We started our Bosnia & Montenegro roadtrip from Split, Croatia. Our aim was to spend 2 weeks travelling from Croatia, through Bosnia. However, we were having so much fun we decided to extend for an extra week. That meant we got to add on Montenegro and Bosnia to our trip. We are so pleased we did, as Montenegro was the highlight of the trip, especially Durmitor National Park.
Car Hire
To do this, we needed a car. We hired a car from Last Minute Rent a Car where we picked up a Renault Clio from the Downtown office. We originally hired the car for 2 weeks at a total price of €659.35. The price varied drastically between car rental companies. The closer we got to the date of pick up, the price came down quite a bit. Originally we were quoted over €800 for just 1 week! One thing to note is that most companies allow free cancellation. So we just kept booking cars and as the price came down we cancelled and rebooked at the lower price. The extension for a week cost €302.
Split to Makarska : Day 1
We picked up the hire car at 9am which gave us time to go back to the Air BnB and collect our luggage, myself included before check out. We hit the road about 10am and headed South going down the coast. The Damlmatian Coast is so beautiful, pictures really can't do it justice. Every corner you turn, you are just amazed at the beautiful view. We passed through the towns of Omis and Baska Voda, although we didn't stop, they looked really nice. Our stop for the day was in Makarska. We booked an Air BnB within walking distance to the beach. Most beaches in Croatia are pebble beaches and they get really busy during the summer months. After we checked in to the Air BnB we hopped back in the car and headed to the Osejava Forest Park for a walk along the coast. We parked at the Osejava Hotel which was 20 kuna per hour (€2.65). We paid for 2 hours as had read it would be about an hours walk each way. The route was nicely sign posted from the car park and we passed the beach lovers before we got on the trail. The trail takes you right along the cliffside. It's definitely recommended to wear sturdy shoes or trainers rather than flip flops as it's very loose rubble and it's very slippy. There are no safety barriers and it's a sheer drop down to the ocean so you do need to be careful. Also remember to bring some water with you as it's not all shaded and it can be very hot. We walked for about an hour until we reached the Nugal Beach, which is in fact a nudist beach. However, most people there were wearing swimsuits. We only saw a couple of pairs of boobs and 1 bare butt so no need to be worried! We had a short 10 minute sit and then headed back along the same route as we had only put 2 hours parking on the meter. We didn't pass too many people on the way and the beach itself wasn't so busy given it was the middle of July. The views walking along are really stunning, it's definitely worth doing this route. I was pooped by the end so once we got back to the Air BnB, I retreated to my bed and the humans went out for dinner. They told me they headed down to the beach area, sometimes referred to the Makarska Riviera, where there is a big promenade of shops and restaurants. There's lots of meat and seafood dishes, so it caters for all appetites. They paid 452 kuna (€60) for a large meat platter for 2 with 2 500ml beers each which is a bit pricey but the platter really was huge and with a nice view of the beach. Check out my day in full on my Youtube here.
Makarska to Imotski : Day 2
Check out times in this part of the world are super early at 10am. Which gives us good incentive to get on the road early. We left Makarska and planned to head to Biokovo National Park. However, en route the humans found out they only allow 25 cars per hour to enter. Since it was mid July we didn't want to risk huge queues, so we decided to just head towards Imotski where we could see the Red & Blue Lakes. En route we took a slight detour and first went to Lokvicici Lake. It took just under 1 hour to reach the lake. Croatia really has some beautiful lakes. Going off the typical tourist route we also found that there were very few other people around. It was so peaceful and quiet, absolute bliss. After driving around Lokovici, we headed to the Red Lake. The Red Lake is basically a huge sinkhole. The lake itself is not actually red, but gets the red name from the colour of the cliffs around it. We originally missed the sign for the parking and instead saw the lake from the road. However, we backed up a bit and found the car park from which you can begin your walk around the top. It's possible to walk around the whole circumference, but as it was really hot, we just walked to the main viewpoint which was more than enough. Again, you need some sturdy shoes as there are lots of loose rocks, and a sheer drop to the bottom. It was a bit scary so I stayed well clear of the edges! It took us about 1.5 hours in total of walking to get back to the car. We briefly stopped in the town to get some groceries for the evening before we headed to our Air BnB. This was a renovated farmhouse turned into apartments located just outside of the main town. So it was so peaceful and quiet, exactly what we needed. Directly in front of the apartment was the top rated restaurant in the area on Tripadvisor. So we were in luck, we got to eat the most amazing local meal before falling into bed!
Imotski to Stolac : Day 3
Today we headed into Bosnia. But first we visited the Blue Lake. The Blue Lake is very close to the Red Lake that we visited yesterday. This one has a huge lake at the bottom and as the name suggests is very blue! To enter, the humans had to pay 40 kuna each, and I was free. This gave you access to the fortress as well. You can walk all the way down to the Lake itself. It was a pretty hefty walk and took about 40 minutes to get down. The pathway was well defined but very rocky, so it's good to have some sturdy shoes or trainers. As it was super hot and the path was a bit unsteady, I hopped into my K9 Sports Sack. We didn't go right to the bottom as the humans weren't planning to go into the water. The walk back up was much harder! We kept having tomake stops as mammy got so out of breath. Later on we found out she actually had covid so she had an excuse, she wasn't just unfit! Back at the top we had a drink at the cafe to catch our breath before we headed across to Bosnia. The drive from Imotski to the border was only about 15 minutes. We had expected to have quite a wait to cross the border from the research we had done. However, there was no queue whatsoever. We simply drove up, handed our passports to the Croatian side to get stamped out of Croatia. The Bosnian side then checked the humans passports, but didn't even ask for mine. Nor did they stamp the humans. So off we went. Easy peasy! Into my 12th country! On the way to the Air BnB we stopped for lunch in Stolac town. We found an amazing restuarant, The Old Mill. It was right on the river and even had a beautiful waterfall in the background. We were unsure how dog friendly Bosnia would be, but so far so good. I was allowed to sit at the table too. After lunch we headed down to the river side and had a bit of a splash in the water. The Air BnB we stayed in was incredible. It was a short drive out of the town and was an old farmhouse that had recently been renovated. It had lots of outdoor space to roam around in, but I had to watch out for snakes! Inside was beautifully decorated too, it was a shame we could only stay here for 1 night. It cost €80 for the night. We spent the night just chilling out with some music under the stars, it was really beautiful.
Stolac to Ravno : Days 4 & 5
After we checked out, we headed towards Hutovo Blato National Park. It wasn't the easiest of places to find, the best way is to head for the Hotel Park. On the way we passed by the amazing Svitavsko Lake, which was really beautiful. All lakes in this region are so stunning. At the hotel we asked if we could do a boat tour of the mangroves. It was really easy. It cost us 60 Bosnian Mark / €30 for a private tour of about 1 hour. It was a lovely way to spend the time, floating around with nature. After the boat trip we headed towards Ravno which was our next stop where we would spend 2 nights. We splashed out a bit on this next Air BnB and it was totally worth it! It was a renovated house from 1901 and it was incredible. It even had it's own swimming pool. There wasn't much around at all, even the local store had only very basic goods. But there was a hotel which had a restaurant we could have a meal. We also had a drive around the area just taking in the scenery which was amazing.
Ravno to Trebinje : Day 6
After Ravno, we headed South to Trebinje. Trebinje is a nice small town not far from Dubrovnik so was the perfect stop off. We spent 1 night here in a small Air BnB apartment which was part of the hosts house. We aren't so keen on these kind of Air BnB's as feel as if we are intruding, even though the whole apartment was private. We would never book a shared room though. Before we got to Trebinje, we had a drive around Bileca Lake. This part of the world has so many lakes, and all of them are stunning. We stopped halfway round for a drink, and I got to traumatise some cats! The weather was pretty hot so after a short walk around the town and some lunch, we headed back to relax at the apartment. On the evening the humans walked back into town for some dinner and drinks and I stayed at the Air BnB. There was a lovely Serbian family staying in the apartments too and when the humans got back we had some drinks together and learned lots about Serbian life. We didn't get to see much of Tribenje as the weather was so hot, so maybe one day we will go back to see more of it.
Trebinje to Dubrovnik : Days 7 & 8
We headed back into Croatia for 2 nights as we had some VIP's to see. What a great surprise that I got to see my grandpawrents! We haven't seen them since we left the UK, but they were visiting Dubrovnik as a stop on their cruise. So we got to spend the whole day with them! It was so much fun. We were dreading the border crossing with it being one of the popular ones between Bosnia and Croatia. But actually it wasn't so bad. It took about 40 minutes to get through in total. They asked for our green card for the car and for my passport along with the humans. So it was a bit more thorough than when we left Croatia and into Bosnia. Last time my humans visited to Dubrovnik they stayed in the Old Town. But this time we got an Air BnB in Lapad. It was a really cool area with a great promenade with plenty of bars and restaurants. There was a lovely walk also along the coast which was really beautiful. Croatia is such an amazing, beautiful country. We also found a nice beach bar along the front where we watched the sunset. It was aptly named Sunset Beach! We really enjoyed this area of Dubrovnik and would definitely recommend it to anyone heading there. It's still only a 5 minute bus ride into the Old Town if you want to visit there too.
Dubrovnik to Kotor : Day 9
After having spent such a lovely day with the grandpawrents, we decided to follow them to their next stop the following day. So off we headed to Kotor, our first stop in Montenegro. We were a bit pushed for time, as they only had 5 hours in town, and we were worried about how long it would take at the border. Since it was a popular border crossing and peak season, there were reports online of some people taking up to 5 hours to get across. As none of us would have data for Montenegro we were nervous we wouldn't be able to find each other if it took us longer than expected to get through the border. However, we needn't have worried as it didn't take us too long. We left Dubrovnik at 08:50 and arrived to the Croatian border at 09:32. It took us 10 minutes to get through to the Bosnian side where we queued for entry and got into Montenegro at 10:05. So in total it only took us just over 30 minutes which is pretty good going. We arrived in Kotor itself at 11:20 so made it in good time to meet the grandpawrents at 12:00! The drive around Kotor bay is so picturesque and beautiful. We got just over 3 hours together to explore the Old Town which was great. There were lots of restaurants where we got to taste some yummy mussels. It was only a short visit but it was great to see them again. We walked them back to the ship where we watched them sail away from the beach. We stayed down at the beach for a couple of hours and I got to splash around which was amazing and helped to keep me cool! We had a beautiful Air BnB located right in the Old Town which was good value at €85. It was a renovated old building which was lovely and modern but managed to keep all of the old features. It's a shame we only had 1 night here as it was really lovely.
Kotor to Virpazar : Days 10 & 11
After check out we hopped back in the car and headed further South towards Virpazar. Our main reason for coming here was to visit the Skadar Lake. It's the largest lake in the Balkans and also one of the largest in the whole of Europe. We drove down the coast via Budvar and Petrovac before cutting back through the mountains and towards Virpazar. The drive was again absolutely amazing, the scenery is just incredible. There were lots of winding roads and climbs through the mountains. The pictures just don't do it justice at all. After arriving in Virpazar, we stopped for some lunch at the Restoran Jezera on the edge of the lake. We had some freshly caught carp from the lake which was delicious. I got to taste some of it which was so yummy but had to be careful as there were lots of bones! After lunch we decided to drive for about an hour to the Pavlova Strana Viewpoint which gives you the most incredible view over the river. It was super hot, the car showing 46 degrees! So we only got out for less than 5 minutes to take a few quick pictures. The road was a bit scary at times as it was one lane only with sheer drop on the side. So when cars passed it was nerve wracking! It was another hours drive back to the Air BnB. About a 5 minute walk from the Air BnB was a small local winery, Vinarija Misanovic which had lots of great reviews on Google. So we booked a wine and food tasting here. It cost €30 for each human which included 4 different wines and platters of local proscuitto, cheeses, salami as well as some lake caught carp. I decided to stay at the Air BnB as it had been a long day, but I was welcome to join the humans had I wanted to. The following day we drove into Podgorica which is the capital of Montenegro. We planned to have a walk around but it was so hot, we could barely go anywhere. We made it down to the old bridge but that was more than enough. In the afternoon we did a boat trip on Skadar Lake. This was a huge highlight. We booked a 3 hour private trip with Skadar Lake Boat Trips which cost €90. It included 2 bottles of wine as well as a fresh fruit platter. It was really good value and what an incredible trip this was. We got to see all sorts of birds and I behaved myself by not jumping in at them! After the boat we stayed in Virpzar town where we had some more carp! This time the humans chose to get the garlic covered carp so I wasn't allowed any :( After the 2 bottles of wine on the boat the humans needed an early night so we walked back to the Air BnB and were fast asleep by 9:30pm!
Virpazar to Zogaj, Albania : Days 12 & 13
Today saw me visit my 14th country, Albania! We weren't really sure what to expect from Albania but we were so close we thought why not. Google aps told us it would take 1 hour 50 to get to our destination. But leaving at 11am on a Sunday wa sa big mistake! There was so much traffic from people travelling to the seaside for the weekend. It took us 2 hours alone to reach the border. The border itself wasn't so bad. We arrived at the border at 12:25 and got through at 12:42 so less than 20 minutes. The Albanian side didn't even check papers or passports, just asked how many people we were! However, shortly after we crossed into Albania we hit a huge line of traffic. It took us over 45 minutes to travel 5km to the section of road where we needed to turn off. As we sat in the traffic we were hounded by beggars knocking on the window asking for money and food. It wasn't really a great first impression to the country. After we finally got out of the traffic jam, we went through a small village where we saw a really huge dog ravaging through rubbish and on the other side of the road what looked like guts. It was really run down, and again, we didn't like the look of it. Before long though we were driving along the coast, and it turned a lot nicer. The coast is really beautiful and we came across lots of nice restaurants. We stayed in a small town called Zogaj in a lovely Air BnB overlooking the lake which cost €70 per night. Unfortunately, there are stray dogs and cats everywhere. So I wasn't allowed to go into any restaurants with my humans. They didn't even ask if I was allowed as they didn't want to take any risk with me. As Albania is a high risk rabies country, we didn't want to take any chances. So I got to stay in the Air BnB whilst the humans had some dinner. The second day was mammy's birthday so I helped daddy make her some breakfast. When I say help, I mean I helped to taste the sausages! We had a lovely lazy day together until the humans went for a birthday dinner and I got to do some more snoozes in the room. I don't really like Albania as it means I can't go to any places with my humans. So I'm pleased we only stayed here for 2 nights. I can't wait to get back to Montenegro where I'm allowed to go everywhere!
Zogaj to Zabljak : Days 14, 15 & 16
We were a bit worried going back into Montenegro from Albania as it's supposed to be quite strict on paperwork. Even though we have all my papers and titer test, my EU passport doesn't have the titer stamped in it as it was done outside of the EU before I got my passport. We needn't have worried though as at the border they didn't even open my passport! The guy just ruffled my head and said on you go! Zabljak is the gateway to Durmitor National Park where we wanted to spend some time in the outdoors. Boy, was it amazing. We got an incredible log cabin just outside of the main town from Air BnB. It was really modern and very well equipped. The first day we did a walk around the Black Lake (Crno Jezero). We walked from the main town to the entrance where we paid for tickets €3 each, nothing for me. When we got about half way around unfortunately it began to pour with rain. We got absolutely drenched! It was such a shame as it was a really nice walk and lovely lake that we couldn't really appreciate as we were so focused on getting back and out of the rain! The second day we took a drive to Durdevica Bridge where we got to see Tara Canyon. It is the second largest canyon in the world behind the more famous Grand Canyon! I didn't even know. You can zipline across the canyon from here and also do white water rafting but we weren't feeling so adventurous. In the afternoon I stayed in the Air BnB as I was pretty pooped. The humans went for a 'short walk' and ended up hiking up to the Mount Curevac Viewpoint. It took them over 1.5 hours each way as they started from the Air BnB. They chose a less popular route which had no-one else there. It got a bit tough towards the top where it was a pretty steep incline but it was worth it for the view at the top. They were super lucky as the whole way there and back they were guided by a local street dog! He was way more energetic than I am and I was thankful he looked out for my humans. The final day in Durmitor we did the Durmitor loop which is an 85km circular drive which takes you to some of the best views and sights. It takes about 2 hours to drive around, but with all the amazing sights to see we spent about 6 hours in total doing it, including an hours stop for lunch. For lunch we stopped at an eco village and the humans got told off for taking me to the restaurant. Although they still took our order when they saw me and we were allowed to eat there in the end. We were all so amazed by all of the beauty of Durmitor National Park as well as Montenegro in general. If you love the outdoors then you should really add this to your bucket list!
Zabljak to Sarajevo : Days 17 & 18
We decided to head to the Metaljka border crossing. Whilst it was slightly longer it meant we didn't have to do a lot of the Durmitor loop in reverse that we had done the day before. When we arrived at the border there was no-one else there at all so it looked like we had made the right choice. We were through within just a few minutes. However, not long after we crossed into Bosnia, the road turned really bad. It was filled with pot holes and then it turned to loose rocks. However, before long it flattened out and we realised they were actually making the final road with tarmac. We did get held up for about 30 minutes as they were literally tarmacing the road. So we had to pull in to one side until the did a certain stretch to allow us through. In total it took us about 5 hours to get to Sarajevo. We chose a great Air BnB penthouse apartment that had amazing views over the city. Granted it was tough walking up the hill after being in the town but it was worth it for the views! Sarajevo is well known for being a big cultural mix with churches, mosques and synagogues all next to each other. So unfortunately that meant I didn't really get to go out. As there is quite a large muslim population in the town, it wasn't really dog friendly at all. We also saw quite a few stray dogs wandering around so didn't want to take our chances. That was OK though as the Air BnB was greta and I got to catch up on my much needed sleep after all the travels. The humans went into the town and had some traditional cevapi dishes for dinner. They looked around the town and felt that it reminded them of Turkey and had a very arabic feel to it, like their days in Dubai. On our second day they headed back into the town and had some more traditional Bosnian food. But as I had stayed back in the Air BnB they didn't stay out for so long. It's a shame I didn't get to see any of the town, but it's better not to head out if it would be tough to find somewhere that would allow me. I also wouldn't want to offend anyone so I was quite happy just staying at the Air BnB.
Sarajevo to Banja Luka : Days 19 & 20
On the way from Sarajevo to Banaja Luka we stopped in Jajce to see the Jajce waterfall. As the waterfall is in town it was a free sight to see so we thought it worth a stop since some waterfalls are quite expensive. You can pay 8BAM to go right down to the waterfall, but you can get a good view from the city so no need to pay in my opinion. It was not a bad waterfall but definitely not worth going out of your way to see. But if it's on your way it's nice to see. Parking is a total nightmare though, there were hardly any spots and as it was the weekend so many people. We got lucky and found one in a supermarket car park in the end and walked to the falls from there! We had some lunch there too and then hopped back in the car. We also stopped at Krupa Falls which were about 30minutes from Banja Luka. These were even less impressive than the Jajce falls, but again, not a bad stop for half an hour or so on your way. Again, I wouldn't go out of my way to see them. Once we got to Banja Luka we took a walk around the town and it was very quiet. It was a Sunday so lots of shops etc were closed. But as it got to about 6pm it got a lot busier with people coming out to hang out and have dinner. We had some drinks in the square and then took a walk down to the river area. We found a great bar/restaurant Banja Luka Splav which is a static boat on the river that has been turned into a bar/restaurant. We didn't try the food here but it was a lovely setting over the river for sunset. The following day we found another lovely restaurant for lunch called Bona Fides. It was also overlooking the river, but a bit further up. As it was overlooking the river it had a lovely view as well. But here, the food was super interesting, something we've not seen before. They served their food on a pizza base but mixed it up with adding french fries and salad along with the meat and sauce. You just chose your preference of meat and sauce. It sounded a strange concept but the humans said it was really delicious. Everywhere I went in Banja Luka was dog friendly, it wasn't hard to find places. Although we did see more places here with no dog signs on than we had in other countries in the region. So whilst I wouldn't say Bosnia was the most pet friendly place I'd been, it was still pretty good and I got to go to a few places still.
Banja Luka to Zagreb : The Final Day
My final day in the car took us from Banja Luka to Zagreb where we handed back the car. We paid a couple of tolls on the way, which meant that most of the drive was on decent quality roads. The drive took around 3 hours in total. I've had a great time on my road trip but also very happy to not be moving around every day. It is nice to stay in one place for a bit of time.
So that’s wrap on my Bosnia Herzegovina & Montenegro Road Trip. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. You can also check out the rest of my Europe trip over here to find out what I had been up to before the road trip and what I got up to in Zagreb. I will soon be doing another shorter road trip to Serbia. Keep an eye out on that coming soon.
Woof woof, Wylie x
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If any of my travel tips help, please feel free to leave a small donation which would be greatly appreciated 😊
