Vrelo Bune — Attraction in Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina

We had high expectations about this place and it is just possibly the worse place we have visited, not only in the whole Balkans, but possibly in the world. First of all, I must start by saying that the cave the river comes out from is very small and not worth seeing. The boat rider/captain is very cool, but you can save your 4 Marcs for lunch or a drink later on through the day. The visit to the monastery is border-line a scam. We arrived with the idea that you could actually access a bit closer to the river, which you can, but you can do better for free from the other side of the river. The entrance ticket to this monastery mainly gives you access to a bar/terrace and a souvenir shop. We arrived with the idea that the price was going to be 5 Marcs (2.5€) but, it seems COVID has increased price to double (not just here, it seems it happened in every attraction on the way). Inside the building, there is nothing interesting to see. Save your time and money and do not enter to visit this place. There is nothing to see (unless you want to access for religious purposes or other educational, etc). Just go to the other Riverbend and take the picture from across the rives and do not spend a penny, not your time...

Visited it in winter (no snow :)) and while the views we got do not match most summer photos I can say that the experience still delivers so it's a place worth visiting in rain or sunshine. The water was a majestic turquoise flowing with incredible fierceness and it looked beautiful yet terrifying at the same time. You couldn't help but just be in awe of it.

Now the "main attraction" - the house - so well maintained! The tickets are €5 or 10KM (CASH ONLY). They have toilets (I only saw Asian style squat toilets). You'll have to remove your shoes (can leave socks on) and be asked to wear a covering if you're in shorts and if you're a female (or at least appear to be a "typical" female) you'll be asked to wear a head and shoulder covering. The house is fantastically maintained. You can take photos and videos, too. It's a great experience and provides great views of the river! Definitely...

The spring and its surroundings are breathtaking – a true natural wonder that feels like a dream. Unfortunately, the experience is ruined once you look into the water and around the area. We could clearly see trash everywhere: old chairs, cutlery, menus, and all kinds of waste dumped straight from the restaurants nearby.

Instead of preserving the river, the banks have been covered with concrete wherever possible, and plastic pipes run through the water – some of them even weighed down with old concrete blocks from sun umbrellas. It looks disturbing and completely destroys the natural beauty of the place.

Vrelo Bune should be a symbol of untouched nature and regional pride, but what we found was careless exploitation and neglect. A dream of nature turned into a sad example of human greed and irresponsibility. Sadly, it deserves no more...