Bosnia In Depth Group Tour

Fly to Dubrovnik, meet the group and local guide in the arrivals hall. Transfer on to the pretty town of Trebinje in Bosnia-Herzegovina. An 18th century trading centre, the town is famed for the enormous old mills treading the Trebisnjica River. Check in to your hotel for the night and freshen up before heading out for a welcome dinner on the banks of the river. (D)

Visit Sutjeska National Park, home of the highest mountain peak in the country and site of the WWII Battle of Sutjeska – one of the toughest battles fought by the Yugoslav partisans. Visit the Tito WWII Heritage Monument before stopping for lunch and continuing the journey on for three nights in the nation’s capital, Sarajevo. Dinner is included tonight at a traditional restaurant in the Bascarsija area where you will truly be acquainted with Bosnian hospitality. (B,L,D)

Explore Bosnia’s multi-cultural capital today on a morning city tour. Begin in the old Turkish quarter of ‘Bascarsija’, where you can watch craftsman at work making traditional copper coffee sets, before heading over to the Latin Bridge, the site of Archduke Franz Ferdinand’s assassination. Take a ride on the recently reconstructed cable car travelling from the old town to the lungs of Sarajevo, Mt Trebevic. Enjoy lunch with panoramic views of Sarajevo and the valley and take a short walk through woodlands of fragrant conifer and pine trees. After lunch, head a little way out of town to visit the Sarajevo Tunnel Museum which offers a fascinating insight into life during the Bosnian conflict and the way the city operated during four years of siege. (B,L)

Travel up into the Bjelasnica Mountains to Lukomir (approx two-hour drive), Bosnia’s highest and most isolated village, where the inhabitants still wear traditional costume. For those who wish, take a breath-taking walk along the Rakitnica Canyon, with alpine green hills on one side and the deep craggy expanse of the canyon on the other (walking shoes required). After a mountain lunch, find out how they practise traditional ways of life in this beautiful but hostile environment. Return to Sarajevo in the late afternoon where perhaps you might like to head to an outdoor café to sample the local speciality cevapi - delicious spicy sausages served in a warm flat bread. (B,L)

Leave Sarajevo behind today and head to Travnik, picturesquely located in the Lavsa river valley. The former capital of the Ottoman Empire, this historic town was once known as the European Istanbul and has managed to retain many of its historically important buildings, despite the scars of war left on the country. Continue on to Jajce for an overnight stay and dinner. (B,L,D)

Discover the highlights of Jajce on a morning sightseeing tour including the beautiful Pliva waterfall and ruins of St. Luke’s Church. Continue downstream, to Pliva Lakes and visit a collection of about 20 small huts that once served as water mills for local farmers. After lunch depart for Mostar for a three night stay. (B,L)

Embark on a guided city tour of Herzegovina’s cultural capital. The old town of Mostar, listed as a UNESCO World heritage Site, has a vibrant atmosphere and is full of artisan craft stalls which lead up to its famous Ottoman bridge 'Stari Most'. At some point, a local is bound to stun tourists with skilled dives into the waters below, after collecting enough money to do so of course! In the afternoon travel to Blagaj, a beautiful village at the source of the River Buna. Enjoy lunch by the water and discover the impressive Tekke, a 15th century dervish monastery at the foot of a 200-metre cliff. On the return to Mostar, stop at the Skywalk, a glass covered walkway suspended high above the city. This evening enjoy a Bosnian Cooking Workshop and learn, then enjoy a traditional Bosnian meal. (B,L,D)

Set off for Pocitelj today, once an important medieval and Ottoman stronghold, set high up on a hillside. This well-preserved town is dominated by its fortress and the climb up offers fantastic views of the surrounding Herzegovina countryside which harbours a bounty of fruits such as figs and pomegranates. Before lunch in the area, continue on to the impressive 120-metre-wide Kravice waterfalls. Let the falls transfix you whilst you take some time to relax or perhaps even take a dip (remember your swimsuit!) before returning to Mostar. (B,L)

Depart Mostar, bound for Croatia. En-route, stop off at Radimlja, a stecak necropolis with 110 carved stone grave markers from the medieval period, and Vjetrenica Cave, famed for being extraordinarily rich in subterranean biodiversity. Finally, we will be hosted by a local Berak family for some food & wine tasting before continuing the journey to Dubrovnik for the final night and an evening at leisure to explore the town. (B,L)

Transfer back to Dubrovnik airport for the flight back to the UK. (B)