Geocaching in Bosnia and Herzegovina

A lot has changed since the start of the war in Ukraine last week. For this reason we had to cancel our cacher trip to Chernobyl. Alternatively, we now offer you a trip to the capital of Bosnia-Herzegovina, Sarajevo. In this blog post we will tell you what awaits you there.

On a treasure hunt in Sarajevo

We would like to send one request straight away: We are well aware that Putin's terrible war against Ukraine is taking place near Bosnia-Herzegovina. Our team fully relies on the power of international understanding, which is supported by the geocaching community. When searching for geocaches in foreign countries together, we are not interested in looking and having fun at the expense of others. Solidarity with one another counts. More on this later. Back to topic: Geocaching in Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Sarajevo is a historic capital in south-eastern Europe. Above all, three historical events shaped our image of this city: In 1914, the assassination attempt on the Austro-Hungarian heir to the throne, Franz Ferdinand, was carried out here. As a result, World War I broke out. 70 years later the Winter Olympics took place in Sarajevo. Around ten years later, war raged again here: The Bosnian War shook the country from 1992 to 1995.

What does Sarajevo's history have to do with geocaching? As for all Olympic Winter Games, extraordinary sports facilities were built for this event here in Sarajevo. Over time, these places deteriorated and became Lost Places. One of the best-known photo motifs on the sports grounds is probably the large bobsleigh run. Where once top athletes steered their sleds across the ice to the finish line, colorful graffiti now adorns the bobsleigh run.

What is a lost place in geocaching again? Celebrity geocacher Bernhard Hoëcker defines a Lost Place as follows: "Lost Place (LP or LPC) - Geocache on or near an abandoned site or building." (Source: "The Official Geocaching Guide", 2016) If you want to see what it looks like there, check out the listing of “[Lost place] Olympic bobsleigh track Sarajevo“ (GC7VD5R) right on. There you will also find snapshots of the already mentioned graffiti on the bob run.

Interaction of cultures

Has it ever happened to you that you met strangers while looking for a cache and you had a great chat about your favorite outdoor game? Or maybe you supported each other to get the geocache? Yes, indeed: Geocaching connects, even across cultural borders – if such really exist at all.

In this sense, we can safely say that geocaching promotes solidarity with other people. And the interest in the unknown and foreign is also increased, because without this curiosity the fun of the game decreases. In addition, there is the most careful handling of our nature, as is already written in the Geocaching Guidelines.

Travel educates in the truest sense of the word. And cacher trips do this in their own unique way. Here you will experience international community in the most diverse places on earth. It's almost like an Olympic village, where diverse people from diverse cultures live together peacefully and pursue a common goal.

However, we don't just want to rave about how great it is to travel together. This is about more than just looking, we make our small but fine contribution to strengthening the tourist regions. Adventurous and yet peaceful, we as a geocaching community travel the world and do good things for ourselves and others.

Unforgettable experiences on geocaching tour

The concrete experience of countries and cultures is different: The direct encounter with other people creates unforgettable experiences, which in the best case has good consequences for everyone. Geocaching tours and cacher trips are great for creating shared experiences. Because in the truest sense of the word you create something extraordinary in cooperation with other geocachers: you solve puzzles, climb seemingly inaccessible hiding places and help each other in the team to lift the respective geocache.

It will be no different in Bosnia-Herzegovina. And while we're in the area, we'll take the country dot of Montenegro with us. On an excursion we will also briefly visit the neighboring republic. The exact travel plan and further travel dates can be found in our travel description "Sarajevo“.

Would you like to read about the experiences of other geocachers and know what they experienced during their caching trips? No problem! Take a look at our section „travel confession“ around.

In times like these, solidarity and hospitality are two activities that cannot be overestimated. We are looking forward to what will surely be an unforgettable journey to the south-east of Europe and hope that you will also travel with us.

Useful tips for a cacher trip

Last but not least, we give you a few tips on how to prepare for your cacher journey.

  • Make sure that your ID document is up to date.

  • With the exception of breakfast at the hotel, please take care of your own meals. In Sarajevo there are delicious regional delicacies that will certainly fill you up.

  • Please also plan your way to and from the airport yourself. You might even find another geocaching tour on the way there or back. After all, geocaches are hidden almost everywhere.

  • Please find out which corona protection measures apply during your arrival and departure so that you can actually start your journey.

  • Less is more, at least when it comes to luggage. But that is of course up to you. Among geocachers it is almost a matter of course: weatherproof outdoor clothing also has its advantages on this trip.

  • We've also set aside some time to explore the city on your own, so if you want to see something specific, it's worth doing at least a rough plan.

If you have a specific or even several questions about our cacher trips, you can also call us: +49 (0) 511 700 235 60. Or you can simply write to us via our contact form a message.

You can find photos and videos from our diverse cacher trips on our Instagram channel and Youtube channel. So then: See you soon in the forest!

PS: At the very end, we will link you to a few of our blog posts that might also be of interest to you: