Sutjeska National Park: Perućica, Trnovačko Lake and Maglić
Kojeza
In the south-east of Bosnia and Herzegovina, along the border with Montenegro, Sutjeska National Park packs three things found nowhere else in the country into a few kilometres: Perućica, one of the last primeval forests in Europe; Maglić (2,386 m), the highest peak in Bosnia and Herzegovina; and Trnovačko Lake, a heart-shaped lake beneath the cliffs of Maglić. The park was founded in 1962 and is the oldest in the country.
Tjentište: the gateway
Everything starts at Tjentište, in the valley of the Sutjeska river, about 2.5 hours' drive from Sarajevo via Foča. Here you find the park office, a hotel, a campsite and the monumental memorial to the Battle of the Sutjeska of 1943 — one of the most famous works of socialist modernism. Tjentište is where you buy tickets, arrange a guide for Perućica and check the state of the road to Prijevor.
Perućica: the primeval forest and Skakavac waterfall
Perućica is a strict reserve of about 1,400 hectares where humans have never logged. Beech and fir here reach over 50 metres, and fallen trunks are left to rot for centuries. The Perućica stream runs through the forest and plunges into the valley over the Skakavac waterfall, some 75 metres high.
Entering the forest itself is allowed only with a park guide, but the finest view of Perućica and Skakavac is free and easy to reach: the Dragoš sedlo viewpoint, at the end of a road from Tjentište. From there the whole forest valley lies spread out in front of you, with the waterfall in the middle.
Photo: Erwan Martin, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
Maglić from Prijevor
The climb to the roof of Bosnia and Herzegovina starts at Prijevor (about 1,670 m), reached from Tjentište by a gravel road of some twenty kilometres. From Prijevor a marked trail crosses grassy slopes and then climbs more steeply through rock to the summit. Allow 2.5 to 3.5 hours up and 2 hours down. The summit sits right on the border with Montenegro; the view stretches across Durmitor, Zelengora, Volujak and Bioč.
The trail is not technically difficult, but the upper section is steep and rocky, with places where you use your hands. In fog and rain it becomes serious. There is no water on Maglić — carry enough from Prijevor.
Trnovačko Lake
From Prijevor you can also head, instead of to the summit, towards Trnovačko Lake (1,517 m) — an hour and a half to two hours' walk through forest and across pastures. The lake lies in a basin between Maglić and Volujak, emerald green and shaped like a perfect heart; formally it is already in Montenegro, but it can only be reached on foot. Camping by the lake is possible, and the ambitious combine the two: Trnovačko and a night in the tent on day one, Maglić on day two.
Photo: Dingoa, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Zelengora: the quieter side of the park
The northern part of the park belongs to Zelengora, a mountain of gentle pastures and eight glacial lakes, the best known being Donje and Gornje Bare and Orlovačko jezero. There are no crowds and no steep climbs here — just long ridges, flocks and lakes. The highest peak, Bregoč (2,014 m), is half a day's easy walking.
Practical tips
- Season: June – October. Maglić can still have snow on its upper section in June; September is the most stable month.
- Tickets and guides: the park charges an entry fee and a fee for the Maglić climb; a guide for Perućica is booked in advance at Tjentište.
- The road to Prijevor: gravel, passable for ordinary cars in summer with care. After rain, ask at Tjentište.
- Sleeping: hotel and campsite at Tjentište, a mountain house at Prijevor, a tent by Trnovačko Lake.
- Water: a spring at Prijevor; nothing after that until the lake.
Sutjeska is a full-weekend trip and one that hikers from all over the country do at least once a year. For organised tours with transport, guides and accommodation arranged, look on Kojeza.
