Visiting Lukomir [Part 1/3]: On the Hills around the Old Village

Visiting the old village Lukomir has been on our list of travel destinations for a while now. And why shouldn't it be. Lukomir has a lot going for itself. First of all it's located on the amazing slopes of the mountain Bjelasnica, it's the highest elevated village (1,495 m/4900 ft) in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and it's also the last remaining village where people live like they used to hundreds and hundreds of years ago.

As you drive along the mountain roads (most of which you will see in part three, during our departure) you can't help but wonder how people can survive in the harshest conditions. Yes, summer and early autumn here are wonderful, but as soon as the first snow clouds roll in, people have to leave as the roads are cut off until spring arrives.

This is a multi-part travel series. Other parts include:
Part 1: On the Hills around Lukomir
Part 2: Inside Lukomir
Part 3: Sights from the road back Home

click on the images for a bigger view

How to get to Lukomir

I guess I should start with the most useful piece of information. Getting to Lukomir is not hard, but it's also not a task one should take on easily. I will not include a Google map here, simply because the options it shows (other trip planners as well) are simply not the best or most accurate. You should start by arriving to Hadzici, which is a small town near Sarajevo. From there you take the road up the mountain Igman (a sign in the town will show you the way). It's just one road you have to follow. Then when you arrive on top of the mountain Igman, continue to the mountain Bjeasnica (drive until you come to a road crossing, you will find the sign to Bjelasnica there). Continue driving down that road, and pass the first right turn to the village Lukavac. Take the second right turn that will show up shortly. There is a big wooden sign advertising the small Lukomir summer garden (Ljetna basta Lukomir), where you have to drive off the road. Don't be alarmed of the narrow road going up hill, it's the right way. After 10 kilometers the pavement stops and a gravel road continues for 15 more kilometers, until you arrive to Lukomir. Wooden signs will lead your way through the hills. We drove with my SUV, and I would definitely recommend getting a higher elevated car for this, even though the road isn't bad at all.

Arrival in the village Lukomir

As we parked our car, the gravel road stopped and a dirt road continued. The walk through the village is short, and while we would return to see the houses in detail, we wanted to hike up the surrounding hills, while we had some blue left in the sky, to take some areal shots.

A new looking graveyard can be found at the exit of Lukomir, but I also spotted some Stecci in the background. Stecci are old gravestones from the 14th and 15th century, which suggests that this village is very old. As we pass through the village, the people greet us, and we even stop with some of them to talk. They are very friendly, and very well aware of the popularity of this place. While we were there we met German and UK visitors as well as people from Bosnia and Herzegovina. Some came by themselves, others with guides.

On the Hills around Lukomir

We eventually passed through the village, and were immediately rewarded with some great aerials of the canyon of Rakitnica river and surrounding mountains. My sister Jasmina climbed bravely on a rock that overlooked the cliffs and we made some pictures here and rested for a while. This wasn't our main stop. We wanted to get on top of the highest hill that we could find in the near vicinity. But first let me show you some images we took on our first stop.

Our hike continues...

We eventually left or first stop and started heading further into the hills. Some moody clouds were already on the horizon, and while there was no rain on this day, it certainly felt like we could have a downpour any moment. It gets very cold up here. We had 9C/48F on the day we hiked and winds were rushing through the landscapes. Definitely wear something to shield you from the cold. Even in summer the temperatures here are lower then in the valley. Check for temperatures and weather conditions before you get here.

The hills gave us a much better view of the whole village as well as the mountains and valley. It is beyond impressive to gaze at the vastness of the mountains here. The views are almost like paintings, and you get lost in them very quickly. Snapping away is also very easy here. You can turn your camera anywhere and you will get a great photo.

End of Part One

To be continued...

I hope you enjoyed the first part of sight from Lukomir. More images taken inside the village will wait for in in part two. For those who came today for a new edition of "Through My Lens" they can find it in yesterdays post. It's up throughout this whole week.

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