While I was staying in Mostar, in southwestern Bosnia and Herzegovina, I joined an all-day tour through my hostel. We visited a number of beautiful sites in the region around Mostar with a local guide - and honestly it was brilliant.
We visited the iconic Blagaj, swam in Kravica Waterfall, explored an abandoned Yugoslav bunker and enjoyed the view over Mostar from the new Skywalk.
One of the stops was to the little village of Počitelj.
How to Get to Počitelj
I visited Počitelj as part of a group tour through my hostel in Mostar, Hostel Nina. Almost every single hostel I looked at in Mostar offered a similar sort of tour. If you're staying elsewhere, this was a tour with Get Your Guide which I also looked at that goes to most of the same spots as my tour did.
Otherwise, it's just a half-hour drive if you have your own car.
What to Do in Počitelj
Our guide called Počitelj Bosnia and Herzegovina's "open-air museum" and living history of this beautiful country. Throughout history, Počitelj was occupied by Bosnian, Ottoman and Austro-Hungarian forces, before being abandoned as a military post. This idyllic little village is nestled 30km south of Mostar and was once home to hundreds of families. Now, much of the village lies in ruins thanks to the wars of the 90s, and many inhabitants left the region, although about a dozen of the families still call it home.
I was already so impressed by what I had seen of Bosnia and Herzegovina so far and it really felt like what our guide said was true.
The best thing to do at Počitelj is to wander the quaint paths and hike up to the fortress overlooking the whole town. Much is in ruins, but the inner spiral staircase remains strong and intact inviting visitors to gingerly climb up the dark steps for seriously magnificent views of the entire village below and the river glistening in both directions.
It is hot and shadeless in Počitelj, and some families do still live here, so be cautious not to enter any privte properties as you wander through the village.
