` The Balkans (Guided Tour) “Steeped in natural beauty, history and culture - Croatia, Bosnia and Montenegro has it all” Top Five: Lakes of Plitvice Mostar, Bosnia Durmitor National Park Bay of Kotor, Montenegro Dubrovnik Key Info Start Location: Split, Croatia Finish Location: Split, Croatia Countries Visited: Croatia, Bosnia & Montenegro Duaration: 12 days & 14 nights Distance: 1,600km approx not incl. optional rideouts on rest days Riding Difficulty: Easy Dates: See guided tours calendar Price: See guided tours calendar Included: Return transport of your motorcycle from our base in Gorey, Co. Wexford to Split, Croatia B&B accommodation in quality hotels, Evening meals on all riding days, Ferry from Croatia to Islands Airport Shuttles Tour guide(s), detailed route plan etc. Not included: Flights to/from Split, fuel, food during the day, green card insurance (circa €10 - €20), anything not listed above. Phone: +353 (0)53 22415 Email: [email protected] Web: www.overlanders.ie ` Introduction - We first visited Croatia, Bosnia and Montenegro in October 2008 - long before Overlanders was established. It was this trip which inspired the business. With a two week window we rode our motorcycles just inside the Albanian border before it was time to turn around for the dreaded long haul back to Cherbourg. We swore never again and spent the next year brainstorming a solution to allow more leisurely and comprehensive travel at the destination as opposed to getting there. During the development and reconnaissance of this particular tour we explored many logistical options including using Bologna, Italy as a start/finish location, ferry across the Adriatic etc. In short the only way we could truly explore the Balkans and offer the best possible tour was to start and finish it in Split, Croatia. Less is more. There is a lot to see and do in the Balkans! Route Itinerary Day No. Weekday Date From To Distance Dublin Split, Croatia 1 Monday 18-Jun Split, Croatia Plitvice 300 2 Tuesday 19-Jun Plitvice Plitvice 3 Wednesday 20-Jun Plitvice Banja Luka, Bosnia 200 4 Thursday 21-Jun Banja Luka, Bosnia Mostar 230 5 Friday 22-Jun Mostar Mostar 6 Saturday 23-Jun Mostar Zabljak, Montenegro 250 7 Sunday 24-Jun Zabljak, Montenegro Kotor 225 8 Monday 25-Jun Kotor Kotor 9 Tuesday 26-Jun Kotor Dubrovnik, Croatia 130 10 Wednesday 27-Jun Dubrovnik, Croatia Dubrovnik 11 Thursday 28-Jun Dubrovnik Hvar Island 190 12 Friday 29-Jun Hvar Island Split, Croatia 75 1600 Note: Optional rideout distances on rest days not included. Day 1 – Split to Plitvice Lakes We commence our tour heading north along the Dalmatian coast. On the itinerary this morning is a visit to the Krka National Park – known for its series of 7 waterfalls. Leaving Krka National Park behind we head further north before turning inland and east through some spectacular scenery along rural country roads towards our destination at Plitvice lakes. The beauty of the National Park lies in its sixteen lakes, inter-connected by a series of waterfalls, and set in deep woodland populated by deer, bears, wolves, boars and rare bird species. The National Park covers a total area of 300 square kilometres, whilst the lakes join together over a distance of eight kilometres. Phone: +353 (0)53 22415 Email: [email protected] Web: www.overlanders.ie ` Day 2 – Rest day at Plitvice Lakes, Croatia (optional rideout) Day 3 – Plitvice Lakes to Banja Luka, Bosnia Leaving the lakes behind we head east for our first border crossing into Bosnia where we will be joined by our good friends in Banja Luka. We first met Dragan & Elena on our first ever tour into the region in Sept/Oct 2008 and have remained in contact ever since. We have found over the years and from our many friends around the world, that there is no better way to learn or understand a country than through it’s people. Day 4 – Banja Luka to Mostar, Bosnia More stunning scenery on offer today as we take the short ride south via Jajce to Mostar. Jajce bills itself as Bosnia’s 'Open Air Museum', and boasts an impressive urban waterfall right in the town centre. The fortified Old Town climbs a steep rocky knoll to the powerful, ruined castle where Bosnia’s medieval kings were once crowned. Surrounded in mountains, lakes and canyons this region of Bosnia is particularly beautiful. Day 5 – Rest Day in Mostar - formerly one of the most ethnically diverse cities in the country, and today suffering geographical division of ethnic groups. Mostar was the most heavily bombed of any Bosnian city during the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina following the breakup of Yugoslavia. At dusk, the lights of numerous mill house restaurants twinkle across gushing streamlets. Narrow alley ways bustle joyously with trinket sellers and in between, the Balkans' most celebrated bridge forms a majestic stone arc between reincarnated medieval towers. It's an enchanting scene to say the least. Day 6 – Mostar, Bosnia to Zabljak in the Durmitor National Park, Montenegro Leaving Mostar behind we travel east before turning south for a rural border crossing into Montenegro and our destination nestled deep in the Durmitor National Park. First though we must travel through the Perucica Rain Forest. Rainforest? Not quite, but almost. Bosnia is home to Perudica, one of the last remaining primeval (old-growth) forests in all of Europe. So while it may not be the Amazon rainforest it is the closest you will get in Europe. Phone: +353 (0)53 22415 Email: [email protected] Web: www.overlanders.ie ` Montenegro: which means “Black Mountain” borders Croatia, Bosnia, Serbia, Serbia’s breakaway province of Kosovo and Albania. About half of it is covered in thick forest. The pearl of the Mediterranean is situated in the south of the Adriatic. Nowhere else can you find so much natural wealth, beauty, mild beaches, clear lakes, fast rivers and gorgeous mountains in such a compact area as in Montenegro. In the morning you can wake up along the beautiful Adriatic coast, have lunch on the banks of Skadar Lake and enjoy an evening walk in the Montenegrin Mountains. Durmitor is a stunning limestone massif located in Northern Montenegro and belonging to the Dinaric Alps or Dinarides. It is also the name of Montenegro's largest protected area, the Durmitor National Park, which constitutes the heart of a landscape shaped by glaciers, numerous rivers and underground streams of which are embedded in the much larger Tara River Basin Biosphere Reserve. Some fifty peaks higher than 2,000 metres above sea level rise above plateaus, alpine meadows and forests, including Bobotov Peak (2,525 metres above sea level). From December to March, Durmitor is a major ski resort, while in summer it’s popular for hiking, rafting and other active pursuits. Day 7 – Zabljak to Bay of Kotor, Montenegro Today we visit the Tara River Canyon (deepest in Europe and second deepest in the world after Grand Canyon) & Bridge in Durmitor National Park. There is an opportunity for some adrenalin filled adventure in the canyon before we head towards Montenegro’s capital and descend into the Bay of Kotor through the Lovcen National Park. Day 8 Rest Day in Bay of Kotor: Gorgeous, breath taking, majestic, divine; however hefty your thesaurus, the brain-blowing beauty of the Bay of Kotor will leave you struggling for superlatives. Hemmed in by commanding cliffs and shape- shifting between rippling gulfs and sparkling straits, the cobalt cove even manages to defy geographic description: is it a fjord? A submerged canyon? It seems there’s only one way to define Boka Kotorska: un-missable. A little leisurely ambling around the lake is on the cards today. Phone: +353 (0)53 22415 Email: [email protected] Web: www.overlanders.ie ` Day 9 – Kotor, Montenegro to Dubrovnik, Croatia Leaving the Bay of Kotor behind we head north for the first time and cross back into Bosnia and onwards to our lunch stop at Trebinje. As the southernmost city in Bosnia and Herzegovina Trebinje is only 28km from the famous city of Dubrovnik. Its old town lines the banks of the Trebisnjica River that flows through the heart of the city. The river and the city have always been known for the enormous old mills treading the Trebisnjica as well as a small 'lived in' walled Old Town and a historic stone bridge, there are wine tastings, Serbian-Orthodox churches and a lovable square with a French-Provençale vibe. Day 10 – Rest Day Dubrovnik Regardless of whether you are visiting Dubrovnik for the first time or the hundredth, the sense of awe never fails to descend when you set eyes on the beauty of the old town. Indeed it’s hard to imagine anyone becoming jaded by the city’s white limestone streets, baroque buildings and the endless shimmer of the Adriatic, or failing to be inspired by a walk along the ancient city walls that protected a civilized, sophisticated republic for centuries. Although the shelling of Dubrovnik in 1991 horrified the world, the city has bounced back with vigor to enchant visitors again. Marvel at the interplay of light on the old stone buildings; trace the peaks and troughs of Dubrovnik's past in museums replete with art and artifacts; take the cable car up to Mt Srđ; exhaust yourself climbing up and down narrow lanes – then plunge into the azure sea. Day 11 – Dubrovnik to Hvar Island, Croatia Today we are back on the Dalmatian Coast as we head further north before taking a ferry to our destination on Hvar Island in the Adriatic. Highlights of the port town Hvar include its 13th-century walls, a hilltop fortress and a main square anchored by the Renaissance-era Hvar Cathedral.