Why this ride
Tight canyon geometry, elevation changes and strong visual drama. It also links naturally to Old Bridge Area of Mostar.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Neretva Canyon Sarajevo-Mostar
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 122 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 2 h 11
- Journey
- Recorded itinerary
Distance and timing basis
The recorded total and the leg detail need reconciliation. Inspect the leg notes before using this record for timing or navigation. Stops, delays, approach and any separate return travel add time. Basis: producer-declared routed record.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
Access context
Verify surface, fuel and current local travel advice. Specific flag: traffic; tunnels.
Seasonal context
May-Oct
Scenic road chapters
Bosnia Mostar to Sarajevo Mountain Route
Expect company on a summer weekend. Early is better than fast. For 39 km this is Bosnia Mostar to Sarajevo Mountain Route, a road with a name of its own and a reason for it.
Rider note
Check the pass is open before you commit to it.
Chapter facts
- Length
- 39 km
- Named road
- Bosnia Mostar to Sarajevo Mountain Route
- Pass
- Ivan Sedlo
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Sarajevo
Sarajevo lies in a steep, narrow valley along the Miljacka river, with mountains close on every side, and the first thing you notice is how much of the city is stacked up the hillsides. Minarets and church towers stand within a short walk of each other, and the old bazaar quarter, the Baščaršija, has copper workshops, cafes serving thick Bosnian coffee from small copper pots, and stalls grilling ćevapi, little skinless sausages served in flatbread with chopped onion. It is a place where East and West meet, and where Ottoman, Habsburg and Yugoslav layers sit side by side.
Read the complete Sarajevo write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Sarajevo sits at 0 km, early in the day. Next is Konjic.
2. Konjic
Konjic sits in a bend of the Neretva, a river that arrives out of the Herzegovinian mountains the colour of jade and stays that colour all the way to the Adriatic. The town of about sixteen thousand lies halfway between Mostar and Sarajevo, with the great bulk of Prenj rising behind it, and the road that links the two cities follows the river through a canyon where the walls climb straight out of the water. It is one of the best roads in the Balkans, and its best place to stop is here.
Read the complete Konjic write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Konjic comes up 30 km in. Next is Jablanica.
3. Jablanica
Jablanica lies on the Neretva, a river of an astonishing blue-green colour, in a narrow canyon between the mountains of Herzegovina, and it is one of the most memorable stops on the road between Mostar and Sarajevo. The town of about six thousand people sits beside a long reservoir, formed by a dam in the 1950s, and its main road, the M17, runs along the water, with cliffs and tunnels on one side and the lake on the other.
Read the complete Jablanica write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
60 km in you reach Jablanica. Next is Mostar.
4. Mostar
The bridge defines Mostar, and the bridge was rebuilt. The Stari Most, the Old Bridge, was designed by the Ottoman architect Hayreddin and finished in 1566, a single high arch of pale stone crossing the green Neretva. The town takes its name from the bridge keepers, the mostari, who watched it. For more than four centuries it stood, until in November 1993, during the Bosnian war, it was destroyed by shelling and fell into the river. A faithful reconstruction opened in 2004, using local stone and traditional methods, and the old town around it is now listed by UNESCO.
Read the complete Mostar write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Mostar, late in the day.