Biking In Bosnia

Day 1
Fly to Sarajevo, 20 minute transfer to our centrally located hotel.

Day 2
We start with a 1-hour transfer to Bijele Vode. Todays route takes us through the Bjelasnica 'Olympic mountain' region to Lukomir, Bosnia & Herzegovina's highest village (1469m). Lunch is taken in the village, prepared by one of the families still living there, and will be traditional and filling. The ride will be 4-5 hours with approximately 20% singletrack. Depending on the group and weather conditions it may be possible to ascend to the top of Bjelasnica (2067m), the highest peak in the area. This will greatly increase the day's effort! We finish in the traditional village of Umoljani where we overnight in a simple mountain cabin.

Day 3
Starting directly from our mountain cabin, we ride a fantastic 'three mountain tour' taking in Bjelasnica, Visocica and Prenj. The scenery is truly spectacular as we venture into a very remote region. The ride is approximately 5-hours on a mix of gravel and asphalt roads, it ends with an exhilarating 1500m descent to Boracko Lake where we overnight.

Day 4
After a 30-minute climb to Borci, we head out on a spectacular ride through the region known by the locals as the 'Herzegovinian Himalayas'. This is a tough ride of around 5-hours with plenty of climbing on a mix of gravel and asphalt roads. We take in Mt. Velez, before finishing the ride with an incredibly exhilarating road descent to Potoci. From here a short ride on a tarmac road takes us to Mostar and its famous old bridge. Mostar was founded in the 15th Century and is a sight to behold. The architecture is a precious combination of Ottoman ingenuity plus Herzegovinian and Dalmatian workmanship. We spend the afternoon and evening exploring Mostar. This city was split during the conflict in the early 1990's and today you can still see the scars of war, but these days Mostar is once again a warm and bustling place.

Day 5
The day starts with a 2-hour transfer to the Tjentiste Valley in the Sutjeska National Park. From here, we begin a challenging 5-hour technical ride climbing up to Perucica primeval forest then continuing on to Trnovacko Lake in neighbouring Montenegro. Approximately 15% of the route is on singletrack and there is an elevation gain of over 1200m during the ride. The scenery today is both beautiful and remote.

Day 6
After a 45-minute transfer to the village of Cemerno, we start our ride along gravel roads through the grasslands of Zelengora Mountain in Sutjeska National Park. This will be a full day's ride lasting over 5 hours with over 800m of elevation gain and almost equally long descent. After a 1.5 hour transfer we arrive in Sarajevo, our base for the next two nights. One of the most oriental and culturally diverse cities in Europe, Sarajevo spent over 400 years under Turkish governorship until the Austro-Hungarians arrived in the late 19th Century. Forty years later, the empire collapsed when Archduke Ferdinand was assassinated here, hastening the outbreak of the First World War. The late 20th Century saw Sarajevo host the Winter Olympics in 1984, and the long siege of the city during the recent conflict.

Day 7
After a 20-minute transfer to the village of Nahorevo, our ride starts with a long climb along the old highway route to the Grasshopper Waterfall. The ride will be 4-5 hours in length with approximately 20% on singletrack and an elevation gain of over 700m. The ride ends with an exhilarating 1300m descent along the old highland route right into the old town of Sarajevo, where the afternoon will be free to explore this fascinating city.

Day 8
Transfer to airport, fly to London.