Beautiful Balkans Adventure

After a morning of scenic riding through the back roads of lush green farmland and forests of southeast Slovenia, we’ll enter Croatia and cruise through the Dinaric plain, an unusual karst, or limestone, environment.  In the late afternoon, we’ll visit fantastic Plitvice National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with its sixteen lakes interconnected by waterfalls created by depositions of travertine.

This is the longest day of the tour but you will love every mile of it. The riding is excellent because the roads are empty and sweep through the low mountains and the great stretches of open plains of Herzegovina, the southern part of the country. It's been 20 years since the aggression stopped and travelers have long ago returned to this scenic country, especially to gorgeous Sarajevo. For lunch and dinner you will taste burek and cevapcici, which are both excellent Bosnian specialties.

Ringed by low mountains, spend a day on the roads around the city, enjoying the view of this exotic town, and exploring the sites of the 1984 Olympic Games. Or stroll to the Bascarsija bazaar in the center of the city, surrounded by small, unique shops and galleries. We can relax in a cafe and try Turkish coffee. The city's riverfront remains largely unchanged since that fateful day in 1914 when Austrian Archduke Francis Ferdinand lost his life here.

Cruising along the Sutjeska River is an experience to remember. A medium-sized city among the vineyards between Sarajevo and Croatia's Dubrovnik, Mostar was founded by the Turks in the 15th century at a strategic river crossing. There they built a stone bridge which is today one of the most famously photographed World Heritage-listed sites. That night, before dinner, stroll the Old Ottoman quarter, on either side of the bridge, and meet its artists and craftsmen.

The road starts to climb into the low mountains, though we still pass through great open plains which afford far-reaching views into the valleys below. Set your own pace and visit Medjugorje, the second largest pilgrimage site in the world, then refresh in the waters of the massive Kravica waterfalls. Then continue to climb the narrow turns into the mountains. Durmitor is an area of massive peaks, canyons, rivers and glacial lakes, all crowned by rich evergreen forests.

At 1.3 km deep, it is one of the biggest and most beautiful in the world. Than we'll descend the mountains and ride past Skadar Lake until the coast comes into view. All your attention will be needed, as we follow the rugged coast of Montenegro, made memorable by the pristine views of nature: steep mountains above, and crystal-clear waters below. The view of the Adriatic Sea stretches far into the distance and is impossibly blue. In the afternoon, we find ourselves on the shores of the warm and pleasant coastal town of Petrovac. Petrovac has warm sandy beaches, lovely promenades and unique beachside restaurants. Here we'll spend the evening soaking up the Mediterranean atmosphere and eating seafood.

Its hotel attracts a celebrity clientele. We'll ride on twisty mountain roads again and conquer Lovcen Mountain and the Njegos mausoleum on top of it. In the afternoon we'll reach Dubrovnik, the city of world-famous cultural heritage and beauty. Dubrovnik is situated in Southern Dalmatia, the most beautiful part of the Adriatic coast. Rich vegetation, beautiful lakes, rare islands, white pebble beaches and the crystal clean sea, all make this region to an unforgettable experience for every visitor.

Also very interesting is a full day boat trip to Mljet island, which of all Adriatic islands may be the most seductive. The highlight of the island is a lake with an islet on which there is a Benedictine monastery. If you feel like riding, Montenegro is within easy reach. So whether you stay around town for the whole day or you just have dinner in one of excellent restaurants, remember, you are in Dubrovnik!

We can stop in Mali Ston, famous for its defensive wall, the longest fortification in Europe, and the best seafood in Croatia. A short ferry will get us to Hvar Island, where we'll ride the twistiest road of the whole trip. Called the "Croatian Medeira", Hvar receives a total of 2.724 hours of sunshine each year, more than anywhere else in the country. Yet the island is luxuriantly green, with brilliant patches of lavender, rosemary and heather.

Explore the numerous sandy beaches on the island and swim in the crystal clear sea, do some water sports or take a boat trip to the spectacular Blue Grotto, an underwater opening in a coastal cave that fills with unearthly blue light every noon. The experience is unforgettable. Also worth exploring is medieval Hvar town with its marble streets and beautifully ornamented buildings, mostly built under Venetian rule. Restaurants and taverns in the town of Hvar offer excellent fish specialties with exquisite local wines.

Passing the scenic islands of Brac and Solta, we'll get to Split, famous for its Diocletian's Palace. On the way further north you can stop in the historical towns of Trogir, Primosten or Sibenik. Finally, we reach the ancient city of Zadar. Once the center of Dalmatia, today Zadar is a preserved monument of various historical times and cultures.

The scenery here is truly remarkable when you have the Adriatic Sea on one hand and the steep hillsides of the Velebit mountain range on the other. We'll make a stop in Opatija, a lush, green seaside resort town with a lovely promenade. Riding further up the coast, our final stop for the night is in Rovinj, a lovely fishing village webbed by steep, cobbled streets, its thirteen offshore islands of the Rovinj archipelago making for pleasant, varied views over dinner at a seaside restaurant.

We stop in Motovun, a captivating Tuscan-like little town perched on a hill where for lunch you can try the local specialty – truffles. Than we enter Slovenia once again and spend the rest of the day riding in the Karst region south of Ljubljana. It's a fascinating area of disappearing lakes, underground caves, and wonderful wineries. The road winds through green farmland before we approach the city.

Depending on the time of your flight back home, you may have time to climb the staircase to the 16th century fortification of Ljubljana Castle that dominates the town before heading out to the airport.