One of the more beautiful places in Bosnia and Herzegovina, which is little known, is the Istup waterfall near Stolac.
After arriving in Stolac, continue driving towards the village of Barane. The road is paved but quite narrow.
From the village to the waterfall, there is a dirt road, which is not suitable for lower vehicles. You can park your car in the village and walk to the waterfall (about 1 hour and 15 minutes walk). With a higher vehicle, you can get to within a 20-minute walk.
At the entrance to the village, in the first house on the left, lives Mirza who drives an old white Golf 2. For a certain fee, Mirza can transport visitors along the dirt road. I do not know the exact price, as I only needed to inform him to pick up other people I met on my way back.
The last quarter of the path leads through terrain where it is necessary to wade through shallow and deeper water. The access is difficult and not suitable for small children, as the path is rocky and somewhat slippery due to the water.
Below the waterfall, there are two larger pools. The lower one is more accessible, with a depth of about 1.8 meters, while accessing the upper pool requires more careful climbing over rocks. When I was there, many people did not climb to the upper pool due to a fear of heights. There are bolts through which a rope can be set up if it is necessary to descend from the upper pool.
The upper pool is deeper, around 2.5 meters, and from it, you can see the entire waterfall. You can jump from the surrounding rocks, and below the waterfall, there is an air pocket at a distance of about 0.5 meters – not recommended for those who are claustrophobic (you need to dive below the waterfall and come out on the other side).
HERE is the track that leads from the village to the waterfall (it can be loaded into an app like OsmAnd).
I’ve heard that the water sometimes dries up around mid-July, so the time for visiting is limited. Due to its inaccessibility, it is not crowded. I went on a weekend, and there were only two young men for most of the day, and a small group of hikers who stayed for about 40 minutes.
