Need recommendations for a private guide or tour operator in Dubrovnik for a tour from Dubrovnik to Mostar, Bosnia & Herzegovina. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
I did a day tour/transfer from Mostar to Sarajevo in June 2018 with Ermin Elezovic ([email protected]). He has a large, very comfortable car/van, with huge windows, and is a very safe and careful driver. Ermin is also witty, kind, well organized, and loves his country passionately yet with honest eyes. I emailed back and forth with him to set up my private day transfer to stop at the places where I wanted to stop. His information is also in the Croatia section of Rick's Croatia guide (I think in the Mostar chapter). Strongly suggest that you contact him and see if you could arrange the trip that you want to do with him. I understand that he (or a wonderful young man who also works with him) picks up folks to do private tours from Dubrovnik into BiH. The next paragraph is from my trip report about my trip to Croatia, BiH and Slovenia (https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/trip-report-solo-trip-to-croatia-bosnia-slovenia-part-1-split-croatia)
This was the most beautiful, insightful and enjoyable day of my trip. I pre-arranged with Ermin Elezovic (in the RS book Croatia/Slovenia), p. 429) to pick me up at Panzion Cardak in Mostar and eventually deposit me at the Old Town Hotel in Sarajevo. Ermin is warm, witty and wise. He was dependable, helpful, a great driver, and loves his country passionately yet with insight and honesty. Immediately in the morning we went to the historic gorgeous Sufi site at Blagaj, where the old Sufi Dervish house is built right beside/over a river and beside the cave that is the source of the river. Ermin got us there before any other tour groups or individuals, so we wandered through the house alone, feeling the strength of the ancient stones, the water, the soaring swifts overhead, and the cliffs hanging high above us. He knew about each room, its history and use, and clearly loves and reveres the place. Next we visited the historic old village of Pocitelj, where I explored up high stone stepped streets, and then rejoined Ermin to relax at the shady table of an outdoor cafe run by a friend of his, enjoying the views and the cool drinks. Finally, we had an incredible lunch at a country restaurant down a quiet lane, alongside a small river, that had pools full of fresh trout, and a stone mill where they grind their own polenta. Wowee! For under $10 US I had fabulous grilled fresh trout (those guys were probably swimming earlier that morning), polenta with herbs and butter, salad and bread. Oh my. And we sat in the shade beside a pool, watching other trout swim unaware of their eventual grilly fate. Finally, Ermin drove me into Sarajevo and made sure that I was within a few steps of my hotel. This private tour was my "splurge" of the trip and worth every penny (Bosnian mark).
Very helpful, thank you.