In this episode we tackle one of our toughest sections of gravel, which happens to be part of the Trans Dinaric bike route. We climb Mt Zlórvh in Bosnia and wild camp beside ruins from the recent wars before dropping a massive gravel descent all the way to the Serbian border.
Crossing into Serbia, we ride deep into Tara National Park where the challenges continue. Rocky, steep gravel climbs test our physical and mental endurance as we make our way across the Balkans by bike. Long days, hard climbs, and constant decision-making have pushed our bodies, our minds, and our relationship – but we’re still grateful to be out here experiencing this landscape together.
Join us as we ride from Bosnia’s high peaks into the forests and wild roads of Serbia, on our journey across Europe by bikepacking and adventure cycling. The next video is where everything changes – so subscribe to see what happens next!
We highly recommend stopping at Kamp Kazalo along the way: https://www.kampkazalo.rs/en
We had a great experience here in Tara National Park.
#bikepacking #transdinaric #bosnia #serbia #taranationalpark #balkanadventure #gravelcycling #cycletouring
⚠️ Safety Note
Bosnia and Herzegovina still has areas affected by landmines from past conflicts. If you plan to explore or ride here, please stay on marked paths and check the official mine map provided by the Bosnian Mine Action Centre (BHMAC). Available as a free app on Playstore and the App Store.
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👉 Watch Part 6 here: https://youtu.be/NcGDncfeXQs
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Our route across Europe is not direct. direct or pre-written. Sometimes we have milestones, places we want to see along the journey. When we discover these, we weave our way towards them on whatever roads get us there. Everything we see along the route is then decided by that route. Serbia’s Tara National Park is one such place. In order to get there, we would have to climb a mountain, descend it all to cross the border, and then climb back up again. to the Lord over. Our climb from here was 500 m over 5 km, making the path very steep as it wound up to the peak. We got to go faster if we just walk through time. I feel like my brain’s just like, “No, you can’t do it. It’s too much. 1,177 1,17 1,1767. One of us is lying. No, I don’t want to camp here. I want to make it to the top. We’ve got this. It’s just a grind. They just sound so magical. You’re running out of beans. Good thing we got beans for dinner. Hello. Hello. my I think it’s died. My bike’s just not meant to have a stand. They all die. See tuned up in there. Heather bat. God, that’s a bat. Wow. I’ve never seen a bat before. Heat. Heat. A former radio and TV station was used as a base for the Yugoslavic People’s Army or JNA during the Yugoslav wars before it was destroyed in 1992 by NATO bombing. Heat. Heat. Imagine what this place would look like in winter. How do you think I’ve ever seen soil that red before? From Mount Slov, we would have to drop down 1,500 m across the border into Serbia. Not only was this the greatest descent we had ever done, but most of it was gravel. This meant we moved a lot slower than we had anticipated. When we did have patches of cement, they felt like gliding through butter. That’s got to be Serbia. Right. This road was part of the transdeneric bike route. It’s hard to imagine how anyone going in the opposite direction to us would make it up these ruthless rocky gradients. As harsh as this road was, it was beautiful. And the undergrowth of ferns reminded me of home. The path dropped down to the Dina River Canyon, which acts as a border between Serbia and Bosnia. The road became a patchwork of gravel and cement. But I’ve seen people following the level of water. It’s easy to assume a flat path. But over the 20 km between us and the border crossing, the road was up and down, adding much more elevation to the day than we had expected. Okay, pass on. We stayed in a hostel in the town of Pña before continuing by following the road along the river Dina up past the dam and into a valley. Tara was the first national park we visited. It was very different to what we know as national parks in New Zealand. There’s almost no campsites and it’s much more populated. We knew of only one campground in the national park, Camp Kazula. We climbed up through tunnels and found ourselves at Camp Kazula, soaked in evening sunlight. The owner, Zeke, made us feel at home and insisted we join in on a boat trip. It was fantastic and we feel very fortunate to have stayed here and had this experience. We didn’t want to leave. The rest of our time in Tara had us questioning why we had chosen to do this by bike. As we regained our elevation, taking the wrong roads and up the steepest gravel climbs we had ever experienced in summer heat. Somehow this activity that we had chosen to do, something we thought would make us feel more connected to each other, made us feel more disconnected from each other. But it was just something we had to ride out and keep going. Turning around now was not an option. We’re both far too stubborn for that. I have mushrooms. Suspension would be fantastic right now. Yeah. Suspension. Yeah. Yeah. very very simple picture which is our descent from the park was long and paved and exactly what we needed. One of the locals at Camp Kazula told us about a spot to wild camp near a stream just past the city of Zlat. As we left the park, that’s where we were headed. There is. It’s probably the best we’re going to get. We quickly learned that Serbian road builders don’t like to serpentine. They like straight lines up and over as simple as possible. Yeah, I imagine so. five technically, but four together I guess our stables. What we didn’t know then was that our journey was about to change forever, but more on that soon.
1 Comment
Can't wait for the next one!