Cycling Bosnia & Montenegro

The trip starts today in the old Ottoman trading centre of Trebinje, Bosnia &
Herzegovina’s wine capital. Trebinje has a rich history that dates back to
the Middle Ages with a beautiful intact old town that escaped damage during
the war. We overnight in a hotel in the old centre.

Our first day takes us on a circuit of this wine growing region, past the
villages and vineyards of Popovo Polje with magnificent views on all sides of
the Herzegovinian limestone mountains. We climb up to the impressive
Vjetrenica Cave, one of the largest in the Dinaric Alps. This morning’s
section is on the old train tracks that serviced the region until the early
70’s. After lunch we head across Popovo Polje, flanked by the impressive
limestone peaks of the Dinaric Alps. Having arrived at the other side of the
valley, we’ll put away our bikes for the day and take the transfer back to
the Hotel. Before dinner, we enjoy a wine-tasting at one of
Hercegovina's family owned wineries. 

Today we head off in the direction of the impressive Orijen mountain range
and Montenegro. However before we can cool off in the blue refreshing waters
of the Adriatic our cycling journey takes us through a beautiful valley known
for its delicate honey and pungent cheeses. After a 7km climb, we’ll make a
short stop for a honey farming crash course from one of the local farmers.
Here you can try your hand at extracting some of this golden elixir. The bee
keeper moves his hives 3 times a year, so that the bees can visit different
flowers and therefore produce different honey. As such it may be necessary to
do this visit on day 2 depending on where the hives are when we visit the
region.
In the afternoon, we continue our climb as we enter Montenegro or ‘the
Black Mountains’, with a last 3km climb section up to the border. From here
we encounter rolling hills and extensive views of the Adriatic. Just before
our early afternoon descent ends in the old seafarers' town of Herceg Novi,
we'll stop for a picnic lunch at a beautiful viewpoint above the town. Later
on we continue our ride along the beach to the hotel where we can go for a
swim before dinner. We overnight in a seaside hotel.

We start the day with a 30 min boat ride across the beautiful outer Bay of
Kotor from Herceg Novi to the traditional fishing village of Rose while our
bikes are transported by the small ferry. We meander across the tranquil
Lustica Peninsula and enjoy a warm welcome and a visit to the traditional
olive oil farm of the Moric family. The road continues to the inner Bay of
Kotor, winding peacefully along the shores with spectacular mountain
landscapes plunging into the deep waters of the bay. We will then stop for a
45 minute swim and coffee break near the baroque town of Perast. We finish
the day riding into Kotor and our hotel base just a short walk from Kotor Old
Town with its historic city walls, cobbled streets, piazzas and coffee shops.

The challenge today is to ascend the incredible serpentine road leading to
Lovcen National Park high above the Bay of Kotor. Each turn in the road
brings a new vista and the top of the road affords breathtaking views over
the bay and in total there are a dizzying 26 switchbacks! Once marking the
frontier between Austria, Hungary and the old Montenegro the origins of this
road are steeped in history. Upon entering the national park a much more
alpine landscape opens up, contrasting sharply with the Mediterranean
coastline just a few kilometres away. One of the most important sites on
Lovcen Mountains, from a cultural perspective, is the mausoleum of the
celebrated Montenegrin poet and philosopher Njegos, which we may be able to
visit after the end our ride. We then have time to explore the area or
perhaps go for a swim in our comfortable hotel in the national park.

Having climbed up to Lovcen, today we start with the descent to Cetinje, the
former royal capital of Montenegro, a town of faded grandeur epitomised by
the once imposing embassies and the Royal Palace. We take a short stop to
explore the town itself. The descent continues towards the vast Skadar Lake,
on the border with Albania. On the horizon during today's ride stand the
distant but imposing peaks of the Prokletije (Accursed) Mountains, the lands
of feudal tribes for centuries. The ride follows the River 'Crnojevica', a
major tributary to Skadar Lake, all the way to its entry point into the lake
itself. We end the ride at the fishing village of Virpazar. After visiting
this charming hamlet we take a 40min transfer to our Hotel in Podgorica, the
capital of Montenegro; our base for the night.

This morning we start with a long (5hr) road transfer to the Montenegrin /
Bosnian border at Vrancenovici Bileca and Nevesinje. This journey allows us
to climb Velez Mountain, Herzegovina’s sleeping giant. Velez offers
stunning views of the surrounding area, as well as a range of fortifications
built by the Austrians in the late 19th Century. The highlight of today is a
fast and beautiful descent along the old postal service route to Mostar. Very
few people get to see Mostar from above. The route takes us directly to
Mostar’s old bridge and the Neretva River, a fantastic way to end our
riding.

We transfer (3hrs) to Dubrovnik for a well deserved tour of the town and swim
in the Adriatic. We’ll stop along the way in the nearby village of Blagaj,
with its well known Buna Spring and the adjacent Ottoman house/monastery. The
spring here is amazing. It flows out of a 200m cliff wall and singlehandedly
creates the Buna River. Dubrovnik is our final destination and a great way to
end. This magnificent walled city lies at the southernmost tip of Croatia.
Formerly a prosperous trading centre, Dubrovnik is now a UNESCO World
Heritage Site, and its perfectly preserved Old Town and rich cultural life
draw many visitors each year.

Our trip ends in Dubrovnik. You may however wish to extend your stay in the
town to further explore its cobbled streets or enjoy the beautiful coastline.
Should you wish to do so please ask a member of the sales team about our post
tour nights.