Secret Lands of the Balkans

8 Days | From £1445pp

Bosnia ( Best airport: Split)

Herzegovina’s breathtaking landscapes await intrepid travellers. This trail will lead you to Lake Krenica, following an ancient medieval trade path across vast plateaus. You’ll have the chance to refresh by the Matica River, explore the fascinating Ravlića Cave, and visit the ancient necropolis of Stećak, home to centuries-old Roman tombstones. This experience isn’t just about riding—it’s about embracing the beauty, history, and staggering scenery in this small, forgotton corner of the world.

The Riding

This horseback adventure through Herzegovina offers a blend of scenic riding, cultural exploration, and unique experiences. You will ride across rolling hay fields, vineyards, and along the Matica River, with stops at breathtaking locations like Lake Krenica and Nuga Lake. Each day consists of morning and afternoon rides, with a long break for lunch. Evenings at the ranch offer traditional food, relaxation, and camaraderie with fellow riders.

Whether trotting through shaded forests, galloping across open fields, or cooling off in crystal-clear waters, every moment on horseback immerses you in the beauty, history, and tranquility of Herzegovina.

The journey includes a visit to the famous Old Bridge of Mostar, a ride through fragrant Artemisia fields, and a tour of the historic Ravlića Cave. Along the way, you will experience traditional hospitality with riverside picnics, a winery visit, and a chance to see the wild horses of Livno up close. With a mix of exhilarating canters, peaceful valley rides, and fascinating cultural sites, this trip is an unforgettable way to explore the heart of Herzegovina on horseback.

Level of Riding and Fitness

For intermediate to advanced riders, you should have plenty of riding experience and be comfortable at all paces. Good physical condition is required due to the long hours in the saddle. We also welcome beginners, but they will follow a modified riding program tailored to their skill level.

Guides and Group Size

The estate is led by Marija Mikulić, a passionate equestrian athlete, owner and your guide. A graduate in advanced horsemanship and sports coaching, Marija has been recognised multiple times as Bosnia and Herzegovina’s top equestrian athlete. She competes in dressage, show jumping, and endurance riding, and, together with her family, has spent over 20 years breeding and training horses.

Minimum 2 riders – Maximum 10

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The Horses

The horses at this destination are well-trained, calm, and responsive, making them ideal for trail-riding. The breeds are a mixture of local Bosnian breeds crossed with Arab, and there are also a few pure breds, there are only a couple of horses bigger than 15.2hh. Most of the horses here are home bred and easy to ride and control as they have been part of the family since they were foals.

Tack and Riding Equipment

English saddles and bridles are used, tack is fitted to each horse and riders are provided with saddlebags while on the trail.

Accommodation and Dining

Nestled within a picturesque yard and surrounded by a serene oak forest, you’ll be staying in a guest house featuring three beautifully appointed rooms, each with its own private bathroom equipped with a shower, toilet, and complimentary toiletries (shampoo, shower gel, hairdryer, etc.). The bedrooms are typically furnished with double beds, twins are also available.

There is a communal living area with a large dining table and a plush sofa, ideal for unwinding after a day of adventure. You’ll also find a swimming pool for cooling off in hot weather. The pool area offers breathtaking views of the surrounding countryside.

The house is fully equipped with high-speed Wi-Fi to ensure your stay is as comfortable as possible. Though a small kitchenette is available for light use, all meals are served at the Clubhouse, just 50 meters away.

At the Clubhouse, you’ll be treated to authentic homemade cuisine, crafted with love by head chef Renata. All the freshest ingredients, sourced from the garden and neighboring farms.

Get a free Secret Lands of the Balkans mini-brochure in PDF format.

Trail Booking Conditions

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Gallery

Itinerary

Day 1 Guests will have time to meet each other and settle into your accommodation . Before dinner, the hosts will have a short introduction and briefing about rides, horses and other things important to know. Dinner will be served with homemade food specialities. A snack can be served before dinner in case of early arrivals.  

Day 2 After breakfast you will get to meet the horses. Today's ride is up to Lake Krenica. During the summer months we can stop and refresh and take pictures at the Lake for great memories. Krenica Lake tour is a very interesting straight forward ride over hay fields of Herzegovina with amazing views and wildlife such as rabbits, wild ducks, pheasants, birds. Riding around Krenica Lake which is well known by legendary stories with the deepest point of 47meters. Enjoy a delicious lunch followed by rest. In the afternoon, we will visit the red and blue lakes, the great attractions of this region. From the fortress you will see the landscape that you will be riding across this week! We will get back to the yard before dinner.

Day 3 Today we are going to Mostar to visit the famous "Old Bridge of Mostar".For the riders of the program in July and August, a chance to see "jumps from the Old bridge" - a tradition of jumping into the river from a height of 25 meters that is over 450 years old tradition for man in Mostar. In Mostar we will also have lunch, traditional food called "Ćevapčići" on a terrace by the side of a river and with a view of the "Old Bridge". You will have the opportunity to buy ice cream, traditional cakes, souvenirs or even clothes on the streets of the old town in Mostar. Afternoon is reserved for another pretty ride on the fields of Artemisia- the name says it all, an interesting riding route through the fields of very aromatic herb Artemisia. You will be cantering through the herbs and enjoying the amazing and unique smell of this plant. The ride continues through the wine yards. Dinner will be served back at the ranch.

Day 4 Today's trail is called the Matica River. A very special riding day as this route was used for the National endurance Championship of Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2010. Along the Matica River, well known as a river that changes name in every village down the river, and by the end ends up in the Adriatic Sea. On this route we will have an amazing place to stop and cool the horses. Lunch will be served by the river. In the afternoon we go on a tour of the traditional family wine story and taste the local wines. Dinner will be served back at the ranch.

Day 5 After breakfast we will get ready to go on the most interesting and the longest route riding around the beautiful lake Nuga. We will be climbing the hill to get to the entrance of the famous cave called “Ravlića pećina”.With a guide, we will tour the cave, hear about the history of this area. After visiting the cave we will continue to the spring of the Matica river. The area is well known by the old watermills that were used to flour grain for bread in the past centuries. A picnic lunch will be served at the river, and then a short visit to the “Peć Mlini” Park. In the afternoon we will mount up and ride back to Nuga Lake. At the stables we set the horses to the barn and head to the dinner served in the club house.

Day 6 After breakfast we will get ready to go on an excursion to visit the wild horses in Livno approx.2h drive away from the yard. The wild horses of Livno live on the Kruzi plateau, with an area of about 150 square kilometers, located between the town of Livno in the south and Cincar mountain in the north. This is a completely wild area of prime grazing, warm summers and long, cold and windy winters. The number of horses goes up to 1,000 individuals, and the search for horses with an experienced guide will make this excursion an unforgettable life experience, it is possible to take pictures and maybe even touch a horse if one of them shows interest in humans (and it happens often that horses are the ones that are making a first step). This is an unforgettable experience and for those of us who live here and are with wild horses on a weekly basis, the guests will remember it forever! Where else in the world can you approach a herd of wild horses?After the excursion we will stop for lunch in a restaurant in Livno. If we are back from wild horses on time(and If guests are not too tired - another evening ride can be organised and Dinner will be served at the yard.

Day 7 After breakfast guests will start to ride from the ranch and we will be riding near wine yards, passing the orchards and crops of corn, potatoes, wheat (depending which part of the year we are riding at). We will ride through the village and then follow the route uphill crossing over a hill called Svetigora. We will arrive in the very peaceful valley called „Omerovac“which is a family owned field in the valley surrounded by the 4 hills (Svetigora, Krstina, Ograda i Orlov Kuk). Lunch will be served in the middle of the 4 hills. All you can experience in this ride is absolute peace. After lunch, we will head into a forest of oak trees. On our way back to the ranch, we will stop to visit a necropolis of ancient Roman tombstones. This is very interesting because some of them still have carved symbols after so many years. In the afternoon we will visit - Međugorje (religious center for those who want) and /or Visit to the Kravica waterfalls. Dinner will be served after the excursion, at the ranch.

Day 8 Departure is scheduled after breakfast and snacks are available for late departures