Vanda, Belgian Shepherd dog, is jumping out of his box in the back of the vehicle, leaping without knowing which side to go to, while the morning mist on the lake Orlovačko in the heart Zelengore makes this place mystical.


Nothing can go fast

The first morning coffee has a special flavor in this place, a light breakfast,with freshly picked mushrooms in the surrounding area is priceless.

We set off from Sarajevo at five o'clock in the morning in the direction of Lake Orlovacko who, as many say, is the most beautiful of the nine gems on Zelengora.

We make a short break in the canyon of the Sutjeska, we take our rods and try to catch something on the rapids, but nothing - better luck next time, people from the Lottery of Bosnia and Herzegovina would say.

We continue in the direction of Čemerno, where we will going trough not that good gravel road, to the very bowels of the mountain of Zelengora.

We pass near the table that says Source of Neretva, a short stop, but we'll leave that for another time.

After twenty kilometers of bumpy road, we arrive at the highest elevations, the pass which is interesting because there is where the hiking trails to Kotlaničko (1,525 meters above sea level), or Štirinsko lake (1,672 meters above sea level) begins . Dirt road suddenly descends and leads us to the Orlovačko lake.

We make a break in order to enjoy the sight of the harmony of nature in which every top, every cliff, every source, vast pastures, have their rightful place.

And while the wind blows away the morning mist, your eyes can not stop. Running from the top of the other. It is not known which is more beautiful and more attractive...

Eyes wander from the rocky ridge to the wide pastures, deep deciduous and coniferous forest high. Samir recalls his last arrival in this area, 22 years ago.

- This has all been full of hikers and nature lovers, herb, mushroom and blueberry pickers ... And, see, we now have not met a single one- says Samir.

On the left, right in the corner of this beauty, at the foot of the peak Kalelija is Jugovo Lake (Borilovačko, 1,500 meters above sea level).

Vanda and the duck

It is the only artificial lake on Zelengora Mountain. It was created by damming the creek - explains Samir, whose roots originate from this region.

We descend by so far the worst part of the dirt road to the Orlovačko lake (1,438 meters above sea level), which is located in a grassy valley, on the northwest tip of Orlovac (1,962 meters) and in the south, the top of stack (1,821 meter). Its area is about three and a half hectares, and the maximum depth of the lake is about five and a half meters.

For those who choose to camp and stay longer on Zelengora, this is the perfect place. From here you can organize a series of mountain tours, one of which is most attractive to the highest peak of Zelengora Bregoc (2,014 meters).

After a light breakfast we go on a tour of the lake and the first thing that catches the eye, are blueberries which are abundant. They have brought our healthy breakfast to perfection.

Approaching the lake, and without a second thought, Vanda goes into the water from which we see, it seems, a wild duck. For us it is still early, and the weather's sure not helping- one moment sunny , then windy and a bit of rain, so ... Anyway, the lake is normaly suitable for swimming.

We make a circle around Orlovacko lakes and notice that there is a very rich fauna. In addition to wild ducks, there are snakes, frogs, and in the lake there is fish.

Saho, a known hunter, and a member of our little four-member expedition, is the first one to notice and then he explains the traces left by animals. He can see a wild boar, deer ..., they come to the lake due to the water or maybe they come to swim.

We decided to climb up on one of the nearby peaks above the lake. We are entering a rare beech forest and we find the signs that will take us to the top Orlovac.

We look at the lake from a bird's perspective and we conclude that Zelengora is worth to come to just because of this, you loose your breath from such great beauty, just watch and enjoy.

In the distance we see a large flock of sheep which is covered the pastures of this part of Zelengora and there will be here until the middle of September, exploiting the benefits offered by this mountain.

The rain begins to fall more, and in the distance you can hear the occasional thunder, so Samir proposes that we return. He knows the nature of this mountain and knows that's not pleasant to be in the open when thunders start hitting.

This, he says, is enough for today. And he is completely right ...

Lakes of Zelengora

On Zelengora there are eight glacial lakes and one artificial. In addition to Orlovacko, Juginog, Kotlaničko and Štirinjskog, there are Black, White, Kladopoljsko, Upper and Lower Ponds, prettier than the other, and they make Zelengora a mountain jewel of the Balkan Peninsula. All these lakes belong to the National Park Sutjeska, and one of the traditions of this area is the mountain walk with a traditional name Zelengora Lakes.

The highest peaks of Zelengora are Stog, Ljeljen, Orlovac, Videž, Kalelija, Todor, Kozja strana, Bregoč.

The trails on Zelengora not characterized by extreme or very heavy climbs, but are no less attractive by  beauty of the landscape and flora and fauna.

A special attraction of Zelengore are pastures, traditional summer resorts.