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Route Planning Where to go, when, what are the interesting places to see
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I haven't been everywhere...
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Photo by Hendi Kaf,
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  #1  
Old 9 Feb 2015
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balkans route
Afternoon all!

So myself and a couple of friends are doing a quick two week tour of the Balkans in July. Countries will be Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia, Montenegro, Serbia, Romania (v.briefly) then back through Hungary, Slovakia and Czech rep.

What are 'must sees'?
Are there any border crossings that are closed to international travellers?

How do you plan an off road route? Plan was to pick places to stay each night or at least have a rough idea then try and find off road routes between them. Just not quite sure how to go about doing this!

New to all this so any advice appreciated!

Cheers
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  #2  
Old 9 Feb 2015
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Tom89 View Post
… What are 'must sees'?…
Vršič Pass
Durmitor
Transalpina
Transfăgărășan
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  #3  
Old 9 Feb 2015
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What are "must see" destinations? It depends what you are interested in. As you have mentioned dirt roads, I'll assume that you care for nature more than culture or history.

Slovenia: Vršić pass, Bled Lake, Postojna cave

Croatia: Backroads in Istria, Mt. Učka, Mt. Velebit with countless dirt roads, Adriatic road between Rijeka and Zadar, Plitvice lakes, Krka waterfalls, Mt. Biokovo,

Croatia/Bosnia: Željava deserted air base (partly in Croatia), take care not to unintentionally get out of EU illegally. If you go there, climb to Mt. Plješivica.

Bosnia: River Una canyon, Kravice waterfalls, the springs of river Bosnia in Sarajevo-Ilidža, and river Buna in Blagaj, the old forest Peručica - plenty of unpaved roads everywhere.

Montenegro: Mt Durmitor, The canyon of river Tara, The bay of Kotor, Lake Skadar, the mouth of river Bojana

Serbia: Zlatibor, Đerdap gorge, Ibar canyon, Mt Kopaonik

Romania: Transfagarasan, Transalpina,

the list goes on and on and on...

Some border crossings are just for locals, but those are not on any maps.
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  #4  
Old 10 Feb 2015
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I was down that way last June, didn't do any off road but the Adriatic Highway (E65 route, or D8 road) is a fantastic ride, fast sweeping bends, turquoise sea, small fishing villages clinging to the coastline, some nice seafood restaurants along the way, perfect for a spot of lunch and a cold on a hot afternoon.

I can also recommend the Bosnian city of Mostar, well worth a visit if you like historical places, incredibly friendly people, great food and if your lucky you'll see the locals jumping off the Stari Most bridge.
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Old 10 Feb 2015
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cheers guys! keep it coming!

Started putting suggestions onto a map on my lunch break today so I'll soon have a map littered with pins... and as far as interest goes, decent offroad routes/scenery, historical, cultural. anything is interesting really!

Going on from there, what's the best way to plan a specific route? if i worked out where we plan to sleep each night is the best way to just get a gps and follow unpaved roads in that general direction? or can you set them to only use unpaved roads? (new to gps use as well...)

Did star plotting a specific route using the mapometer for runners/cyclists but sure there must be a more accurate/quicker way to do it!
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Old 10 Feb 2015
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Head up to the North East of Montenegro. From Gusinje to the Albania border is spectacular country and totally untouristed today. Beautiful mountain scenery and some dirt.
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Old 11 Feb 2015
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For more tips and some pics, have a read through this: Terrable Twins travel the Balkans - ADVrider
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Old 11 Feb 2015
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liammons, do you mean south east of Montenegro?

duibhcek, how did you plan the offroad bits? or did you just do it by gps as you went along? Great pics in the ride report 8)
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Old 12 Feb 2015
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No Tom, the sticky out bit above Albania, look on googlemaps, link up to the SH20 in Albania.

Some great roads and wilderness.

Also the area around Biogradska Gora NP.

In Bosnia, Sutjeska has some nice offroading too. Crossing the border and following the Tara river canyon as you go BIH to MNE is a wonderful tarmac drive, there are a couple of turn offs there that bring you into Durmitor and the surrounding area.
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Old 12 Feb 2015
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Originally Posted by Tom89 View Post
duibhcek, how did you plan the offroad bits? or did you just do it by gps as you went along? Great pics in the ride report 8)
I tend do do some research online and rely a lot on OSM maps,. They are pretty good for the region. Sometimes check things in Google Earth or Yandex. And occasionally it is just fun to make it up as you go along. You may need to retrace your steps once in a while but you end up seeing some amazing places.
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  #11  
Old 10 Apr 2015
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Hi Tom,

I did a little tour of the Balkans last year and if you like your roads a bit rougher, I full-heartedly recommend Bosnia and Herzegovina (!!!), especially the region south east of Sarajevo and Mostar. In my humble opinion one of the top off road destinations in Europe. Often overlooked.

Go check out Gilga's beautiful thread on ADV:
Off-road Touring, Beautiful Balkans - ADVrider.

Montenegro is very beautiful, full of breathtaking mountain views, has better infrastructure, is easier to travel. Lots of tourists though, so it feels less adventurous and you'll be sharing the sights.

Albania: not so developed, feels rougher, less European. Very touristy along the coast (beaches and all that), but few venture further. Beautiful and worth discovering.


Your itinerary is pretty ambitious for a two weeks' tour. You'll be riding all day, every day, trying to reach your day's goal. I would seriously consider just getting down there and then slowing down and roaming around a bit.

Summers in the Balkans should be mostly hot and dry. But I had bad luck and happened to ride in the wettest two weeks of that summer. Not fun! You might not want to book accommodation too far in advance so you are able to change your route to avoid possible rain.

Cheers,
Julian
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