This is a perfect day trip from either Mostar or Dubrovnik, Croatia to see the top 3 tourist destinations in Bosnia easily in just one day. We spent one day in Mostar to see the old town and the historic Stari Grad (old bridge) and the next day we headed back to Croatia and on the way back we visited
- Blagaj Tekke Dervish Monastery
- The Historical Village of Pocitelj
- Kravica Waterfall in Krvica National Park
Blagaj Tekke Dervish Monastery
Blagaj Tekke, also known as Teqeja e Sari Salltëkut, is a historic 16th century dervish monastery built on the cliffs by the waters, with a mausoleum & an old Turkish bath.
Mostar to Blagaj Tekke
Mostar to Blagaj Tekke is a 14 km journey. After having breakfast in the old town of Mostar, we started driving around 8 am towards Blagaj and reached there in approx. 25 minutes. Almost at the end of the town, there is parking for visitors that costs around 3€ to park. Depending on where you have parked your car, it is a relatively short walk to the monastery.
As you walk towards Monastery the first thing you will notice is the incredible crystal clear stream waters and the vendors selling souvenirs. If you continue straight you will reach the entrance to the Monastery. But the best view of the Monastery is on the other side behind the restaurants Vrelo, you will see a path that will lead you to the viewpoint.
We visited in November and the water level was very low and to take the perfect pictures of the monastery with the stream slower the shutter speed to a couple of seconds. There are a few different spots for photography.
We arrived there early morning and it was not crowded, only a few other tourists.
Expect to be here for around 2 hours. There are a number of restaurants and cafes serving breakfasts as well.
The Historical Village of Pocitelj
Pocitelj, or Počitelj, a historic village and an open-air museum along the Neretva River. From Blagaj, it is almost 26 km away and takes around 40 minutes to reach. It is a very small village and only 38 people live here. The locals sell souvenirs and Pomegranates juice which helps to cool down in the heat even in November it was around 30 °C.
The village has almost no parking but just before the village, there is a restaurant along the highway with big parking. Park your car there and take a walk to the village.
The best view is from the Sahat Kula, a tower on the hill overlooking the village and river. It is absolutely worth climbing up to the tower. There is no entrance fee. The tower was unfortunately not well maintained at that time.
Expect to be here for around 1-2 hours.
Kravica Waterfall in Kravica National Park
Kravica Waterfall is almost a 30 minute drive from Pocitelj. It is an amazing display of natural beauty which is not only visually appealing but also the sound of water creates enchanting music.
Kravica Waterfall Entrance Fee costs 10 KM (equivalent to 5€) but the car parking is free. Credit cards are not accepted so bring the cash along (euros are accepted). From the entrance, there is 10 minutes walk down the stairs to the viewpoint of waterfalls or you can take the short tourist train.
There are two restaurants along the waterfalls selling drinks and food. Swimming is allowed so you can get very close to the waterfalls and there is also a changing room after the restaurants. During our visit in November, the water level was so low, we could have walked all the way to the waterfalls.
We stayed there around one hour and then continued towards Zadar, Croatia. We arrived in Zadar at around 5 pm. All in all, it was a great day and we had a wonderful day exploring these beautiful places. If you don't have enough time to visit all three places then you can skip the waterfalls but do visit Blagaj Tekke & Pocitelj.