skakavac hiking guide, sorta

There's only one road towards Skakavac, Bosnia's tallest waterfall, situated just 7.5 miles outside Sarajevo. At 320 feet tall, the waterfall, whose name means "grasshopper" in Bosnian, is a quintessential destination for tourists and locals, alike. When I set out to hike it with a few friends, I had a difficult time finding a trail guide. So hey, I thought, why don't I write one?

Most hikers drive up the mountain, parking their cars in front of Dragan's - an incredible mountain hut restaurant and bar run by - you guesssed it - a man named Dragan. Without a car, the hike is doable but much more demanding. A taxi will take you from Sarajevo to Dragan's if you're exceptionally lucky and to about a mile below Dragan's on the mountain road if you're just a normal amount of lucky. If you're not lucky at all, it'll drop you as soon as the road gets steep and leave you to climb the mountain. The taxi costs around 15km, or maybe $8. An even cheaper option is to hop on local bus 69 from Sutjeska in Sarajevo and take it to the end of the line. It will drop you off in Nahorevo, the town closest to the waterfall. There's pretty much only one road, and it leads straight up the mountain.

From Dragan's, signs point to a few different trails, and a trailmap proves helpful in visualizing how the hike should go. It can be done as a loop, and I recommend doing it that way. From Dragan's, continue straight down the road to head towards Skakavac - the gravel road will eventually turn into a true forest trail. You'll pass a spring or two - natural water fountains that stream the freshest, cleanest water you'll ever taste. You can use these to fill up your water bottles or repeatedly splash your face and head and clothes, if you're like me. You'll also pass a few signs confirming you're on the right path to the waterfall, one in what looks like a pretty nice camping area, complete with yurts.

After an hour or so, you'll come to a sign directing you to the left to the falls. After maybe 300 feet, there's a fork in the trail without signs. If you head left first (highly recommended), the short path ends at a fenced in overlook point of the top of the waterfall. After drinking it all in, retrace your steps, and - like a choose your own adventure book - take the other route this time. I can't stress enough that you should do the top of the falls first!

This trail climbs for just a few minutes before leveling out and then going into a long, steep descent. There are stairs for a chunk of it and a well-trodden, if slightly nerve-wracking (especially for any newer hikers) trail the rest of the way down. You'll hear the roar of the waterfall before you see it. The trail flattens out at the base of the falls. The view here... well, you'll have to hike it to see it.

It's possible to get into the falls, so to speak, in a small pool at the base. It's ice cold! Either way, be prepared to get wet. The spray will hit you even at a distance and will cool you off nicely if you step onto a small bridge that passes right in front of the waterfall. When I went, the bridge was broken and half submerged and very slippery.

There are 3 options back: up the way you came (hell on earth) and onwards on the trail that crosses over the falls - over one of two bridges (much easier!). You can cross over the broken bridge in front of the falls or walk down a set of earthen steps to reach a bridge below the falls. I suggest the latter - from that lower bridge, the view is spectacular. The trail loops around, and after about an hour and a half or so, dumps you back in front of Dragan's, where grilled sausages, Bosnian fried bread, cheese, and homemade rakija wait for you. I have to pause to say that the food is hand's down the best I've had in Sarajevo, and Dragan's homemade rakija - don't get me started. Dragan and his son, who helps run the place, are friendly as can be and speak English! As Dragan told me, "Hikers come through here and drink rakija with me and just say 'ciao!' and take a piece of my heart."

Getting back to Sarajevo is equally doable and exhausting. Taxis won't come up to get you - even if you call one say, 15 times. We ended up walking down from Dragan's to within a mile of Kosevo Stadium in Sarajevo before finding a taxi. According to my Stepz app, that put the total hike at about 10.5 miles.

The total loop from Dragan's takes about 3-4 hours - or 5 if you're me and stop to take 1,000,000 photos. Starting from a mile or so below Dragan's and walking back as close to Sarajevo as we did took about 9 hours in total (including a leisurely, late lunch). There is a fair amount of elevation gain on this hike - particularly if you start from below Dragan's. All three of us in my group were thoroughly exhausted by the time we got home. I'd rate the hike as moderate to challenging, depending on where you start. If you start up at Dragan's, it might be on the lower end of moderate.

Shockingly, I wasn't sore the next day. But really - the world might be ending!