Blidinje Nature Park

Blidinje occupies a plateau at around 1,200 metres between the Cvrsnica massif and the Vran mountain, and the combination is unusual: a flat karst floor with a shallow seasonal lake, Blidinje jezero, ringed by two of the highest and roughest ranges in the country. Masna Luka holds a Franciscan monastery and a group of stecci, the medieval carved tombstones that are a World Heritage property elsewhere in the region. The endemic Bosnian pine, Pinus heldreichii, grows on the slopes in ancient twisted stands. The park has mountain huts, a small ski lift and marked routes onto both massifs, and it is the base for the Hajducka Vrata arch and the Cvrsnica traverses.

What you actually see

• Blidinje lake - the shallow seasonal water on the plateau floor.
• Cvrsnica and Vran - the two ranges enclosing the plain.
• Bosnian pine - the ancient endemic stands on the slopes.
• Stecci at Masna Luka - the medieval tombstones by the monastery.

When to go

June to September for the plateau and the mountains; snow closes the roads and the huts from November into spring. The lake shrinks or dries in late summer. Nights at altitude are cold in any month.

Honest expectations

Access roads are mountain roads, steep and rough in places and closed in winter. The lake is shallow and often dry by late summer. Huts are basic and need booking. Weather on the plateau changes fast.

Nearby

Hajducka Vrata is on Cvrsnica above; Jablanica lies east.