Prokoško Lake

Prokoško lies at around sixteen hundred metres in a bowl on the Vranica massif, a shallow glacial lake in open pasture surrounded by katuni, the wooden huts of shepherds who bring livestock up for the summer months and make cheese and kajmak there. The setting is the appeal: bare rounded summits above, grazing all around, and a lake that reflects them when the wind drops. It is also of scientific interest, holding an endemic subspecies of alpine newt found only here, which is one reason the area is protected. Walking routes climb from the lake to the surrounding peaks, and the drive up from the spa town of Fojnica is rough enough to keep numbers down, though it fills with day-trippers on summer weekends.

What you actually see

• The lake and pasture - the shallow water in its bowl of open grazing.
• The katuni - the shepherds' huts and their summer dairy work.
• The endemic newt - the alpine newt subspecies found only in this lake.
• The Vranica peaks - walking routes to the summits above.

When to go

June to September, when the road is open and the shepherds are up with their animals; snow closes the access for much of the year. Weekdays are far quieter than summer weekends, when Bosnians drive up in numbers. Mornings are calmest for reflections on the water.

Honest expectations

The road up from Fojnica is rough and steep and better with a high-clearance vehicle. Facilities are limited to a few huts selling food and drink. Litter has been a problem on busy weekends. The lake is shallow and, late in a dry summer, can shrink considerably, which disappoints people expecting an alpine tarn.

Nearby

Fojnica and its thermal spa are below; Sarajevo is two hours east.