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Rafting in Bosnia

Raft, Hike and Canoe in Bosnia

Explore the Via Dinarica route through the rivers, mountains and canyons of Bosnia's beautiful Zupa Valley

Duration

3 nights

Annual Leave

2 days off work

Group Size

Up to 12 people

Season

May-Sept

Location

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Meeting Point

Dubrovnik Airport, Croatia

Classic Accommodation

Apartment · Hotel

Customer Reviews

(136)

4.8

Difficulty

Moderate

From

From

Hike to the remote ruins of a mountaintop castle before rafting along the peaceful pools and rapids of the clear Neretva River

Clamber into a canoe and paddle along the unspoilt turquoise waters of this wild, narrow gorge

Explore the charming Balkan city of Mostar and the unique village of Blagaj, built around a Dervish monastery

Day 1

Mostar

Raft, Hike and Canyon in Bosnia

Driving

5.5-6.5hrs

Fly into Dubrovnik in neighbouring Croatia and drive over the border and into the beautiful Zupa Valley, stopping to explore the charming city of Mostar, famous for its 16th Century bridge over the Neretva River. Explore the old town and then sit down for a traditional dinner in a local restaurant before continuing the drive for the final couple of hours to your accommodation by Boracko Lake beneath a starry sky.

Day 2

Raft the Neretva

Raft, Hike and Canyon in Bosnia

Hiking

3hrs · 8km · 486m up · 400m down

Rafting

4-5hrs · 26km

Drive to the Upper Neretva Canyon and begin your challenging hike to the remote ruins of a 14th Century mountaintop castle. Head back to the Neretva River and raft through peaceful pools and down grade 2 to 3 rapids, taking plenty of breaks for swimming, cliff jumping, and snacks. You’ll finish your rafting right in the camp, where you can refuel, kick back and relax!

Day 3

Neretva river canoeing

Neretva river canoeing and landscape in Bosnia Photo: Host EST

Canoeing

2-5hrs · 10km

Take a short drive to the Neretva River. Jump in your 2-3 person inflatable canoes and learn how to paddle independently and as a team as you drift through wild gorges. Afterwards, you’ll have the opportunity to dry off and change your clothes before heading to lunch. Then drive to Blagaj and explore a unique city built around a remarkable Dervish monastery, if time allows. Head on to Mostar and spend your last night in this charming and famously beautiful city.

Day 4

Departure

Enjoy a last, relaxed breakfast in Bosnia and Herzegovina and then drive back to Dubrovnik in time for your flight home.

Included

Guides

Professional, English-speaking guide

Accommodation

1 night in Mostar and 2 nights by Boracko Lake or the Neretva River (depending on availability)

Meals

Munch on tasty food throughout

Transfers

To and from the airport and everything in-between

Equipment

All your rafting and canoeing equipment

Not Included

Flights to and from the meeting point

Travel insurance

Tips for your guides

Visas where required

Day 1

Apartment · Twin share

Breakfast

Lunch

Dinner

Day 2

Apartment · Twin share

Breakfast

Lunch

Dinner

Day 3

Hotel · Twin share

Breakfast

Lunch

Dinner

Day 4

Departure day

Breakfast

Lunch

Dinner

What is the food like?

Bosnian food is fresh, home-cooked and hearty. Common food items include local cheeses and other dairy products, dried meats, fish, freshly baked bread and pastries, and local fruits and veggies.

Vegetarians, vegans and other dietary requirements and allergies can be catered for - please just request on your passenger info form.

What is the accommodation like?

Mostar

You'll stay in a 3-star hotel in an en-suite twin room with a TV, fridge and free Wi-Fi.

Boracko Lake or Neretva River

Depending on availability, you'll either stay in an apartment with an en-suite bathroom, balcony and free Wi-Fi at the shore of Boracko lake (30 minute drive to activities), or in private cabins made of stone and wood, with en-suite bathrooms and green lawns right next to Neretva River.

The Area

map

Logistics

Starts

Dubrovnik Airport

13:30 on Day 1

Ends

Dubrovnik Airport

12:00 on Day 4

Transfers

Your adventure begins at Dubrovnik Airport (DBV) where you will meet your host and fellow adventurers in the arrivals area at 13:30. Please schedule your flight to arrive more than 30 minutes before this time.

At the end of the trip you will be dropped back at Dubrovnik Airport (DBV) at 12:00, so you're free to catch any flight departing after 14:00. Alternatively, you can always stay on and explore Dubrovnik further. There are regular airport shuttle buses to and from Dubrovnik Airport and the city centre for those that are arriving early or staying on after the trip.

If you are unable to get the group transfer from the airport, you'll need to either hire a car or book a taxi to get to the start point in Mostar (2.5 hour drive). Your host is unable to arrange a private transfer to the start point of the trip.

Travel options

There are regular flights to Dubrovnik from airports across the UK and Europe.

Enjoy 12.5% Off Outdoor Gear

In need of a few more items? All bookings receive a 12.5% discount to use at Cotswold Outdoor, Snow + Rock and Runner's Need.

What's included?

  • All technical equipment will be provided (including a neoprene wetsuit, neoprene boots, helmet and vest).

What do I need to bring?

  • Hiking shoes and trousers
  • Breathable, quick-drying sports clothes
  • Sandals
  • A swimsuit and towel
  • Sun protection (hat, sunglasses, sun block)
  • Warm layers for the evenings
  • A small backpack to carry personal items throughout the day (water, snacks, shirts to use during activities).
  • Shorts
  • Energy/protein bars
  • Walking poles (optional)
*Requests for optional extras can be made after booking on your “My Bookings” page

Optional Private Room Upgrade

Payable Before Departure

Optional Private Room Upgrade

Per Person

Pre/post-trip accommodation in Mostar (Double/Twin)

Payable Before Departure

Pre/post-trip accommodation in Mostar (Double/Twin)

Per Night

Pre/post-trip accommodation in Mostar (Single)

Payable Before Departure

Pre/post-trip accommodation in Mostar (Single)

Per Night

Jack

Ilia was a great guy, very knowledgeable and easy to chat to. Good experience overall, although the water rapid was pretty mild, would prefer to go in May when the water is higher.

Edgars

Excellent trip, with our guide Hamza leading us through the Bosnian mountains and rivers. Accommodations and food was excellent and Hamza is very flexible with timing and variety of activities depending on weather and the wishes of the group.

Ludmila

Fantastic trip!

Brian

Great trip great guide great driver! Everything that was asked from us done no hassle a credit to hamza best guide evere

Laura

A SENSATIONAL trip I’d recommend to anyone!! The scenery was incredible with unreal colours, and hiking or rafting/canoeing down the river was an epic way to see it. Our guide Iliya handled our group of 12 cackling women superbly and was a hilarious, kind and knowledgeable host. The rafting and canoeing was amazing fun and I’d say suitable for everyone. One thing to note is that there are two hikes. One to a mountain top, and one to a monastery just outside of Mostar. The mountain hike was TOUGH. Because we didn’t start until about 5pm we had to race the sun because the top section involved scrambling and too dangerous to do after dark. As such, it was a race to the summit which not everyone was able to keep up with, which was disappointing. If it was done first thing in the morning before canoeing it would have been better so we weren’t as limited on time. The monastery walk was much easier and suitable for everyone. The other hosts (accommodation and water sports) were also all lovely. They were welcoming and friendly (esp our accommodation hosts as they joined in our impromptu karaoke/guitar/dancing night!). I cannot describe how much we loved it – a must-book! Our second MBA trip and it certainly won’t be our last! THANK YOU.

Ian

Great adventure trip in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Great mix of activity with rafting, kayaking and local culture. Would highly recommend.

Rosie

Overall an amazing trip, fabulous local guide and instructors, beautiful country and great activities. I was disappointed however, due to the last minute change of activity from canyoning to canoeing.

Rakesh

Excellent adventure. Amazing views and a great location for the adventure that provided a glimpse into the Bosnian landscape. The rafting and canoeing were such good fun and allowed one to experience a wonderful experience. The walks through the local town and the delicious local cuisine gave a great insight into the local cultures.

Dan

Excellent adventure, great to do something in a totally different location and culture. Everyone very friendly, stunning scenery. The hike is more strenuous than the website description makes out, but well worth it. Really accommodating, food was great even for vegan and vegetarian, nothing was too much trouble. Will be booking along the same lines again.

Umesh

This was a fun trip, we had a great group and the places we visited were very pretty. The accommodation was good. It wasn’t however a particularly active trip. Days started in quite a leisurely fashion with no activities getting going until mid morning. On the first day we did rafting which proved to be quite gentle (but fun). On the second day the canyoning was unfortunately cancelled as the water level was too high and we ended up visiting a nuclear bunker which some people in the group wanted to do. The host said we could do this and also fit in a decent hike but in the end there wasn’t sufficient time for the hike. So overall I found the trip a bit disappointing as I had booked on it for the activities. I felt we could have got more out of the trip had the days started a bit earlier and our time had been better organised. There was no reason for instance why we couldn’t have done a proper hike on the second day and it would have been nice to see more of the countryside.

We partner with the World Land Trust to ensure this trip achieves Net-Zero emissions. We also support their Buy an Acre programme, helping local communities to buy and protect natural habitats in perpetuity.

What's the number?
It works out on average at 167kg of CO2 emissions per person, including all local transport, accommodation, food, activities, guides, staff and office operations.

The only thing it doesn’t include right now is flights and travel to the destination. We do make an overall estimate across all our customers separately, but as we don’t book flights, have customers from all corners of the world, and no way of reliably knowing their travel plans, we simply can’t include an individual number in the figure on display here. We’ve got a goal to fix that, so that when you book, there is a way to measure and mitigate the carbon emitted by your flight too.

But what does the number mean?
Yep, hard to picture eh? To give you an idea:

  • Driving 1000miles/1609km would be approx. 281kg of CO2 in an average car (or 140.5kg per person if there was 2 of you in it).
  • A return economy class flight London - New York would be approx. 1,619kg (1.66 tonnes) per person.
  • 10 trees in a temperate forest are estimated to remove approx. 250kg of CO2 from the air in a period of 5-10 years.

What are we doing about it?
Our trips are relatively low-carbon by design, and we're working with all our hosts to develop long term carbon reduction plans. We partner with the World Land Trust to ensure this trip achieves Net-Zero emissions. We also support their Buy an Acre programme, helping local communities to buy and protect natural habitats in perpetuity, ensuring the protection of the reserve and its wildlife.

Want to know more?
Amazingly, no international travel company has ever publicly published their carbon measurements before, as far as we know. We believe that must change, quickly. So we’re openly sharing the method we used in the hope that other companies will be able to more easily follow suit and build on what we've done so far. You'll find it all here.

A reasonable level of fitness is required and the ability to handle up to 8 hours of activity in a day. The last part of the hike can be challenging but your guide will be with you every step of the way to help you negotiate it securely and safely. You do not need any rafting or canoeing experience as your guide will also give you full instructions and a safety briefing at the start.

Sure can! Over 70% of our travellers travel solo, it’s a great way to meet like-minded people.

Although shielded from the coast by high mountains, the Neretva Canyon funnels a Mediterranean climate into the Zupa Valley all year round. In the summer, daytime temperatures range from 24 – 30 °C, but it can get cooler at night, so bring layers of clothing to keep you warm if needed, especially during autumn when the temperatures are lower. During the summer, it can sometimes get over 30 degrees during the day, so it's wise to bring a hat and sunscreen.

Any excess luggage can be safely left in your daily transfer vehicle or at your accommodation during this trip.

On this trip, you will be rafting through level 2 and 3 rapids on the Neretva River. There will be 4 sections of whitewater rafting. There are also a couple of milder level 1 and level 2 white water rating sections on the canoeing activity, although you'll mostly be paddling gently downstream during this activity.

Our recommended travel insurance provider is Campbell Irvine.

Travel insurance is compulsory for all of our adventures and you are required to provide your policy information before departing.

Your insurance should include adequate protection for overseas medical treatment, evacuation/repatriation, your baggage and equipment and the specific activities involved on your adventure. We also strongly recommend it includes cancellation and curtailment insurance, should you be unable to join your trip for specific reasons such as illness.

We fully endorse Campbell Irvine as their insurance offers all of the above, so get in touch with them or call on 020 7938 1734 to get your insurance sorted. We suggest that you book travel insurance as soon as you book your adventure, just to cover you for any last-minute life changes. We know you’re an active lot and injuries do happen!

We automatically convert prices from the local currency that a host receives to your chosen currency. We update our exchange rates on a daily basis so this does mean that prices displayed on the site are subject to currency fluctuations, which is why you may see them change over time.

If you wish to change the currency you pay in, head to the bottom of the page.

All of our group adventures are specially designed for adults to enjoy (18+) as we want these adventures to bring together outdoorsy people who are truly like-minded. Children can be accommodated on some private departures.

You're always in good company on one of our adventures.

Our trips are typically made up of a mixture of solo travellers and small groups of 2 or 3 friends, with most in their 30s-50s.

Our sociable adventures are solo-friendly by design and naturally attract outdoorsy people with a shared mindset; a love for adventure, a desire to push themselves and meet awesome, like-minded people along the way.

It’s this camaraderie that has so often turned a great adventure into a life-changing one.

Don't just take our word for it:

  • 95% of people rate the group dynamics on our trips 5/5
  • 90% of people recommend joining a trip to make new friends
  • 75% of people have met people on our trips that they would now consider friends

See here for more info about the Much Better Adventures tribe.

Interested in a more exclusive experience? Opt for a 'Private Group' through the dates and prices tab to book this adventure for just you and your chosen companions.

Your trip is led by carefully curated local hosts and expert guides. See here for more info about the guides we work with.

TRIP DEPARTURE DATES

Private trip

Go private and split the bill with ease.

Forget complex logistics, we've taken care of all the details to ensure a hassle-free get together. All of the adventure, none of the faff.

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