Tom`s travels: Neretva Rafting (09/08/2025)

On a warm day, we decided to go with some friends to raft on the Neretva River. We rented a car for the day and left Sarajevo to reach the city of Konjic. Here we parked the car at the Rafting Neretva Now company, where we then met with the other group of friends who had come with their own car. So the seven of us met up with our rafting guide and headed by bus to the starting point a few kilometers upriver close to the village of Kašići. We got our raft and entered the water, and as we still had a spot available, another guy, an Australian with Bosnian origins, joined our group. We got along well since the start and started heading down river. After enjoying the sun and views along the way, a bit of paddling with easy small passages through the rocks, we eventually came to a stop at a small beach along the riverside. This is where the Rakitnica river, which we had already hiked above its canyon in its upper part, joins the Neretva. The place was quite packed with many other rafts and groups already parked and ready for lunch. Our guide joined the guides from the rest of the company and started setting up a barbecue spot to cook some food. In the meantime, we explored the area and walked knee-deep up the Rakitnica to a small pool where many were chilling and jumping in the water. The water, as expected, was freezing, averaging between 7 and 11 degrees, hence why we were using wetsuits. After a while, the fire was ready, and we had some cevapi and vegetables in bread, and then some fresh watermelon, which was cooling in the river's waters. After the break, we were the last ones to finish, and all other rafts had already left. That made it nicer and more comfortable for us, enjoying the second part of the day without any other sounds but our own voices and the nature surrounding us. We rafter through a narrow gorge with high cliffs to either side and even stopped next to a fresh waterfall jutting out directly above us. Our guide, who was often flirting with one of the girls in our group, then gave us a chance to take a swim, but we barely lasted a few seconds as the water was so cold. Eventually, after some more rafting, we reached the end of the trip close to the village of Džajići, where we got off the raft, showered at the site, and got back on the minibus to Konjic. Once there, we then all opted to have dinner at the Konak restaurant right by the river and the old Ottoman bridge. Once we were finished, we got back in the cars and drove to Sarajevo to give back our rental and end the day.