Thrill of Adventure in the Balkans

Upon arrival in Belgrade, the biggest city and the capital of Republic of Serbia, transfer from the airport to our base camp in Tolic, Serbia (80km). After a barbeque like dinner, there will be a brief introduction of the route and applicable rules of our tour.

The adventure begins right from the very start with a short ascent to Divcibare mountain pass. After passing through a few countryside villages a stop for a small break and photos at Kucica na Drini will follow. The day ride will finish at Mokra Gora village. It is famous for Serbian film editor Emir Kosturica’s ethno village Drvengrad (Timber town). At Mokra Gora we will experience a ride on the local narrow gauge railway (viewing from the sky the route looks like the number eight).

After a picturesque calm and ride through mountain passes and small villages we leave Serbia towards Montenegro. A stop at the famous 170m in height Tara river canyon bridge will follow. We will spent the night at a hotel in Zabljak, a winter and summer resort in Montenegro at an altitude of 1450m a.s.l.

The morning starts with a refreshing ride over the highest paved road in Montenegro reaching its top point at Prevoj Sedlo pass (1907m a.s.l.). This very narrow and picturesque road will reward us with stunning views of Durmitor mountain. The next section is not a less memorable descent through very narrow tunnels towards the beautiful Piva lake on the other side of the mountain. A border crossing to Bosnia & Herzegovina will follow and we finish the day in Sarajevo, Bosnia & Herzegovina capital. The afternoon and the evening we will spent with a tour of this religious and cultural diversity city sometimes called “Jerusalem of the Balkans”.

We leave Sarajevo and ascend to mount Igman for a visit of the 1984 winter Olympics abandoned ski jumps hill which was used as UN forces base within the Serbia Kosovo war during the 90s. Later we will have a lunch break at the beautiful and colorful town of Konjic. Our next stop will be for 2 hours at one of the Bosnian tourism star – Mostar, famous for its iconic Stari Most (Old Bridge). We will do a short stop at Vrelo Bune – the springs of Buna River and will finish the day at the town of Trebinje.

Some 30km away from Trebinje is Dubrovnik - “The pearl of the Adriatic”. We will have a riding break today and will visit Dubrovnik by bus. We will spent the whole day there exploring its beautiful Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque churches, monasteries, palaces and fountains.
In the afternoon a boat trip to one of the nearest islands is included in our day schedule where will swim test the Dalmatian coast sea water.

After a short morning ride we will cross the border back to Montenegro and will follow the road to Kotor. During the ride we will enjoy the view of the whole Kotor bay beneath us. Kotor is not that big fortified town on Montenegro’s Adriatic coast. We will spend some 2-3 hours walking across Medieval winding streets and squares within the old town.
After this historical stop we will follow the coastline towards Albania. Around the city of Bar we will refresh ourselves with a well-deserved swim escape from the sun heat in the Adriatic sea. We will cross the border to dive into the completely different cultural world of Albania. The night will be spent in a hotel in Shkoder city on the shore of the beautiful Shkodra lake.

After a 1 hour ride we will reach Tirana, the capital of Albania. We will make a 2 hours city tour which will reveal to us Tirana’s colorful Ottoman and Soviet era architecture.
After a short highway ride we will dive into Albanian mountains in the North-East part of the country towards town of Elbasan. We will cross the border with North Macedonia heading to Ohrid where we will spend the night. Ohrid is the biggest town on the shore of one of the most beautiful lakes in Europe
– Ohrid lake.

Something like a rest day enjoying the crystal-clear waters of Ohrid lake with a short ride around. Early in the morning we will make a refreshing ride to the top of Galicica Mountain National Park from where we will have a splendid view over the Ohrid lake. The road is a biker paradise with its 180 degrees hair-pins. Going down the same road we will visit the famous St. Naum monastery located on the shore of the
Ohrid lake. Later this day we will return back to our hotel in Ohrid. After a city tour we will have a dinner in a restaurant with local folklore music and dance program. North Macedonian wine testing will not be missed as well.

We say Goodbye to Ohrid and head to Skopje. We will pass a few mountain passes to reassure ourselves how beautiful North Macedonia mountains are. We will do a break stop at Mavrovo Lake within Mavrovo National park.
Late afternoon we will spend with a relaxed city tour in Skopje – the capital and heart (by any meaning) of North Macedonia. Divided by Vardar River, Skopje will show us its rich history.

This is our last riding day. It will be mostly highway on our way to Belgrade in Serbia. After we reach the hotel it will be a free program in the capital of Serbia – Belgrade.

This is where our Balkans moto trip comes to an end and it is time to fly back home.