As you know, European city which is attracting major attention in recent years for its cultural diversity, in the same time being ideal for weekend or 3/4 day city break, is capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina, true European Jerusalem, Sarajevo.
Our 4D3N Sarajevo travel itinerary, is all-in-one package combining airport transfers, accommodation and tours, with in-depth Sarajevo explorations and one full day tour out of Sarajevo at your choice.
Please keep in mind this is a shared tour with definite departures, and not more than maximum 8 travellers (usually 3-5) per tour. It is based on private accommodation (3/4/5*) in Sarajevo.
Destination: Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Accommodation: Hotel Colors inn 4* or similar
Meals Included: B
Morning/Afternoon: Private Airport transfer from Sarajevo International Airport to Sarajevo city is included in the package price. Once you check-in your hotel, the rest of the day is free to rest and get ready for great week to follow up.
Evening:On your own. In the evening you have free time that you can use to relax and make up for the time difference of the trip (jet lag), or if you are in a good mood visit some of the locations we suggest. Our guides are more than happy to recommend places for dinner or night out, in order to make your first night in Sarajevo as accommodating as possible.
EXPERIENCE THE BEST OF NIGHTLIFE IN SARAJEVO
Sarajevo is not a “nightclubs” city but it is known for a handful of pubs, bars and cafes that will meet the expectations of even the most demanding ones. Here are some of the best recommendations to start your night:
This is one of the most unique and authentic places in the old town of Sarajevo. It is officially called “Birtija” which means convivial saloon mostly visited by locals. Every birtija should have its local special drink and, at this place, it is visnjevaca- local cherry brandy.
Whether you are into cocktails, a glass of wine or watching some sports with friends, this place is the ideal place to be. In a cosy atmosphere this small place serves some of the best wines and cocktails you can find in the city. Moreover, this is a place where you will feel like home away from home.
This unique and impressive place is not just a bar, it is an attraction and a must while in Sarajevo. The decoration remains on antique steampunk theme and you won’t see many places in the world that include such a level of interior design. The place has its own style which you need to respect so do not expect some over fancy service.
This is a paradise for beer lovers. It offers more than 120 types of beer, 15 of which are craft. Besides drinks you will also have a chance to order some of the delicious snacks and dishes served on a special mat that will take you back to 1984. The bar is named after the mascot of the Winter Olympics and was created with the idea of reminiscing about the golden age of Sarajevo.
For the late night visits, Jazzbina is one of the best choices in Sarajevo. Jazz + bina in the local language means Jazz stage but if you cut one letter “z” you will get a word which means “burrow”. This is exactly what this club is- a sanctuary for all jazz, blues and R’n’R fans with amazing live music performances till early mornings.
Destination: Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Accommodation: Hotel Colors inn 4* or similar
Meals Included: B
>Sarajevo War Tunnel – dug in 1993 during the Siege of Sarajevo, with purpose to supply city with arms during the 4 year siege.
Activity Note: Today’s itinerary includes walking on uneven terrain, while visiting some of the ruins during our Sarajevo Siege tour. Make sure to have some water with you, and always take attention to the present day weather forecast.
Breakfast: Our well chosen range of hotels in Sarajevo start serving buffet-style breakfast around 7 AM, featuring Bosnian and International options.
Morning: The morning part of the day will start at 10 AM when we plan to set out for the walking tour of the old part and city centre of Sarajevo. Our 2.5/3 hour tour will cover the stories of origins of Sarajevo and the medieval Bosnian Kingdom. We shall visit the Ottoman and Austria-Hungarian parts of Sarajevo, which both with its stunning markets, bazaars, mosques, churches and synagogues will reveal the true nature of the real European Jerusalem. We’ll make sure to visit the Latin Bridge and learn the story about how WWI was triggered right here, in the heart of Sarajevo. Sarajevo’s 1984 Winter Olympics and life during the Siege of Sarajevo will surely be part of our story today.
After the walking you will have some free time to further explore the centre of Sarajevo on your own. You might stay in the Ottoman part of Sarajevo delving into hidden cobblestone streets, discovering the breath of Sarajevo’s mystical past, or alternatively visit Austria-Hungarian part and understand why Sarajevo is a city located on the crossroad of cultures.
>Sarajevo old town – Bačšaršija coppersmith street, famously called Kazandžiluk is the oldest originally preserved street in Sarajevo.
Lunch: Get ready to try the most famous dish of the Balkans, at the most important stop of the Balkans – the glorious Sarajevo’s Ćevapi or Ćevapčići. In Sarajevo, Ćevapi are made of pure beef with basic spices and are hardly to be found of such a quality anywhere in the rest of the Balkans. For vegetarians we have alternatives available where we suggest trying traditional Bosnia “pita” (eng. pie) with cheese, spinach or potatoes. In the Balkans generally this food is referred to as “burek”, but in Sarajevo if you order burek, you will be served with meat pita.
Afternoon: Your afternoon session (starting at 2 PM) is fully reserved for the important story of Siege of Sarajevo, the story of the impossible survival and story of the worst Genocide in Europe since the WWII. Funky Tours Top Experiences aims to deliver a clear and unbiased understanding of the topics we consider important for better overall understanding of the Balkans.
Your host for the afternoon session will be local Sarajevan, an ex Bosnian army soldier who during the 1990ies was directly involved in the resistance organised by the local people of Sarajevo. When joint force of Yugoslavian National Army, Serbian Paramilitaries and local Bosnian Serbs initiated general attack on Bosnia and Herzegovina with goal of taking the control of Bosnian capital, only a few people “got their heads” together and started organising resistance. Resistance which later proved crucial for defending Bosnian independence and saving hundreds of thousands of lives.
Places in focus will be Sarajevo’s infamous Sniper Alley and Hotel Holiday Inn, Sarajevo War Tunnel, Sarajevo Olympic Bobsled and Olympic mountain of Trebević, Jewish cemetery and numerous other locations scattered throughout the Bosnian capital, today serving as the memory of the 1990ies bloody years.
>Sarajevo Olympic Bobsled Track at Trebević mountain built for Sarajevo Winter Olympics 1984. Unfortunately it was destroyed during the Siege of Sarajevo and today serves as great reminder of Sarajevo’s Olympic glory and perfect spot for graffiti art.
The story you will follow will be firsthand experiences of local Sarajevo Siege survivors, backed up with ICTY (International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia) verdicts and official judgements. The Balkans today are place where wars have ended in military way, but wars of denial, especially denial of Genocide and wars of relativisation are still going on. Making sure that the unbiased facts of the 1990ies conflicts are well documented and shared is an imperative.
Dinner/Evening: Evening time is reserved for traditional Bosnian dinner. Try traditional Bosnian food while chatting about Bosnian culture of living and present day challenges of life. Traditional Bosnian brandy (Šljivovica) and tasty wines of Herzegovina (Žilavka and Blatina) are a must try. Keep in mind that Bosnian food is widely based on meat, but Funky Tours will make sure we have available options equally for vegetarians and vegans.
WHEN YOU HAVE FREE TIME IN SARAJEVO
Rising from the crowd-sourced book War Childhood and championing the principles and practices of social entrepreneurship, the independent, youth-led War Childhood Museum has garnered recognition as the world’s only museum focused exclusively on childhoods that have been affected by war.
Gallery 11/07/95 is the first memorial museum/gallery in Bosnia and Herzegovina – exhibition space aiming to preserve the memory on Srebrenica tragedy and 8372 persons who tragically lost their lives during the genocide.
The most famous Pizza place in Sarajevo is called “Pekara kod Mahira” and the most famous viewpoint above Sarajevo is the Yellow Bastion, a few min walking distance from the Baščaršija square. Pekara kod Mahira is a takeaway pizza place offering just one type of pizza made in the traditional style with Bosnian style ingredients such as smoked beef and kajmak
Destination: Sarajevo (Bosnia and Herzegovina)
Accommodation: Hotel Colors inn 4* or similar
Meals Included: B – L
Activity Note: Meeting our guests needs and preferences is what we strive for. Today you will be given the two choices, depending on what you find more convenient for your BiH explorations.
Breakfast: Another absolutely amazing morning and time to start a day a bit earlier. After the tasty buffet breakfast and plethora of local and international choices brought by the amazing hotel staff, we will pick you up and head for another amazing experience of your choice.
Option 1: Lukomir Nomad Village
Activity Note: Although we strongly recommend a full hiking experience, do not feel discouraged in case you are not opting for a full day hike. This trip can easily be adjusted and coordinated to fit anyone’s preferences and fitness level.
>Lukomir village
Morning: If you are a nature lover and hiking enthusiast, Lukomir Nomad Village is your choice of a day no matter the fitness level.
We will start after breakfast and head towards the captivating Olympic beauty – Mountain Bjelasnica which is a home to the most isolated village in the country, Lukomir Nomad Village. Our first stop of the day will be a small village Umoljani where we shall leave our vehicle and enjoy the breathtaking sceneries of Studeni Potok (Cold Creek) and enter the mysterious world of legends while admiring the stone carved Dragon – Ažbaha.
In case you choose a full hiking adventure, the first part of the Umoljani to Lukomir village trail will be a 3.30 hour long hike which will take us from Umoljani all the way to the 1986 m high Obalj peak looming over the enchanting Lukomir village. We will have a short break at the top and admire the spectacular views over the Rakitnica Canyon and mountains of Treskavica, Visocica with numerous small villages in distance.
Lunch: We shall descend to Lukomir at around 12 PM and do some nice walks through this vibrant village which gets completely abandoned with the first snow every year. We will learn about the small local community of nomads, admire their fairytale-like homes and gardens and enjoy spectacular tastes of freshly prepared Bosnian pie made from the home grown vegetables. After the lunch, refreshments and inevitable Bosnian coffee, we will head towards the Rakitnica Canyon.
Afternoon: The return hike following the amazing Rakitnica Canyon will be a roughly 2.30hrs of an easy flat hike. With its length of 26km, Rakitnica canyon is the longest canyon in the country, and one of the European most remote and unexplored canyons.
We will walk the trail at the upper edge of the canyon and, once again, enjoy some amazing views until the path takes us back to Umoljani. We shall return to Sarajevo in the afternoon hours and let you have some free time to rest and explore the city on your own.
Option 2: Srebrenica Genocide Study Tour & Lunch with locals
>Srebrenica Memorial Cemetery
Morning: We will pick you up from your hotel after breakfast and head towards Srebrenica. During the, roughly, 3hrs of drive, we will pass along some picturesque villages and stunning sceneries of the remote parts of East Bosnia known for its fertile vast fields embraced by the high mountain peaks.
Along the way we will discuss the ex-Yugoslavia, from its rise to its fall, from the reasons to consequences and slowly introduce you to the story of the largest massacre in Europe ever since WWII.
During the drive, we will pass the remote places of Sokolac, Vlasenica with the notorious Sušica Concentration Camp, Milići, Kravica warehouse, the place of mass mass execution of nearly 1200 man in Kravica warehouse and Bratunac, place where Srebrenica Genocide victims were held first before the executions.
Once we reach Potocari, we will visit the Memorial Centre complex with the cemetery and the former Dutch UN base where you’ll get a chance to see Museum of “Srebrenica Genocide – failure of international community”, the Memorial Room, documentary movies, chronological photo exhibitions, graffiti remains and listen to the testimonies of the genocide survivors.
Most importantly, you will have a chance to meet the local survivor who will guide you through the Memorial and share some of his/her personal stories and experiences.
Lunch: It is impossible to decide what will be the highlight of today’s day as each moment will be absolutely overwhelming, but if we must choose a highlight, we will always go with supporting the local community and intense work on reconciliation.
After the Memorial Center we will meet with our hosts at their home and, over the tasty home-cooked lunch prepared from home-grown organic products, we will discuss further on the past, present and future of Srebrenica.
Afternoon/Evening: Last part of a day will be some nice and easy walks in the Srebrenica town and admiring the sunset from the viewpoint towering the mosque, catholic & orthodox church nestled in less than 200 m distance. We shall return to Sarajevo around 6 PM and let you have some free time to relax and explore the city on your own.
Option 3: Mostar and 4 cities of Herzegovina
Morning: As soon as we finish our delicious breakfast we leave Sarajevo at 8 AM. The road will take us south-west towards Konjic, where we plan to visit the Konjic old town and famous Tito’s Bunker.
The old town of Konjic is dominated by the beautiful turquoise Neretva river and Konjic old bridge, dating from the period of the Ottoman era. At the very vicinity of the Konjic, there is probably the best kept and one of the most expensive Yugoslavian secrets – the famous Tito’s Bunker. Built during the period of 26 years (1953 – 1979), at the peak of the Cold War, Tito’s Bunker cost $4,7bln, and was meant to hide top Yugoslavian leadership in case of nuclear invasion. Since the Bunker was never used, and was protected from destruction intended by escaping Yugoslavian Army soldiers in 1992, today it is perfectly preserved as originally built, and offers great insight into the Yugoslavian past. At the same time, by hosting permanent modern art displays, it serves as a modern art space of global importance.
After we leave Konjic, we shall take an amazingly scenic road passing by the Jablanica lake and via the Neretva river canyon, we’ll arrive at Jablanica town.
Jablanica town is home to the famous WWII story of the Neretva battle, tasty roasted lamb and stunningly beautiful natural surroundings. At a location called “Bridge over Neretva”, we shall give insight into one of Tito’s most famous military maneuvers during WWII.
During the winter of 1943, under a combined attack by Axis powers’ enemies, Tito’s brilliant strategic maneuvers made partisans “win” the battle, which in the upcoming years, proved Tito worthy the title of Marshall. Nationwide, the battle was referred to as the “World’s most humane battle”, according to which, the Oscar nominated movie was filmed in 1969.
>Konjic Old Bridge – Crossroad between Bosnia and Herzegovina
Then we continue through some really amazing parts of Neretva river canyon, telling the unique stories of Herzegovina, before we arrive to our second stop – Počitelj.
Stunningly nested above Neretva river, visit to Počitelj (“Počivati” – Bos.”to rest in peace”), easy uphill, one hour long walking activity, accompanied with a stories of town’s development and strategic importance during its 600+ year long written history and visit to most important sites such as Hajji Alija Mosque, Clock Tower and Gavrankapetanovic tower, IS A MUST, for anyone passing through or near Herzegovina region.
Unique, medieval, Ottoman era glorified, present day Ottoman-Mediterranean style designed fortress – town Počitelj, is one of the very few urban ensembles in Bosnia and Herzegovina preserved in their integrity to the present times.
In the end of the walk we take some time for locally grown fresh lemonade or Bosnian coffee if you prefer 🙂
>Pocitelj town overlooking Neretva river – Herzegovina
Afternoon:After Počitelj, we keep going, and after short ride arrive to Blagaj.
Blagaj town is home to Buna river spring – Europe’s most beautiful, most powerful, clean and drinkable karst river spring, settled beneath few hundred meters high rock. Water comes out of quite large but stunningly deep cave, which springs amazing 43 cubic meters of water per second. Can you imagine this?
Just next to the spring, under the rock, is home to Blagaj Tekke – Dervish house, dating most likely pre or early Ottoman era from early 16th century, as unique sacral-residential example of Islamic architecture in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Visiting this complex and learning more about Dervish life in Herzegovina as important part of our history is, MUST DO.
For Muslim travellers “Tekija” is place where prayers are hosted 5 times a day and can be attended if wanted.
As we finish visit to “Blagajska Tekija” and “Izvor rijeke Bune” we stay there for bit longer. It is time for lunch. Due to famousness and cleanliness of Buna river the most important thing to taste in Blagaj today is local trout. That is why we don’t leave the place before we offer our guests to try locally prepared trout on “Blagaj Way”, enjoying amazing scenery of Buna river spring and Dervish house next to it. Vegetarians don’t worry, we have solutions for you as well 🙂
>Blagaj River Spring and Dervish House
Later only, 15 minute further it is time for Mostar experience which is the most important jewel on our “Herzegovina Necklace” day trip.
As soon as we arrive to Mostar we start our walking tour which will cover most important sites and locations in Mostar.
We focus at Mostar’s Old Bridge, Old Bazaar and Old Town, but offer stories of Mostar’s uniqueness, in regard to historical and cultural diversity.
Story of Mostar will be about the Bridge, it’s rise and fall, and how it had risen again. You will learn about Siege of Mostar, about why it is called Mostar, about “Mostarians”. We recreate Mostar for you and with you.
In Mostar, if preferred, we give our guests free time to explore on their own as we simply do not like to “hold a candle all the way”.
Sunsets are amazing time in Mostar, so we’ll have drink at place overlooking the bridge panorama and discuss more about everything we did today.
When Mostar is done, it is time to go back to Sarajevo, and it will take us around two hours ride before we are “home”.
The reason why, during this day tour, we prefer to arrive to Mostar around 3 or 4 pm and then explore Mostar, is because in the afternoon most of the day tours and big groups passing through Mostar are already gone, so we get to have Mostar for ourselves for maximised experience.
>Mostar old bridge during the sunset
Evening: On the way back we can make another break for those desiring to try famous roasted lamb at Jablanica. We expect to be in Sarajevo around 7 pm, so better don’t plan too many things that evening as days can be quite long sometime.
Option 4: Jajce and Travnik tour
Morning:Morning ride will take us through interesting regions of central Bosnia, passing by Visoko town and valley of Bosnian Pyramids. We will continue the ride along the flows of river Bosna and Lasva including an especially beautiful flow and canyon of Vrbas. Nearly three hours later, we will arrive to Jajce.
Once there, the first thing we go and see is one of the World’s most beautiful waterfalls, and the only one in the World placed in the city center, famous Pliva Waterfalls – spot where Pliva river ends its flow and meets Vrbas is simply breathtaking.
After we bless our eyes and soul we are good for a walking tour through Jajce. We will visit Jajce Citadel (Fortress), the Museum of the Second Session of the National Liberation Army of Yugoslavia (AVNOJ), Medvjed Kula, the Tower of St. Luke, famous Catacombs – underground church, one of the World’s very few mosques named after woman – Mosque of Esma Sultanija, and much more. All followed with interesting stories.
Jajce Citadel is an amazingly interesting place giving us great opportunity to see whole area around us and Jajce itself.
>Jajce and Pliva waterfalls in Central Bosnia during the sunset
Lunch: After we have “tasted” Jajce for roughly 2.30 hours we go for the Lakes. In the vicinity of Jajce on Pliva river there are two lakes. Only five kilometres away we’ll check out Large and Small Pliva lakes.
Very interesting part of the Pliva lakes story are Mills at small Pliva lake. Amongst people famously called “Mlinčići”, which once have been main promotional material for postcards and tourist potential of Great Austrian-Hungarian Monarchy. We will make a stop there too.
Afternoon: After we finish exploring Jajce town, Pliva lakes and mills, we move towards our next destination, Travnik.
Ottoman time vizier’s town, later Nobel prize winner birthplace with stunning Plava Voda spring, Coloured mosque and old Ottoman fortress are places definitely worth stopping by.
Travnik is also famous for tasty Ćevapi or Travnik white cheese, so why not make this stop not only interesting, but also tastily-interesting.
Doing a break at Plava Voda with some good Bosnian coffee is also a must.
Evening: On your own. Arrival to Sarajevo is expected at 7 PM. However, having in mind we are always pushing our limits and going above and beyond in order to keep up with the outstanding quality of each of our trips, the day can be even longer.
What Do I Need to Bring?
Amazing Company & Tours
Me and 6 family members wanted to go on a trip that was a bit different to celebrate my Dad’s 70th birthday. We were a group with ages ranging from 28 – 70. I had visited Sarajevo previously, and thought it would be a good place to go. Sarajevo Funky Tours helped me customise the perfect trip before-hand, with Ema being particularly helpful to all of my many emails.
When our flight was cancelled on the evening before we were supposed to fly to Sarajevo, Ema was able to reschedule our first day’s city tour and combine it with our second day’s itinerary so that we didn’t miss out.
So for our trip, we combined three different tours to create a 4 day itinerary that took us from Sarajevo, through Mostar and on to Dubrovnik. Our guide was Arna (Armina), who I knew from a previous visit to Sarajevo, and she was fantastic for us once again. She speaks so candidly about what she lived through during the war, and also how her many years’ work with NGOs have shaped her thoughts on the country’s past, present and future. It was really important to us to try to understand Bosnia’s tragedy while we were there. But the country offers so much more than just learning about its painful past. It’s one of the most stunning countries I’ve ever visited (65 and counting), and Kravice Falls in particular were incredible. Sarajevo is such a vibrant city with so many influences, and the local beer is incredible (honestly!). Tito’s Bunker is a must, as one of the most fascinating and hilarious tourist attractions. Mostar and its bridge don’t even need me to eulogise about them.
Bosnia is a wonderful country. Sarajevo is one of my favourite cities in the world. Sarajevo Funky Tours are an incredible tour company, who are so accommodating, friendly, knowledgeable and just all-round great people to work with. I 100% recommend them for any sort of visit to Bosnia (and beyond).
Excellent servise
We visited Sarajevo in June 2016 and did several trips with Funky Tours. We met Skander ( the founder) who was very friendly and helpful, all trips were well organized, groups are small and guides are attantive and told us interesting stories about their beautiful country. We were very satisfy with this travel agency.
Fantastic organization for all your needs in BH!
I was the leader of a school group who had a 5 day trip in BH. Skender helped arrange most aspects of our trip. He was quick, courteous and professional in his communication and organization. The guides (Adnan, Armina, Harris…and Harris!) were all wonderful people. It’s hard to describe how meaningful it is when people open up themselves and share their stories. It made for a truly informative and impactful experience. (Old Town Walking Tour and Full Siege Tour). He also connected us with his partners at Visit Konjic who led us on a rafting excursion (ABSOLUTELY must do for adventure seekers).
Skender followed up throughout the trip to make sure everything was running smoothly but it wasn’t even necessary as his preparations had been so thorough. I would highly recommend Skender, the guides at Funky Tours and their partner companies for anyone visiting BH. HVALA!!!
“MTV Brasil crew in Bosnia – Hwala Skender!”
August 2012 – with a small film crew MTV Brasil went to Bosnia to film two episodes of a new travel program called ‘Adnet Viaja’. Why Bosnia? Well, Marcelo Adnet, Brazilian comedian, presenter and singer had been to Mostar once before and got inspired by the Sevdalinka music, the beautiful landscape and the fascinating history of the country. Our first connection with Sarajevo Funky Tours was made here on tripadvisor.com where we read great reviews on the tours and excursions Skender and his people arrange for tourists from all over the world.
The first idea we had was just to go on one of the tours, but… after thinking again and thinking a bit bigger, we needed someone to be with us all 3 days in Bosnia, show us Sarajevo, go with us to Mostar and even Neum, and basically be part of the crew! To never have asked is always a no, so we decided to ask the question: can we go on a Sarajevo Funky Tour that lasts three days 24/7??? Lucky for us, Skender got very enthusiastic immediately and not long after, our Bosnian journey began….
Two days we stayed in Sarajevo, what a great city! The old town is beautiful and the fact that we were there during the last days of the Ramadan made it even more special. Skender took us places to eat, to drink coffee and to smoke nagila that made us feel one of the Sarajevo citizens. We went on the war tour to the tunnel and a jewish cemetery that showed us the complexity and deep scars of the war. We also got to see the city from the highest point of Sarajevo, an amazing view and a great place for Marcelo Adnet to sing a Sevdalinka with the locals 🙂
After driving past amazing blue rivers and lakes and eating the traditional lamb on the way, we were pleasantly surprised by the beauty of the city of Mostar. We got to see the famous bridge and how it was devastated during the war, we saw ruins of buildings destroyed and infiltrated by bullets, but nothing could take away the beauty of this city!!! It is just enchanting.
Our trip went further through the beautiful towns of Blagaj and Počitelj down to Neum and eventually crossing the border to Croatia where we would continue our trip towards Italy. This is where we had to say goodbye to Skender with at least several hugs and a tear in our eyes. What a great time we had! Not only did we get to see Bosnia’s most interesting, inspiring, beautiful and impressing places, Skender made us feel what it is like to be Bosnian, what it is like to have a past living in fear of your life and how that gives you the motivation to make today’s Sarajevo and Bosnia as a whole a better place. Skender gave us goosebumps with his story telling, impressed us with his extended knowledge of the history, his great ability to think with us on showing the best sides of the country. He became a crew member very quickly and naturally, made us feel at home in his country, laughed with us, sang with us, thought with us, ate with us (when he was not fasting because of the Ramadan) and most important of all: made us FOB’s (Fans of Bosnia) forever!!!
Crew MTV Brasil: Marcelo Adnet, Marcelo Botta, Mariano Kweller, Aron den Boer and Maria Hupkes
“MTV Brasil crew in Bosnia – Hwala Skender!”
August 2012 – with a small film crew MTV Brasil went to Bosnia to film two episodes of a new travel program called ‘Adnet Viaja’. Why Bosnia? Well, Marcelo Adnet, Brazilian comedian, presenter and singer had been to Mostar once before and got inspired by the Sevdalinka music, the beautiful landscape and the fascinating history of the country. Our first connection with Sarajevo Funky Tours was made here on tripadvisor.com where we read great reviews on the tours and excursions Skender and his people arrange for tourists from all over the world.
The first idea we had was just to go on one of the tours, but… after thinking again and thinking a bit bigger, we needed someone to be with us all 3 days in Bosnia, show us Sarajevo, go with us to Mostar and even Neum, and basically be part of the crew! To never have asked is always a no, so we decided to ask the question: can we go on a Sarajevo Funky Tour that lasts three days 24/7??? Lucky for us, Skender got very enthusiastic immediately and not long after, our Bosnian journey began….
Two days we stayed in Sarajevo, what a great city! The old town is beautiful and the fact that we were there during the last days of the Ramadan made it even more special. Skender took us places to eat, to drink coffee and to smoke nagila that made us feel one of the Sarajevo citizens. We went on the war tour to the tunnel and a jewish cemetery that showed us the complexity and deep scars of the war. We also got to see the city from the highest point of Sarajevo, an amazing view and a great place for Marcelo Adnet to sing a Sevdalinka with the locals 🙂
After driving past amazing blue rivers and lakes and eating the traditional lamb on the way, we were pleasantly surprised by the beauty of the city of Mostar. We got to see the famous bridge and how it was devastated during the war, we saw ruins of buildings destroyed and infiltrated by bullets, but nothing could take away the beauty of this city!!! It is just enchanting.
Our trip went further through the beautiful towns of Blagaj and Počitelj down to Neum and eventually crossing the border to Croatia where we would continue our trip towards Italy. This is where we had to say goodbye to Skender with at least several hugs and a tear in our eyes. What a great time we had! Not only did we get to see Bosnia’s most interesting, inspiring, beautiful and impressing places, Skender made us feel what it is like to be Bosnian, what it is like to have a past living in fear of your life and how that gives you the motivation to make today’s Sarajevo and Bosnia as a whole a better place. Skender gave us goosebumps with his story telling, impressed us with his extended knowledge of the history, his great ability to think with us on showing the best sides of the country. He became a crew member very quickly and naturally, made us feel at home in his country, laughed with us, sang with us, thought with us, ate with us (when he was not fasting because of the Ramadan) and most important of all: made us FOB’s (Fans of Bosnia) forever!!!
Crew MTV Brasil: Marcelo Adnet, Marcelo Botta, Mariano Kweller, Aron den Boer and Maria Hupkes
