Monday, April 27, 2015

Our Road Trip to Boracko Lake

This past weekend a previously unvisited destination waited for us. While I already posted some countryside images of abandoned buildings from our road trip, in this post I want to share one of two main destinations of our latest venture. As you will quickly notice, the images from this day were taken with my phone camera, since I forgot my Canon at home. Don't ask me how it happened. It was a first for me as well. But I hope you will enjoy the sights nonetheless.

click on the images for a bigger view


Getting to Boracko Lake

In order to get to Boracko Lake (by car), you have to take a side road out of the city Konjic, which will lead you up the mountains. The drive is not long from Konjic, only 25 minutes. Of course you have to get to Konjic first. We took the main road (M-17) from Mostar, which is a 1 hour drive. The same road leads from the capital city Sarajevo to Konjic as well, and is also about a 1 hour drive. I think the best option is to get here by car. Buses are few and far between, and I'm not sure if they get to the actual lake.

The Road up the Mountains

I will say that you have to drive carefully up these mountains. The road is narrow in some places, but mostly it's a two-lane road. Anyway, driving slowly up the mountains has another advantage (except getting to the lake safely). You get to really enjoy the sights. At a quick stop, I snapped the shot of the city Konjic in the distance (photo above).


You can see an example of the curvy and steep mountain road in the shot below. It only takes 15 minutes to drive up the hills, and then the drive stabilizes and you drive through the mountain valleys which is much more enjoyable.

Another stop along the way is a lookout spot before you arrive into the valley where the Boracko Lake is. From here you can see the surrounding mountains and landscapes. We took our time here, making photos and enjoying the sights.

Definitely bring food and water with you, since you won't find any stores here. Restaurants and cafes are also few an not to be found at the lake, especially during the off-season. I don't know what the situation in the summer is. There is however a great restaurant a bit down the road, where we ended up having lunch, but that will be the subject of the next post.




Arriving at the Boracko Lake

There is not much to be found on the actual shores of the lake that shows signs of life. Some abandoned buildings are dotted along the lake, and when you arrive you have the choice to park your car at a small parking lot or drive down the road to the auto camp which is on the other side of the lake (photo below). Parking is free in the off-season and as far as I have heard only costs 2 KM (cca 1.1 $) in the summer season.


 We stayed on the east side of the lake, and took a stroll to the shore. You can park your car here and take a big hike all the way to the other side of Boracko Lake. But since we had more plans on this day, we decided to keep our visit short.





About Boracko Lake

Boracko Lake is nested between the Prenj, Bjelasnica and Visocica mountains. The lake is open to the public for camping, swimming and BBQs. On the west side, by the aforementioned auto camp you will find a restaurant (also only open in the Summer season) and a great freshwater stream and plenty of shade. Boracko lake is a glacier lake, which means that it's formed when a glacier erodes the land, and then melts, filling the hole or space that it has created with water.




Our Road Trip Continues...

As I mentioned, we had other destinations on our map for this day, so we only stayed at Boracko Lake for about half an hour. Our next stop was a small village located further south on the road we were traveling on. But more on that in my next post. As we departed the lake, the mountains took over again and spectacular views were in front of us (like the next shot with the Boracko Lake in the distance)


Rugged landscapes were on each side of the road, that took us to our next stop...


37 comments:

  1. Hello Mersad, I love this series with the mountain views and the beautiful lake.. The scenery is gorgeous.. Lovely post and images, enjoy your new week ahead!

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  2. It is very impressive and the light though harsh suits the landscape.

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  3. nothing like mountain views to relax in. of course driving that road would not relax me, but the vistas you have captured and the color of the water in all the lake shots are most relaxing.

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  4. Your phone camera is a great stand in for the Canon!

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    1. Thanks. If nothing it gives me another reason to go back with the Canon.

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  5. So klares Wasser! Und die Farbe... wunderschön! Eine beeindruckende Landschaft!

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  6. Hello Mersad,
    Beautiful landscapes. Colour of the water is simply unbelievable!
    Greetings from sunny Budapest

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    1. Thanks for your visit! Greetings from Mostar!

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  7. Beautiful scenic photos from this road trip. Looks like you were having a great time.

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  8. Beautiful captures of a beautiful place and what a wonderful trip!! Thank you as always for sharing the fun and the beauty, Mersad!! Your photos are a lovely way to start my day!! Hope you have a great new week!!

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  9. beautiful area! love the wildflowers. had to laugh about you forgetting your camera, though. :)

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    1. I don't know how it happened, but I realised it in shock half the way there :)

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  10. I see the ducks speak the same language everywhere! Nice shots, Mersad!

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  11. Es sind traumhaft schöne, was...gigantische Bilder. Dir Natur ist so schön!!!! Und es ist auch schön zu sehen, daß ihr vier einander so gut versteht und immer vieles zusammen macht. Sehr schön alles. Liebe Grüße

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  12. What a beautiful place for a drive. On my recent road trip, I took a mountain road on my way back saw a part of New Mexico that I hadn't seen before. I sure enjoyed the peace and quiet of the much less traveled road.

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  13. what a pretty spot. The color of the lake water is beautiful.

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  14. Nice colorfull landscapes!

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  15. Lovely lake and area, gorgeous colors. You did good with your phone camera.
    I've never forgotten my camera, but have forgotten to charge the battery. A totally dead battery is no fun.
    Great post, Mersad!

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    1. Yes, that has happened to me as well, and is equally fatal for the photographer :) But luckily todays phone cameras can do a pretty good job if used correctly.

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  16. Your landscapes as always great.

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  17. Dobre za (nostalgicnu) dushu!

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  18. Wow - the sky is so blue!

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  19. Stunning!
    Thanks so much for sharing at AMAZE ME MONDAY.
    Blessings,
    Cindy

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  20. Beautiful scenery, and pretty great camera phone captures.

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  21. Stunning photos, wish I was there!

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  22. what views and the color of the water is gorgeous!!

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    Replies
    1. The color of the water was really great in person.

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  23. Looks like a fun day trip.

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  24. Hello Mersad..I am sorry you forgot your camera, but you still captured some beautiful scenery. The color of the water is so clear with green from a distance. Beautiful. Thank you for including the map piece too.... Michelle

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    1. Thanks Michelle. The map is there for anyone who might want to visit, and part two from Glavaticevo has it as well.

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  25. You are showing us an astonishingly beautiful country Mersad. I would love to think that I shall visit it. Whether I shall is doubtful but it's certainly on my wish list.

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  26. Beautiful! Isn't it amazing what a tiny camera can do? (Especially in the hands of a talented photographer like you.)

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  27. So luscious. So beautiful.

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  28. I can't believe you took these with your phone Mersad! Such beautifully magnificent vistas. Thank you so much for sharing them.

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  29. AnonymousMay 04, 2015

    beautiful landscape overthere!

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