Camping... Bosnian style!

I love a camping trip, so when a weekend in the great outdoors was suggested, we jumped at the idea. The suggested destination was Boracko lake, located South-West of Sarajevo, about 90 minutes in the car.

Not really knowing what to expect, we loaded the car up with all our camping gear (I cannot travel light at the best of times, so a camping trip is an opportunity for me to pack everything including the kitchen sink) and off we went. There were about 13 of us in total, a couple of dogs and one toddler, so quite a party. We arrived at about 11:30am and the temperature was already in the early 30s, so as we climbed the steep mountain road and caught the first glimpse of the lake, it was a welcome sight. Set at about 700m, it is nestled in the mountains and is a truly beautiful spot. Already getting busy with other campers who had the similar idea of fleeing the city in the oppressive heat, we managed to find a spot which could fit us all, our tents and my kitchen sink. The campsite itself is a relatively large patch of grass which on one side slopes down to the lake, making it a perfect swimming spot. After all the formalities of setting the tents up, the first beer was cracked open and we went for a swim! The lake is a perfect temperature, apparently it has springs which come up from the bed, therefore the water is always kept circulating.

The campsite has some basic facilities, including a toilet block, drinking/teeth brushing and washing up area, a couple of small cafes/restaurants offering coffee, cold beers, pizzas etc... a small shop, which is surprisingly well stocked and a couple of lake side bars.

The afternoon was spent relaxing in the sun; our only mistake was not to take any sun brollies as we were not lucky enough to get a spot under a tree, therefore availability of shade was limited. We stoked the campfire and had a BBQ mid-afternoon.

As day rolled into night and the sun began the drop, it became evident that our neighbours (several groups of young lads) we in it for the long haul and had no plans of settling down to enjoy the silence and beauty of the spot we were in! Yugo-pop blared from a number of car stereos around the campsite and this did not relent all night! I woke up at about 2:30pm and the campsite was still in full swing, to compound matters, we had a slow puncture in our airbed... so by morning, with little sleep, we were on the ground! I was hoping that as we had been kept awake for most of the night, we might be able to get our revenge by clattering around first thing, sadly, everyone was already up and the music back on again! On reflection, this did not ruin the trip, but I would endeavor that we got to the site earlier and got a better spot, tucked away in a corner, under some trees!!

Breakfast consisted of some delicious scrambled eggs, some coffee and another swim and we then decided to pack up and make our way back to Sarajevo - mainly to watch Murray in the Wimbledon Final!

We had a great weekend and I despite a lack of sleep (which is to be expected when camping) I hope we go again!