Adventure tours near Mostar go far beyond the Old Bridge

600 metres of cable and 350 metres of height gain on Hum, the hill directly above Mostar, broken up by three suspension bridges. It is the longest route in the city and the one with the widest view over the Neretva valley and the Old Bridge. The route carries no published grade; we rate it B/C from guiding it. Sustained but never desperate, which makes it a good second ferrata or an ambitious first one.

Runs year-round, weather permitting

200 metres of cable and 80 metres of height gain on the wall above Fortica fortress, ten minutes from the road. Graded A/B and about half an hour of climbing, with the Old Bridge in view for most of it. There is a swinging bridge partway up, and the route finishes near the glass-floored Skywalk deck. Two hours door to door from the centre of Mostar.

Runs year-round, weather permitting

A full day on the Neretva starting from Konjic. The water is green and cold, and the rapids are Class II to III, which is enough to get you paddling hard in places without any of it being technical. In between there are long flat stretches where the canyon walls close in and you can stop paddling and look up. You pass under old Ottoman stone bridges on the way down, and there is time to swim where the river pools. A licensed skipper runs each raft. Lunch afterwards is a traditional Bosnian meal at a restaurant by the water.

Runs April-October

The Bijela cuts a narrow limestone canyon at the foot of Prenj, and the only sensible way through it is to get wet. You work downstream about three kilometres: sliding down water-polished rock, jumping into pools where the water turns turquoise, rappelling the waterfalls that are too high to jump, and swimming the sections where the walls come in close enough to touch both sides. The water stays cold all summer, which is the point in July. Wetsuit and technical gear are provided.

Runs May-September