The water is absolutely freezing, but the scenery and crashing sounds of the waves makes it all worth it. Only a short ten-ish minute drive over the Bosnian boarder from Croatia is where you will find Kravice Falls.
Often overlooked due to the enormity of Plitvice National Park and Krka National Park across the boarder, it is easy to understand why people forget to look for waterfalls in Bosnia & Herzegovina. But it’s a silly error to make.
Kravice Falls offers everything you could ask for when looking for the perfect Eastern European waterfall, just without the bus loads of people.
Spring time is the best time of year to visit Kravice, as 25 metres of cascades smash into the pool of water at the bottom in a dramatic, misty rage. In the summer the falls are only slightly less impressive in my opinion, and the surrounding pools become shallow enough for visitors to swim in.
The water levels of the Trebižat River change throughout the year, but even during the ‘drier’ months you will not be disappointed. It is absolutely stunning all year round. On the main bank of the falls you will find a tire swing, small cafe that serves Bosnian beers and a clean picnic area.
Book your car rental to explore Kravice Falls
Although breathtakingly beautiful, I do have a few warnings if you’re planning to swim in the waters of the falls. Even though you can walk right under the waterfalls and even jump of some of the ledges into the pools at the bottom be extremely careful.
The water pressure can be so heavy that you can easily slip on the rock and hurt yourself if you’re not being meticulously careful, and if you can’t see the bottom of the water you don’t know what’s under you.
Don’t jump blindly into the water – there could be all kinds of nasty tree stumps/branches/snags lurking under the water that can cause serious injury.
Additionally, keep an eye out for snakes. They do inhabit the waters surrounding the falls and are often found by visitors.
Kravice has free entry for anyone all year round. It is a great alternative to the regular waterfalls and national parks in the Balkans region and so quiet that it still feels like an off the beaten track destination.
No matter how hot the outside weather is though, the water is pretty icy all year round. I would just take the plunge and jump right in at a safe place without testing the water first! Once you try it, you might chicken out.
Check out all the day tours you can take to Kravice Falls
How to find Kravice Falls
There are two different ways to get to Kravice falls from the main freeway. For the main (sealed) road turn for the M6 (Čapljina–Ljubuški Rd) at km 42.5, which will lead you to a car park at the end of a dead end road. The falls are only a 15 minute walk from this car park.
Alternatively, you can do what we did – get lost trying to find the sealed road and car park and direct the driver of your car down the extremely narrow dirt road on the other side of the falls, which also leads to a dead end with a very small car park at the end.
If you arrive the way we did (the difficult way in my opinion) you can still access the falls and there are plenty of places to kick back on the banks and enjoy the sunshine, but to get to the main side of the falls with the kiosk and picnic areas you will need to walk through some pretty deep freezing water, which might not be your up of tea.
If you haven’t rented a car during your trip to Bosnia, many tours visiting Mostar will also include a side trip to Kravice on the way.
This might be an easier option to avoid the hectic mess that is the Bosnian google maps situation if you’re not keen on driving yourself. You can also ask a taxi or private driver to take you down to the falls, although I’m not sure how expensive that would be.
Explore more of our adventures around Bosnia & Herzegovina
2 Comments
ohh this so wonderful. I was planning to visit there next year
Yes, definitely add it to your list! You will love it, it absolutely blew us away even though we were only there for one day!!