In 60 seconds
Established in 1962 as Bosnia and Herzegovina's oldest national park, Sutjeska National Park protects a raw mountain wilderness often called the 'Yosemite of the Balkans'. Centred around the dramatic river canyon of the Sutjeska, the park encompasses the country's highest peak, Mount Maglić (2,386 m), and Perućica—one of the last remaining genuine primeval rainforests in Europe, where ancient spruce and beech trees reach 60 metres in height and the 75-metre Skakavac Waterfall plunges into an untouched karst gorge. At the valley floor in Tjentište stands the monumental 1971 concrete memorial sculpture by Miodrag Živković, an internationally acclaimed modernist masterpiece commemorating the decisive 1943 World War II Battle of the Sutjeska.
Best for
Known for
Skip if
You need paved paths and casual strolling; entering Perućica requires an official park ranger guide and rugged off-trail footwear.
Your match
Choose a few travel interests and we will show how well Sutjeska & Foča fits them. Choose interests
See
The things that would make the trip incomplete without them.
Iconic 1971 modernist memorial sculpture of two soaring abstract concrete wings commemorating the 1943 breakthrough
Stand between the sweeping white concrete wings looking up the valley toward the rocky defiles where the partisan army broke encirclement.
One of Europe's last genuine old-growth primeval forests, preserved in its wild state for over 20,000 years
Stand at Dragoš Sedlo lookout to gaze across the misty canopy of 300-year-old trees toward the 75-metre Skakavac cascade.
Highest mountain peak in Bosnia and Herzegovina, offering demanding alpine ascents along limestone ridges
Ascend via the Prijevor plateau trail for breathtaking vistas across the border into Montenegro and heart-shaped Trnovačko Lake.
Eat
A short list, kept short on purpose. Each entry answers one question: when is this the right choice?
Too few picks yet for their own heading, so they share this list.
Traditional mountain lodge restaurant at Tjentište serving hearty Highland dishes and roast lamb
Refuel after a day on the mountain trails with homemade kačamak with sour milk and slow-roasted mountain lamb.
Beyond the obvious
Less obvious, rarely queued for, and usually the part people remember.
Spectacular natural heart-shaped emerald glacial lake cradled at 1,517 metres by vertical limestone amphitheatre walls
Hike 1.5 hours down from the Prijevor plateau to swim in crystal mountain waters enclosed by towering grey cliffs.
Orientation
How the city is actually divided, and what each part is for.
The park administrative hub, memorial complex, and primary accommodation centre
The park administrative hub, memorial complex, and primary accommodation centre.
Stay
Areas rather than hotels — pick the right one and the rest follows.
Hotel Mladost and wooden mountain bungalows at Tjentište or rustic shepherd huts at Prijevor
Hotel Mladost and wooden mountain bungalows at Tjentište or rustic shepherd huts at Prijevor.
Practical
Plan this trip — useful links
Context
Enough to make what you are looking at legible.
Site of the desperate Battle of the Sutjeska (Operation Schwarz), where Tito's Partisan forces broke through Axis encirclement.
Proclaimed Bosnia and Herzegovina's first National Park to protect the unique Perućica rainforest ecosystem and mountain peaks.
Unveiled Miodrag Živković's iconic modernist concrete memorial monument in the Valley of Heroes at Tjentište.
Further out
Worth a day if you have one to spare.
Europe's deepest canyon just south on the border with Montenegro
Europe's deepest canyon just south on the border with Montenegro.
Sunny Mediterranean stone town in southern Herzegovina
Sunny Mediterranean stone town in southern Herzegovina.
