The back story
Wild Sarajevo: Springs, Swans and the Mountains
The springs of the Bosna at the foot of Mount Igman, a 98-metre waterfall in the forest and mountains rising straight from the old town: the wild side of Sarajevo.
Photo Credit
Image courtesy of © Ethomorphis · CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia CommonsThe natural side of Sarajevo, from the springs and swans of Vrelo Bosne and the Skakavac waterfall to Mount Trebević above the old town and the forests of Sutjeska National Park, with a directory of the parks in our guide and our regional long read on Balkan wildlife.
Look up from any street in Sarajevo and you see hills. The city climbs the slopes on both sides of the Miljacka, and the mountains begin where the houses end: Trebević rises directly above the old town, and at the foot of Mount Igman, the river Bosna bursts from the ground at Vrelo Bosne.
This is a short, honest guide to Sarajevo's natural side: the springs, the waterfalls and the mountains. For the primeval forest of Perućica and the wildlife of the whole region, see our guides and our Balkans long read.
At Vrelo Bosne, a river is born in dozens of springs at the foot of a mountain.
Vrelo Bosne
At Vrelo Bosne, the Bosna river bursts from the foot of Mount Igman in dozens of springs. The park is criss-crossed by streams and wooden bridges, with swans, ducks and cafés. From Ilidža, walk or ride a horse-drawn carriage along the 3-kilometre tree-lined avenue, the Velika aleja.
Waterfalls and mountains
North of the city, above Nahorevo, the Skakavac waterfall falls about 98 metres over a cliff in a protected landscape, reached by a walk of about an hour through the forest. Trebević, 1,629 metres, rises directly above the old town: ride the cable car up for forest walks and viewpoints. East of the old town, a path follows the Miljacka through a green canyon to the Goat's Bridge.
Photo Credit
Image courtesy of © Robert from Osijek · CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia CommonsFeature: the springs of the Bosna
Vrelo Bosne is where one of the country's great rivers begins: water rising from the foot of Mount Igman in many springs, gathering into clear, cold streams under the trees. It is one of Sarajevo's favourite places on a summer day, cool when the city is hot, with swans gliding on the pools and wooden bridges over the channels.
Did you know? The Skakavac waterfall, an hour's walk through the forest north of Sarajevo, falls about 98 metres over a cliff.
Our advice
Our advice: walk the Velika aleja to Vrelo Bosne early in the morning, take the cable car up Trebević, and wear good shoes for the forest path to Skakavac. In the mountains, keep to marked paths only, never feed the swans bread, and take your rubbish home.
Why it's on our list
- Vrelo Bosne
- Waterfalls and mountains
- Feature: the springs of the Bosna
- Our advice
Location
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More in depth
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