One of the main attractions in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) is the town of Mostar, where its pictureque
Stari Most is almost iconic to the region. For those who have a little more time chilling out in Mostar, check out wonderful Blagaj.
Blagaj is a village just 20-30min away from Mostar. The main draw of the village is the dervish house (
tekke) situated just at the bottom of a cliff, and close to the source of the Buna river. The
tekke is a national monument in BiH and together with the village-town, is under UNESCO consideration. The architecture of the dervish house is a mix of Ottoman and Mediterranean style, and beautifully 'blended' with its surroundings. Indeed, it is quite pleasant just sitting by the many cafes/restaurants by the river, and appreciating the nature.
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| Dervish house |
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| Dervish house under a cliff |
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| Cavern with source of Buna river |
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| Wildflowers in bloom |
In fact, after alighting from the bus from Mostar, walking around the village is also a very pleasant experience. In spring, wildlowers are blooming everywhere, including the grounds of the local cemeteries and it was a very peaceful experience just walking around.
Another attraction would be the historic ruined Old Fort of Blagaj (
Stjepan grad). While the ruins is just old stones, the views from atop the fort is quite fantastic. It's only about 45-min walk up but note that at some point the path up to the fort is easy to miss, so do watch out for it.
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| Old fort of Blagaj |
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| Views from the fort |
Check out the bus numbers and schedules from your hostels/guesthouse in Mostar. In any case, the locals are really friendly, and would definitely help you out. The students I met on the bus not only provided good conversation, but made sure I got to Blagaj! So do chill out 1 more day in Mostar!
