Bosnia and Herzegovina
october 2022
One week trip. Only 4 days of biking and couple of rest days.
Ciro Ruta – the most popular bike trek from Dubrovnik to Mostar.
When it started raining and getting colder at home, and there was a break between the long and ultra-long distances at the Finnish orienteering championship, we decided to take a week off and switch to cycling. Moreover, because of the end of the season, there were cheap tickets from Helsinki to Dubrovnik, and Ciro Ruta itself had been collecting dust in the piggy bank of dream activities for more than a year.
Ciro Ruta is perhaps the only official cycling route in Bosnia and Herzegovina and is considered to be quite boring. But for me it was an acquaintance with a new country in my list and I am not disappointed at all. The trek runs along the old railway, built at the very beginning of the 20th century, connecting Mostar with Trebinje and Dubrovnik. The road was in great demand at one time, this can be seen from the stations where I observed marshalling yards with 10-15 tracks. At the end of the 60s of the last century the railway was closed. Its infrastructure was used by locals for many years, but during the war and post-war years everything fell into disrepair. At the end of the 2000s, a bicycle route was organized here (and those few locals, who stayed in the area, even drive this rout by car). The sadder the history of this road, the more interesting it is to drive through this “open-air museum”. Empty, abandoned buildings, ghost villages, as well as breathtaking views of the valleys and the Hutovo Blato National Park – all this is Ciro Ruta!
Here is a map of the approximate trek. Naturally there were some minor deviations. According to the numbers on my trekker in the end total distance was 380 km, altitude gain 3450 m.
October 1-2, 2022
After the flight we had one and a half days for acclimatization, rest and sleep. The day of arrival was rainy, but warm; with thunderstorms, but windless. The second day was hot, hurricane-windy, with a rough sea and filled with pine aroma, the smell which made me return here after one year!
We stopped in the remote, godforsaken village of Soline, which doesn’t even have its own grocery store. We took a local regular bus to ancient Cavtat, walked around all its bays, and splashed down in the most accessible ones. We returned to our remote place, fried fresh dorado fish, and swam in the sea, which had calmed down towards sunset. That’s enough for idleness! Tomorrow begins my short cycling adventure, which did not fit into last year’s cycling schedule in Montenegro.
Tomorrow we grab our bicycles and cross the pass towards Bosnia. I have never traveled on a rental bike before. I’m worried about what’s in store for me, whether we’ll get along well… Besides, my Internet, unlimited in Croatia, does not work outside EU in Bosnia. Makes no sense to buy local SIM-card for 4 days. This time the plan is completely raw, without booking overnight stays in advance, without a tent and without internet to look for hotels. The only thing I knew for sure, Balkans are welcoming and there will not be any problems.
October 3, 2022
In the morning we went to Dubrovnik by local bus. I booked my bike rentals in Dubrovnik from 8:00, which means I had to catch the bus at 7:10. Fortunately, I get so tired on vacations that I pass out no later than 21. Not a problem to wake up at 6. We even had to wait 20 minutes for the rental place to open. At about half past 9, we started to spin pedals towards the Bosnian border, which means uphill! The first hour of riding covered under 10km with 500m of ascent. At that time I was full of energy and exited, it felt easy. Now I realize that it was a very hard climb! We received stamps in our passports in 3 minutes and… I’m in a new country!
The sign for the Ciro Ruta right behind the checkpoint directed away from the main road to the middle of nowhere. For the next 30 km we rode completely alone. Not a soul, not a car, not a lost cyclist. Every 5-7 km there were buildings of once active train stations, dilapidated by time, looking out from the thickets – stations with 5-15 tracks and absolutely dead villages next to them. Dozens of stone houses with completely missing roofs and window openings. Sometimes it felt like I was in a horror movie. That the whole world has disappeared, either drowned in nuclear ash, or been enslaved by some deadly virus.
At approximately the 60th kilometer, life suddenly began to appear… Dogs, cats, a sudden car, four cyclists coming towards us. Finally, the first alive town, Khutovo! We were met there by a huge friendly dog and a completely crazy (and untied) horse! They came from both sides. They jumped around and braked suddenly in front of me. The sudden braking and my screams only amused them. Ok, I’m used to dogs, but horses behaving like dogs was new to me.
Next was a ride through the Khutovo Blato National Park and looking for the night overstay, because the mileage had exceeded 100 km, and it was only a couple of hours before sunset. Looking at the route in advance, I was perplexed why I couldn’t find a place to stay for the night anywhere at a distance of almost 70 km. And not a single store or cafe. In fact, not only café or store, there was no life at all. I always make sandwiches for the day when I go biking. Often, they end up in the garbage by the end of the day. But that day everything was eaten up to a last crumb.
In the town of Čapljina, not far from the center, we found a wonderful place called “hotel motel apartments Čapljina”, Ha-ha, everything you want! From hostel to 5* hotel if you like! As a result, there was a tolerable house with one neighbor, some kind of Turkish guest worker.. I spent a wonderful evening with the owner of the “hotel”, who called himself a proud Herzegovinian, veteran of Jugoslavian war, proclaimed that politicians are all prostitutes and.. well, what can he talk with a Russian “gossip” about… About the war, of course. We drank homemade wine, and all the evening I had to kick back from the “best in the world” self-grown marijuana. I barely escaped to sleep, he was so captivated by the veteran memories in my company.
The result of the day -109 km with an ascent of about 850m
October 4, 2022
The further we go to the north of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the thicker the Muslim layer, the villages grow, the houses become richer, and prices become lower.
In the morning, I couldn’t get hold of our host, the pot-lover veteran. Or maybe he went for a walk somewhere else after he became quiet around 2 a.m., and by 8 a.m. he still hadn’t returned. But he rattled my nerves. Bicycles were left in his yard for safety, the gate was closed. We had to climb over the fence and “steal” our own bikes. And the morning coffee he promised remained unserved.
From the very morning I was angry and wound up! We needed positive emotions. The Kravice waterfall was planned for the return trip if there was time left. But if I have the reins down in the morning, then a change of plans and a 35 km detour is what will bring me to my senses. On the way, we stopped at a cafe for morning wake-up coffee. While they were making me coffee, I found out that credit card is not accepted, I still hadn’t withdrawn the Bosnian mark anywhere, they didn’t accept Croatian kuna here, unlike Hutovo, 25 km away, and there would be no change from my 50 euros. Fortunately, bosnians like to gather in places like this in the mornings. They drink their super awesome Bosnian coffee and…smoke! Yes! People smoke everywhere here. In a cafe, in a store. Why go far for an example, when checking into a guesthouse, the owner takes me to look at the room, while lighting a cigarette, smoking in my bedroom and shaking the ashes into my sink.
And this time I got my coffee thanks to these locals. Seeing my torment, they paid the waitress for my order. After that I got my second cup from another table. So, the day starts to feel better. The waterfall is beautiful. More precisely, it is a group of waterfalls located sequentially. Can’t fit into one picture. Unless from a drone. The lighting at 10 am is not the best too, half is in the shade, the other is illuminated by the bright sun. But in real life, trust me, it’s very beautiful.
Then we pedal back 17 km to return to Ciro Ruta towards Mostar. At the entrance to Mostar, my trekker showed 70 km. And it’s already almost 3 pm. Originally, I planned to see Mostar and return back to Čapljina to my veteran friend and spend one more evening in his pleasant company. But for that I had to turn without looking at Mostar sights. No, no, no!
So, I just walk around the town and don’t think about where to spend the night or how I’ll get back and whether I’ll be able to return the bike on time.
Mostar is nice, of course. But the biggest problem of small ancient towns is that every meter of space is used to squeeze money from tourists. The center is full of cafes, stores, and souvenir shops. The area of the old city is only a couple of square kilometers. The main attraction of Mostar is…. a bridge (most). The bridge was blown up during the war but has been restored to its original form; you can read about it on the Internet.
I did not plan to spend money, but rather the opposite. Moreover, there were still 2 hours left before sunset. The nearest marked location is only 10 km away. Blagaj! A wonderful little town, the main attraction of which is the Tekiya of the Dervishes, built in the 16th century. This is something like a Muslim monastery and a shelter for wandering dervishes. It is located like a nest on a rock, next to a cave from which the Buna River emerges to the surface. Tekia appeared to me in the rays of the setting sun, which painted the rock gold.
The tourist season has already passed, so it was easy to find a place in a luxurious guest house for only 25 euros. And lunch for two at a nearby restaurant cost only 13 euros! I never exchanged euros for marks. Almost everywhere they accept euros.
Well, a bit of local charm… The restaurants are all halal, non-alcoholic, and in the evening after sunset the muezzin loudly calls for prayers. At the same time, the roadside is littered with beer cans and bottles. Tourists, probably… What do you think?
The result of the day – 82 km with an ascent of about 700m.
October 5, 2022
As usually, the third day is the most difficult (I’m trying to convince myself that tomorrow will be easier). Still, the body does not have time to cope with such long-term stress. The body was so stunned that it even refused to sleep at night. I barely managed to take a nap for about four hours in total. In the morning, my legs are wobbly from the first step. I also made a promise for myself, even if I rent a bike, I should at least bring my own saddle or something. What is the most important organ to keep in order for a cyclist? That’s right, a butt! And on a breech saddle, the butt becomes unusable within the first couple of hundred km. So what happens next is torment, not pleasure.
Well, the third point. These are thorns! Everywhere! Today I had to glue inner tubes 4 times in 80 km. And this is exhausting. Take the bags off, put the bags on, turn the bike over, pull out the tire, then push it back into the rim. But the most disgusting thing is that you then must pump up the repaired tire again with a small hand pump. At least half an hour to do all this, but an hour later the process repeats again with a new puncture.
On the way we met a couple of cyclists storming the mountain on racing bikes. I didn’t hesitate to slow them down and ask if they had a couple of patches in stock, because we had not seen any bike shops along the way and Google also couldn’t find anything closer. The guys turned out to be members of a local cycling club and confirmed that there was a problem with bicycle services in Bosnia and they had no patches with them. But we received the phone number of one of them, who assured that in case of big problems he was ready to come by minibus and evacuate us almost to Dubrovnik. As a result, we decided to change the route to better asphalt next day, we had only 2 patches left in the repair kit.
One of the wonderful things today was a town with the unpronounceable name Pocitelj. Ancient streets, minarets, towers, houses built in the 15th century. And they still live in these houses. Fabulous atmosphere!
The last night of the trip was spent in the most expensive hotel along the way. The hotel is located in the renovated building of the Zavala railway station.
The result of the day 88 km, climb approx. 750 m
October 6, 2022
Ljubuški, Lug, Žulja, Dobrodom… What sweet-sounding names of villages in Southern Herzegovina! I smiled almost all day reading the nameplates!
But let’s start from the beginning. We spent the night in a hotel that was expensive by Balkan standards. There was also the only restaurant of the village. There are several residential buildings around and kilometers ahead there are uninhabited abandoned villages. There was no choice. The hotel room is luxurious. But everything is so smoky! It’s simply impossible to be inside, we asked for breakfast to be served outside, even though at 7 o’clock it was only +13. In the room you could hardly breath from the clouds of smoke.
After the breakfast we went to visit the Vetrenitsa cave. It turned out that you can only visit it with a guide and you have to wait about 45 minutes for the group. We almost turned around, but then the ticket seller allowed us to go alone. Just come back quickly before the guide arrives, he said. In the end, he let us in without tickets! The cave itself is completely unimpressive. Maybe I’ve just seen too many of them already. The peculiarity of this cave is that there is a strong wind inside, up to 15 m/s. The biger the temperature difference between outside and inside, the stronger the wind. Well, the length of the cave is certainly impressive – 7.5 km, but we walked only 700m.
And then, as planned, we turned from Ciro Ruta onto good asphalt. The main road with normal residential villages runs along the other side of the valley. And it was not so easy to cross the valley, but after it was as if we were rolling along a track until the very end of the journey! We visited two Orthodox monasteries and a church (Rodna kuća Svetog Vasilija Ostroškog, Crkva Rođenja Presvete Bogorodice and Tvrdoš Monastery), the town of Trebinje and then headed to the border.
It’s an amazing feeling when you climb a mountain slowly for a long time and suddenly a view of the sea opens far below! The last 10 km were just testing the bike brakes! We had to hurry to make it before the rental office closed.
Well, in the evening… I’m home! In my temporary little home in the village of Soline, between Dubrovnik and Cavtat. It’s so great to come home after four days of absence and see that they are waiting for you. The hosts brought fruits, water, wine and even eggs for the morning scrambled eggs!
The result of the day – 83 km with an ascent of about 700m
October 7-8, 2022
The result of the trip is almost 380 km, climb 3450m.
There remains a day of rest and a day of flight home, to the rain and falling leaves, to the grayness of the northern autumn and coming long winter…
I want to fill my memories with beauty, warmth, sounds and aromas that surround me. Save these feelings! The splash of waves, the scent of pine trees, the buzzing of bees, hair tousled by salt and wind, and even beads of sweat tickling my back…
That’s it, I am coming home, but I miss Balkans already.
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