Kravica Waterfall: The Day We Crossed the Border

In September 2017, my wife and I were traveling through Croatia for our anniversary. We had rented a car and were spending our days driving along the beautiful Croatian coast, enjoying the scenery and taking things at our own pace.

We didn't have every minute of the trip planned. In fact, one of the most memorable days of the entire trip happened because someone simply told us, "You should go see Kravica Waterfall."

We hadn't heard much about it, and it wasn't part of our original itinerary. But we were already traveling by car, the weather was beautiful, and we thought, why not?

So we changed our plans and headed toward Kravica.

There was one small problem.

We had to cross an international border.

At the time, I didn't know much about Bosnia and Herzegovina. Crossing into a country I wasn't familiar with in a rental car made me a little nervous. I wasn't sure what the border crossing would be like or what the roads would be like on the other side.

But once we crossed the border, my worries quickly disappeared.

The road was surprisingly clean and well maintained. I remember feeling relieved and even a little excited as we continued driving. It felt like we had suddenly turned an ordinary day of sightseeing into a little adventure.

Kravica Waterfall

The weather that day was fantastic. It was warm and sunny enough that I was actually driving around in just my swimsuit. Since we were heading to a waterfall, I figured there was no reason to waste time changing when we arrived.

The farther we drove, however, the more remote the road seemed to become. We eventually left the nicer paved roads behind and started following mountain roads and even some unpaved sections.

Eventually, we arrived at a parking area.

And then we looked around.

There was no waterfall.

Nothing.

For a moment, we wondered if we had been given the wrong information.

"Is this really it?"

We had driven across a border, followed mountain roads and dirt roads, and finally arrived at a parking lot where we couldn't see anything that looked remotely like the spectacular waterfall we had been told about.

But we decided to get out of the car and look around.

Fortunately, we didn't have to walk very far. A short walk downhill led us toward a series of stairs built for visitors. As we continued down, we began to hear the sound of rushing water.

That was when the scenery started to change.

The waterfall was hidden below the parking area, almost as if it had been deliberately tucked away from view. Then, suddenly, it appeared in front of us.

It was beautiful.

The water spread out into a large green pool surrounded by trees and multiple waterfalls cascading down the rocky cliffs. It was completely different from the coastal scenery we had been seeing in Croatia.

We walked around for a while, taking in the view. There weren't nearly as many people as I expected, which made the place feel even more special.

And, of course, I had already made up my mind. We had come all this way, and I was going swimming. My wife wasn't nearly as enthusiastic. She looked at the water and immediately decided that it was too cold. I told her it would be fine and convinced her to get in with me.

She eventually agreed. And then we discovered just how cold the water really was. It wasn't just cold. It was unbelievably cold. The kind of cold that makes you question your decisions the moment you get into the water. 

But after getting used to it for a little while, something strange happened. Standing there in the water with the waterfalls surrounding us, I completely forgot about the cold.

How could you come all the way to a place this beautiful and not get in the water?

Swimming in front of the waterfalls felt almost unreal. The clear green water, the warm sunshine, the surrounding trees, and the sound of the waterfalls made the whole experience feel like paradise.

For a moment, I remember thinking that there really couldn't be a better place to spend an afternoon. Of course, I also had to try standing underneath one of the falling waterfalls. That idea sounded better than it actually was.

The water came down with much more force than I expected. It wasn't refreshing so much as painful. I stood under it for a short time, realized that getting pounded by falling water wasn't quite as enjoyable as I had imagined, and quickly backed away.

My wife probably thought that was a much better decision.

We spent some more time enjoying the water and the scenery before finally getting out. After changing and drying off, we stopped at a small snack bar near the waterfall for something to eat.

By then, we were both satisfied. And I remember thinking, I'm really glad we came here.

The funny thing was that Kravica hadn't been part of our plan at all. One recommendation had completely changed the direction of our day.

But our little adventure wasn't over yet.

Since we had already crossed into Bosnia and Herzegovina, we thought we might as well see one of the country's most famous sights before going back to Croatia.

So we got back into the rental car and drove to Mostar.

Mostar: Cliff Diving

We didn't plan to stay overnight. We just wanted to see the famous bridge, have some lunch, and then return to Croatia.

When we arrived in Mostar, however, something seemed different. There were a lot of people everywhere. We initially had no idea what was going on. We eventually found a place to have lunch, and while we were sitting there, we realized that we had arrived on a very special day.

It was the day of the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series.

Suddenly, all those people made sense. The famous Stari Most, or Old Bridge, wasn't just a beautiful historic bridge that day. It had become the stage for an incredible sporting event.

We sat down for lunch and watched the divers jump from the high bridge into the river below. 

I still remember seeing one of the athletes, wearing nothing but a Speedo, making his way back up toward the bridge after his dive. Because we were eating right nearby, the athletes actually passed close to us as they returned.

It was such an unexpected thing to witness. We hadn't come to Mostar for the competition. We hadn't even known it was happening.

Yet there we were, eating lunch and watching professional cliff divers leap from one of the most famous bridges in Europe.

Lunch was simple but satisfying after our time at the waterfall. We had hearty plates with meat, fries, salad, and drinks. After swimming in freezing water earlier in the day, sitting down for a proper meal felt especially good.

After lunch, we wandered through the streets around the bridge.

There was an old street market nearby, filled with small shops and souvenir stands. We enjoyed walking around and looking at the traditional souvenirs and the things being sold along the old streets.

It was a nice contrast to the waterfall.

At Kravica, we had spent the day surrounded by nature, swimming in freezing water and listening to waterfalls. In Mostar, we were surrounded by old stone buildings, narrow streets, shops, tourists, and the historic bridge.

And somehow, all of it had happened on the same day.

Next thing we know, we crossed the border again and returned to Croatia. We didn't stay overnight in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It had simply become an unexpected day trip that happened in the middle of our Croatian anniversary vacation.

Looking Back

Looking back, that's what makes the day so memorable.

It started with a simple suggestion, took us across a border into a country we barely knew, led us down an unmarked path toward a hidden waterfall, and ended with lunch and an unexpected sporting event in Mostar.

It wasn't supposed to be the highlight of our anniversary trip.

But years later, I still remember that day clearly.

Sometimes, the best travel memories are the ones you never planned.

LET'S GO!