Bosnia to Croatia

[russ996duke]

early planning at the mo' for tour of slovenia/croatia and a few other places and
looks like we could be returning via Bosnia to take in mostar and then back up thru Bosnia I Herzegovina .....but apparently travel through the republica Srpska crossing the Inter-Entity Boundary Line (zone of separation) is considered high risk. (apart from the mines strewn everywhere...makes the off road more exciting!)

anyone done this trip and /or have local view?
wikipedia says
Today the IEBL between Republika Srpska and the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina is no longer controlled by the military and is not policed. There are no border controls, and crossing the IEBL is akin to crossing a U.S. state or Schengen state boundary.
travel guide (lets go) says us govt issued a travel warning for this area...

what does the panel think?
ta

 

[Onwalkabout]

Back in the early 90's it was not a fun place to be. Now, it's basically an administrative line, the only thing you will notice is that some of the signs on the shops will turn to Cyrillic on the RS entity side, the police wear different uniforms and a few other items which to the casual traveler are mainly cosmetic.

Be cautious about off roading in these areas because there are still a lot of mines around, but that said, the areas are well signposted and you would really need to get off the beaten track to find a road that would be mined. Any mined road will be very overgrown and impassable by now. Common sense applies, if the road hasn't been used for years, there's probably a good reason for this.

As far as safety goes, Bosnia is probably one of the safest places you could travel. You are more likely to be mugged in London than to have anything happen to you in rural Bosnia. The driving is rather organic though - this is your biggest hazard.

If you can read the sign, you're on the right side of the fence!

 

[everywherevirtually]

Back in the early 90's it was not a fun place to be. Now, it's basically an administrative line, the only thing you will notice is that some of the signs on the shops will turn to Cyrillic on the RS entity side, the police wear different uniforms and a few other items which to the casual traveler are mainly cosmetic.

Be cautious about off roading in these areas because there are still a lot of mines around, but that said, the areas are well signposted and you would really need to get off the beaten track to find a road that would be mined. Any mined road will be very overgrown and impassable by now. Common sense applies, if the road hasn't been used for years, there's probably a good reason for this.

As far as safety goes, Bosnia is probably one of the safest places you could travel. You are more likely to be mugged in London than to have anything happen to you in rural Bosnia. The driving is rather organic though - this is your biggest hazard.

If you can read the sign, you're on the right side of the fence!

What he said

you will have a great time

 

[raycopper]

We rode through Croatia & Bosnia last summer. No problems whatever & everyone we met was friendly. Sights incredible. Our trip plan here: http://www.raycopper.co.uk/Tours/Europe2009/index.html Legs 5, 6, & 7 may be of interest?

Ray

 

[L]

lots of coppers with speed guns though!

 

[JPR]

lots of coppers with speed guns though!

Cost me 300 quid in Sept.
And dont think your safe when your up in the mountains in the middle of nowhere.The crafty buggers are lurking everywhere.
the locals adhere strictly to the limits,which are much lower than in UK,and if you exceed them you,ll stick out like a sore thumb.
That said ,stunning scenery,magnificent mountain roads ,and very friendly.
Enjoy.

 

[russ996duke]

thanks everyone, reassuring to know that the foreign ofice is only 10 years out of date!

 

[John Armstrong]

lots of coppers with speed guns though!

In Bosnia or Croatia or both?

 

[MrIFan]

No problems crossing from Bosnia to Serbia. Just make sure you use an international crossing as some of the rural ones are for locals only (clearly marked on maps of the region)
Fantastic place to ride
I would highly recommend pooping in to Montenegro whilst you are down that way. Some of the mountain roads joining Bosnia and Montenegro are absolutely stunning
Also, if you meet up with any local bikers and are invited back to their Bar/Clubhouse for a drink then say yes. No matter how scary some of them may look they are very friendly and superb hosts It pays to have a flexible schedule I've lost days at a time out there at various parties

 

[L]

In Bosnia or Croatia or both?

Croatia is not a problem in my experience. It has been benefitting from EU road building money over the last few years, and so you can get around the country on motorways, at speed, pretty safely. When riding around the country roads lanes I saw very few coppers or speed traps.

Bosnia had no motorways worth mentioning (as far as I could tell a couple of years ago at least) and so all roads are similar to a UK B-road at best. speed limits are pretty low, even on long straights. They are often poorly indicated - a recipe for local coppers to supplement their incomes with fines. I would say that every town you go through will have a copper on one side or t'other with a speed gun. There are definitely less when you get into the sticks, but they do seem to crop up in odd places!

 

[John Armstrong]

Croatia is not a problem in my experience.

Thanks, hoping to "do" the Jadranska Magistrala coast road next year down to Kotor.

 

[its all poo]

Mr IFAN is completely right no probs what so ever. I travel all over Bosnia and have had no problems. Oh except for very bad hangovers ! You probably will not even notice the border between the Republic and the Federation as it is not a physical one. As with many areas where the people have suffered they just want to get on with life and to enjoy it. oh and petrol is cheap as well.

 

[L]

Thanks, hoping to "do" the Jadranska Magistrala coast road next year down to Kotor.

Don't do it on a Saturday - its "change over day", so busses are picking people up and dropping them off at the hotels along the coast from mid- morning to late afternoon!

 

[John Armstrong]

Don't do it on a Saturday - its "change over day", so busses are picking people up and dropping them off at the hotels along the coast from mid- morning to late afternoon!

Thanks hadn't thought of that. The cunning plan is to "do" Germany on the Saturday / Sunday after a Friday evening ferry from Hull to Zeebrugge so most of the Magistrala should be mid week

Any thoughts on Dubrovnik apart from it's very picturesque? Tourist hell because of the big cruise liners, or well worth it in spite of them. Probably not there over a weekend and in early July.

 

[majorbumsore]

2 years ago I did a route through Macedonia, Kosovo (Avoid the shit hole that is Pristina), and watch out for military vehicles. Tanks and other very big things can be sat in awkward places at junctions etc. Then over the Goriac pass i think it was out the back of peje and down to podgorica in Montenegro, then followed the E65 coast road basicly up through bosnia and into Croatia.
We had no real problems with borders as long as you have your whits about you and a confident attitude they tend to stamp you up and send you on your way.
The local Police only use one policing method which is the 'vehicle cash point' sorry i mean vehicle check point. they tend to wave you down every 100 yards in some areas which can slow down the progress a bit. they are generally after suplementing their wages but can be faced down in most cases.
On the plus side the roads and views are suprisingly good and the locals very helpfull and friendly.

 

[LittleMark]

Bumped into a bloke from Belfast who was over there clearing up the mines.

Great countries, both Bosnia and Croatia.