Friday, August 14, 2015

Driving Down the Neretva River Canyon

The Neretva River Canyon is in my opinion one of the most picturesque river canyons in the Balkan. Driving down the M-17 road from Jablanica to Mostar will give you great sights to take in. I'm driving this road constantly, when we visit out Mountain Cottage, but I never really stop on the side of the road to take pictures. Yesterday I was driving down the road at sunset/dusk and I had my camera with me so I decided to stop occasionally and take shots of the prettiest sights I could find.

click on the images for a bigger view




Night hadn't set yet here, and that's why I saw a couple of fisherman with their boats out on the Neretva. The mountain cliffs here are huge and you can see layered stones on each side of the road.


Beni was also there with me. He got a new haircut in Sarajevo and we stopped at our mountain cottage, which was close by, so he was back to being dirty real quick :D He stayed behind in the (cool, air conditioned and running) car as I was taking the next images outside.



This road presents a very scenic drive and it's a very safe road as well. You can stop and take pictures and you will also find many reststops with benches and tables along the way.



At the entrance to the small village Dreznica, I stopped again to take a view at the sunset that was happening behind the mountains. A rail road bridge crosses the Neretva river here, and behind the hills you can find the village.



An old lookout spot is hidden here in the green scenery.



My next stop was very close to Mostar. Here you can see the long road leading into the distance, as well as a few tunnels that are piercing the cliffs in order to make a path for it. There was a lot of traffic coming from the south and this part of the M-17 road is traveled a lot each day.





A lonely fisherman on the green tinted river is the last sight I capture for the day, as I gaze one final time at the tranquil reflections of the scenery in the Neretva, and head back home to Mostar.


I hope you enjoyed these scenic sights from the Neretva River Canyon. Below you can find the map of the drive where you will encounter these views.




56 comments:

  1. These are gorgeous Mersad! The sunset pics especially show the beauty of the place really well...

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    1. I was lucky to be driving down the road as the sun was setting. Thanks Sid!

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  2. What a beautiful, scenic drive, gorgeous images, Mersad!

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    1. Thanks. Yes this drive always has me in awe.

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  3. Probably one of the best valleys in the world.

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  4. Beautiful!! Just stunning.

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  5. They are all very beautiful! The one with the bridge and the sunset is magical (nr.10 from the top)!

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  6. It looks like a very beautiful river. Stunning and so pretty there!

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  7. Absolutely fabulous. I'm glad I don't have to pick the best photo because they're all good.

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  8. How utterly stunning! Beautiful photographs.

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  9. A drive that I would like to make. Thanks for taking me along. Tom The Backroads Traveller

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  10. Fantastic series, Mersad! Such a beautiful canyon. Gorgeous sunset.. and Beni always makes me smile. Very enjoyable post!

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  11. Hello Mersad, gorgeous series of images. I love the views of the water and the mountains. The sunset shot is just fantastic! I would like to take that drive too. Have a happy weekend!

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  12. Eine wunderschöne Gegend. Die Farben und diese Spiegelungen, ich bin hin und weg von diesen Bildern. Einmal muß ich da unbedingt hin. Liebe Grüße

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    1. Ich hoffe das wirst Du auch machen. Liebe Grüße!

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  13. all this scenery and you get to drive it a lot. i am jealous. i love the tree on top of the giant rock in number 6 and 8... those cliffs are magnificent

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    1. They really are unique and you get to drive by them very closely.

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  14. Absolutely stunning! And the light in your end of day photos... so gorgeous.

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  15. It was worth stopping and taking photos. Wonderful photos and scenery. I will have to go there one day.

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  16. What an incredibly, stunningly beautiful place, Mersad!! I would love to go there!! Your photos are superb as always and they did indeed take my breath away!! Thank you so much, as always, for sharing the beauty of your world!! Have a great weekend!! Give Beni a pat for me!! He is such a cutie!!

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    1. Especially with his new haircut. He always looks twice smaller after he has it :D

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  17. A couple of those sunset shots are world-class! The highways looks great, the scenery is magnificent. Wish I were there (when it's cooler).

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    1. September should be the perfect time for a visit. Maybe even early in October.

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  18. The sunsets are beautiful as are all those reflections. What a beautiful part of the world.

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  19. Wow! What a gorgeous place! Love all your photos, but especially the ones where the adjacent mountains reflect on the water.

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    1. Love the reflections myself. Thanks so much for stopping by.

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  20. How great to find a scenic drive where you can actually stop to take pictures. That seems to be a rarity here.

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  21. This are fabulous views with wonderful reflections in many of them. Have a great weekend.

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  22. I never had any connection to the area you live in and you show us here.....no idea why. But the more I see all this beautiful pictures, the more I want to visit these wonderful places. Great pictures!

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    1. I hope you get a chance to visit Bosnia and Herzegovina someday.

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  23. What gorgeous scenery, Mersad! The green water is so lovely and the light spectacular. Don't we live in an amazing world?

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  24. Mersad, you really have a talent for scenic photography. Beni looks like he is worried about you !

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    1. He doesn't want to stay behind in the car :)

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  25. This is a stunning place, to be sure. You do amazing work.

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  26. What a beautiful drive and stunning images. My favorite in this set is #10, the gorgeous sunset.

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  27. A long time ago I was there. And I remember well... A stunning landscape!

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  28. Wonderful pictures and reflections!

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  29. The Neretva River Canyon is very pretty. I truly hope I get to visit it one day!

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  30. It looks like a great spot to take photos and just to relax for the day.

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  31. Was für eine wunderschöne Landschaft! Einfach traumhafte Fotos!
    Wünsch dir noch ein schönes Wochenende!

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  32. What a beautiful place. I am embarrassed to say this, but I know nothing of your country. Seeing these photos makes me curious and makes me want to learn more. Thanks for sharing your piece of the world!

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  33. Gorgeous photos! I didn't know about this place, but I want to do a road trip in the Balkans next year, passing through Mostar so I'll definitely add the canyon on my list.

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  34. Mersad, these are beautiful photos! I have never been to Bosnia, my family ancestry on my father's side is from BiH and my father and I hope to visit there someday together. Looking forward to reading through the rest of your blog. Thanks for sharing.

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  35. Mersad, your blog is a credit to you. I'm pleased to have found it and to have seen some of the views of your lovely country.

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  36. My fiance and I are planning a trip to Romania...I want to fly into Italy and see some Italian cities and then travel over sea and land to Romania. I'm sending him this link so maybe we will go down this road!!

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  37. Thank you. As usual, you spread lovely photos around to us from the other part of the world. Made me smile!! I'm a rock and mountain and river and cloud and sun person. Day by day. Bless you for sharing so wonderfully.

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  38. What stunning scenery. Loving the lush green colors, the rocky cliffs, the pristine water, the lovely sunsets and well just everything. You captured it all so beautifully.

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  39. These photos are incredible! The color of the water! Perhaps it is because I live in Coastal Mississippi, where our water is brown due to all the silt in the Mississippi River collecting here on the coast, but I'm always amazed when I see such gorgeous green-blue water. And the sunsets - magnificent! Thank you for sharing them with us for Photo Friday!

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  40. Such gorgeous countryside. Love the variety of mountain shapes and colours.

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  41. Oh how beautiful! What an incredible place; such stunning views to see! Your photographs are phenomenal, especially those sunset shots. Wow!

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  42. What a wonderful landscape and so fascinating pictures...

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  43. Your reflections are terrific. While the sunsets are stunning, I really like the reflections of the cliffs in the water. Beautiful compositions.

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  44. Beautiful place and great photos of it!

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