward to 2023, and I knew Bosnia had to be one of the first Sisters in the Wild adventures we launched.  The perfect place for our new WILDER series of trips.

Bosnian Gravel

So, why is the off-road riding here so spectacular? Because it’s raw, it’s remote, and it still feels undiscovered. Bosnia is crisscrossed with old macadam (unpaved) roads built for logging, farming, and historic trade routes. Some are smooth gravel, others can be a bit rough, but the route options are endless.  

You can ride for hours without seeing another soul.  In fact, on our last Sisters in the Wild trip to Bosnia, we didn’t encounter another bikepacker for 5 days!

Building The Route

There are some amazing bikepacking routes out there, like the Trans Balkan Race that cuts across the country from north to south, and now the new Trans Dinarica. For Sisters in the Wild, I wanted to come up with something new; a loop that enabled us to start and end our journey in the incredible city of Sarajevo, to go to places few other tourists go, and to do as much as possible on gravel roads with minimal hike-a-bike. Oh, and to have a warm shower and a bed every night!

Route planning began with hours poring over Komoot and researching existing routes to map out rough ideas. Komoot’s Trail View and Satellite view were game changers, and I soon discovered that what might look like a main road on Google Maps could often be a gravel road winding through the mountains. Accommodation was the challenge; I’d get 90% of the way there and then hit a blocker.

 I mapped out a rough loop, but there’s only so much I could do at a screen. It was time for me to go and see what it actually looked and felt like on the ground, and to connect with locals who could help me fill in the gaps.

During our big recce trip to finalize the route, I spent two solid weeks on the ground. I quickly learned what those thin track lines on digital map were likely to look like in the Bosnian mountains.  So many dead ends were hit, especially in the steep, forested hills surrounding Sarajevo, constantly turning around when a promising track suddenly evaporated into a gate, a goat path or a dense thicket of trees dropping off a cliff. More alarmingly, the regular skull and crossbones of landmine warning signs were a humbling reminder of a reason some areas of the country were still not for exploration.

Elsewhere, I played Russian roulette with Montenegrin trucks in the narrow, unlit tunnels of Foča, hich-hiked through a herd of immovable cows on a mountain pass, and hiked my way all the way back up a steep trail at dusk after meeting a very vocal and very moody wild horse who was determined to block my last few hundred metres down the the Sarejvo valley!  

The joys of route recce-ing! And needless to say, none of these trails made the final route!

A couple of wash up trips and many more Komoot hours later, we were just about there.

The Final Cut: A Journey Through History and Mountains

After all the dead ends, animal encounters, and sketchy tunnels, we finally locked in a route that we’re proud to share with our Sisters in the Wild riders.

For the actual trip, we kick things off in the vibrant, historic heart of Sarajevo, climbing up into the Olympic mountains of Jahorina.  We go up and over the mountains where cars aren’t allowed, and move from the glitz of the ski resort to rural forested valley of Jelsca.

From there, we traverse the high-altitude plateaus to Nevesinje, wind our way to the emerald waters of Konjic, and finally, climb up to Lukomir, Bosnia's highest and most isolated mountain village, before returning to Sarejevo.  It’s a whirlwind of a ride.

But this trip isn't just about the riding; it’s about the context of the land we are moving through. Bosnia has a complex, heavy, and beautiful history. The route is intentionally designed to take us through three distinct ethnic and cultural areas—Bosniak, Serb, and Croat—allowing us to experience the shifting architecture, traditions, and nuances of the region together.

To help us navigate not just the rugged terrain, but the rich cultural tapestry of the country, we’re lucky to be working with my local support guide, Mido. Not only does he and his 4x4 pop up just when we need him, but he is a quiet treasure trove of local knowledge, translating for us and sharing the true stories of his and his family’s experiences of life in Bosnia & Herzegovina.

This route is wild, it is challenging, and it is profoundly beautiful.   I can’t wait to share the gravel, the history, and (most importantly) the burek with you all.

We’re heading back to Bosnia in June 27 - July 4th.  You can find all info and join us here