Cycling through Bosnia

Henry’s Sonder Camino took on Bosnia’s wild trails with ease—gravel, climbs, and gear. The perfect bike for raw beauty, tough roads, and real adventure.

Head down and arms tucked in, I will my legs to keep spinning despite the headwind. Around me cows graze in the vast sub-alpine meadows, full of yellow and purple flowers emerging after the bitter grasp of winter.

I look up and see the border on the horizon ahead of me. As I approach I thankfully see only a short queue ahead. I wonder what it will be like crossing on the bike, having been solely in the Schengen zone so far on my journey, where one can easily miss the fact you've changed countries! The Bosnian guards are unfazed by the fact I am on bike, and they stamp my passport and wave me through - I am out of the EU and into the unknown…

It's one of the inherent benefits of travelling by bicycle - you are not a threat to anyone and, as a general rule, people seem impressed and want to offer support. I had been experiencing this already on my journey but the truth is that in Bosnia, I had no idea what to expect.

My legs were grateful as I started the descent into Bihać. I could tell things were different here already. The road signs were now in Cyrillic as well as Latin text, the standard small church that was a fixture of every small Croatian village was replaced by equally homogenous mosques, and I realised I had none of the local currency any more!

When I arrived in Bihać I was greeted by a friendly scene, a beautiful city on the river Una with ample green space and people going about their daily business. I started looking for a place to set up camp for the night, and lucked out when the owner of a bar said I could pitch up in his beer garden on the river. Camping for free with all the facilities - what a win!

This show of hospitality proved not to be an isolated case, and I was continually amazed at the willingness of people to share what they have, supporting a lone cyclist as he wanders through a land that, whilst geographically close to the UK and EU, had a scarred recent history and is renowned as a melting pot of different cultures. Serbs, Croats and Bosniaks all live together here in 'Bosnia and Herzegovina'. Whilst you can't help but be painfully aware of the cultural rifts still present, it seems that regardless of their ethnic identity (or mine for that matter), almost all people are more than happy to support a cycle tourist!

In the morning, after faffing with the tent and breakfast, ensuring to take far too long making myself a coffee (a staple fixture of my riding and one of the 'luxuries' I permit myself) I passed through the Una National park, home to spectacular waterfalls and brown bears. The roads here are an interesting mix - one minute you are on race track quality asphalt, zooming downhill at 30mph and the next thing you know, you're on a semi-major road between two large (for Bosnia) cities, which then turns into a gravel track in the forest! Thankfully, I have my trusty Camino - built from the frame upwards specifically with touring in mind. I have no doubt at its ability to handle anything the Balkan roads want to throw at it and me! I'm running tubeless so far - a choice that I am very pleased with given the ease of repairing the singular picture I've experienced so far on road surfaces that often leave plenty to be desired!

That evening I camp in a lay-by, this time on the river Sana. I get in to have a chilly, but much needed, wash to remove two days of sun cream and sweat from my skin. As I dry off and start to cook my dinner (pasta, again!) another cycle tourist pulls off the road and comes to join me. Roland is from Germany and is cycling home from Greece having attempted the trip once before but was stunted that time by the weather. We reflect on chance encounters like this, two adventurers with a common love for exploration and meeting new people, having a chance encounter by the side of the road under canvas. It's moments like these that make you reflect on how awesome the adventuring community is. Even in the most unlikely of places you will find people on their own adventure with their own stories to tell and experiences to learn from.

The next day I start a brutal climb towards Travnik in the centre of Bosnia. Even though I've packed light, the extra weight takes its toll and I am slow! Slow isn't the end of the world though as it gives you time to explore the scenery. I pass a road sign saying 'Welcome to Republic of Srpska' and I realise I have crossed a boundary within a country. This is the region that was controlled by the Serbs during the devastating 1992-95 war. All at once the Bosnian flags in the street change to Serbian ones, despite me still being in the same country. Sadly, one must be careful when wild camping here, as land mines still cover much of the land - particularly along these internal 'borders'. This is despite the excellent work of the Bosnia and Herzegovina Mine Action Center (BHMAC) in returning much of the land to a usable state which will hopefully eliminate the need for quite such careful consideration of routes and campsites in the future.

As I climb up, seemingly forever, I get a simply stunning vista of the remote valley below, I notice that most of the houses here are derelict. Abandoned during the conflict, or sometimes since with people leaving to richer countries to seek new opportunities. It is poignant to reflect on how geo-political issues affect these places so much, and I believe there is no better way to explore and get to know somewhere like this than on two wheels. Bosnia is a beautiful country, packed with culture, spectacular scenery, wildlife and open and empty landscapes just crying out for adventures to be had.

It's a different experience to Western Europe, but hey, that's what adventuring is all about. To me this is the epitome of 'GoNicePlacesDoGoodThings'. Sometimes we do this at home, and sometimes we push our comfort zone in places we're less familiar with.