Bosnia & Herzegovina is an incredibly beautiful country with lush mountains and rolling fields mixed with a crystal clear river and charming towns. The landscape of Southern Bosnia is karstic - the dramatic limestone mountains that rise out of the earth here are seemingly endless. Arguably, Kravica waterfalls is the gem in the crown called Bosnia.
The drive from Mostar to Kravica takes an hour or so (45kms) and as you pass village after village, the excitement rises a notch. After all, the locals swear it is a "hidden paradise" - imagine a group of massive waterfalls with a natural pool at the base, surrounded by lush green trees. The picture my mind drew up when I heard this description, was enough for me to make this trip.
Kravica waterfalls are 28 meters high and 120 meters across. It is very close to Dubrovnik in Croatia and Mostar in Bosnia and because of this, many travelers make a day trip to Kravica from these two places. The highway to Dubrovnik is even visible from the waterfalls.
Entry to the park costs €5. From the gate, one needs to walk for around 10 minutes to reach the waterfalls. The sound of the falls make me increase my pace as my patience wears thin.
A few years back, visits by the conservative catholic travelers from Italy, Ireland and Poland pushed the local community to impose restrictions on performing religious rites at Kravica. Their ruling was Kravica is a natural beauty with no place for religion. As one local said, "Kravica Falls is a place where burkas meet bikinis without any problems".
Through a local, I found out how the falls were named and the story is downright crazy! Long time back before this place became a tourist spot, there was a little cow that fell in the river uphill. They assumed it had drowned but later, they found the cow at the bottom of the waterfall. That is how they named the falls "Kravica", as in local language it means little cow. About 20-30 minutes on a trail down river, there is another waterfall called Mala Kravica. Mala means little, which actually is funny again because Kravica already means little cow!
After lazing in the shade, I had some food (the only vegetarian option was veg salad) and drinks. This is the perfect place to do nothing - just eat, drink and relax ! After spending an hour or so in the shade, I made my way back to the parking area.
The local community have started the Kravica Club, where they decide on future projects. One of their objectives is eco tourism. They want to ban plastic and authorize only those construction activities which are made from metal or wood. They also organize clean-ups to keep Kravica clean. Thinking about their initiatives and hoping they succeed in their endeavors, I moved on to my next destination.
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