Please make sure that the water level is high enough before planning your bridge jump. When driving through Bosnia Herzegovina, one of the best things you can do is the Mostar Bridge jump! Famous for the old bridge of Mostar "Stari Most", which spans the river Neretva, and for the daring bridge jumper, countless visitors flock to visit this charming town. If you love meat, you might disagree, though. Though saying that, people have died in the past, and the day before I jumped a guy had to be rushed to hospital with two suspected broken arms; there was a serious element of danger here, and after hearing that particular story I was bricking it. But if you do the practice jumps and then decide that the full jump is not for you, you only have to pay the initial 10 Euros. It is the story of the Old Bridge, an elegant single span arch built over the river Neretva by the Ottoman Turks. Multiple dive club members stand on the bridge and down by the water. Mostar was named after the bridge keepers who guarded the Stari Most in the medieval times. You will then need to pay for the jump. In itself, the Stari Most bridge has a rich and interesting history. Personally, I still kept on my swim shorts. It's a postcard in reality. We did a coin flip to decide who would jump first and, luckily or not, I got to jump last. The best traditional restaurant in Mostar according to our inspection is FoodHouse on the western bank of Neretva, appr. Yes, its a Bosnian legend: jumping off Mostar Bridge is how a boy becomes a man in Mostar! Recommended. But my thinking was, if so many other people can do it, then why would it be so bad for me? Daredevil high divers celebrated the occasion by resuming their championship event at the bridge, jumping from its 90-foot-high arch into the Neretva River. The Mostar Bridge Jumping Festival, a local tradition which involves auspicious folk hurling themselves into it off a Bridge! Good question! Still, its a stunning landmark and icon of peace known all over the world. Whats good is that, if you do the 10 meter jump and then don't want to do the big jump, is you only then pay the 10 and that's it. I hope you can fit it in though - it's such an amazing experience! Just go and speak to one of those guys; tell them you want to do the Mostar Bridge jump, dont be shy; they are very friendly and helpful. Once youve perfected your technique, theyll take you back up to the bridge for the actual jump. Entrance to the Koski Mehmed mosque is just 6 Euros. 020 7155 9863 The Mostar Bridge Jumping Festival! The tradition of jumping is 451 years old. The dive team there are great people and youre in for a cool adventure! Now, this is not something you should decide to do willy-nilly because the waters are dangerous, and many people have been injured or even killed by merely choosing to try it for themselves. After a few years, an international scientific committee was established by UNESCO and arranged a team for the reconstruction of the bridge, along with many parts of the Old Town, which were also damaged and destroyed. Very good. I am ready physically and mentally. As you rise from the water, everyone around should hopefully be clapping and you just swim to the shore and go meet your friends once again. You can look down off the railings from the top and get a feel for how high it is. Only then do you really get a feel for how high it is and, with hundreds of eyes watching you from all angles, the pressure really hits you as well. In a literal sense, the word most is the Bosnian word for bridge. And I can personally validate that this is true. It costs 10 for the practice jump and 20 for the actual jump. However, I had just completed a successful jump and been inducted into the Mostari Diving Clubs Hall of Fame, an honour that fewer than 1,000 people around the world can claim. The tradition of jumping off the bridge in Mostar began in 1664. We travel & write about food, accomm & the best things to do in the Balkans. So, thats how I found myself standing on the edge of the bridge, heart pounding, staring at the abyss below. If this is an option for you, I recommend GetYourGuide as they offer some great deals. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. For hundreds of years, the Mostar bridge has stood as an icon of multicultural coexistence, connecting the east banks Muslim and west banks Catholic communities. Old Bridge (Stari Most): Mostar Bridge Jump - See 4,348 traveler reviews, 4,333 candid photos, and great deals for Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina, at Tripadvisor. First up, you need to speak to the diving club. Also, can I use sandals for my feet, because climbing ashore will hurt my feet because of the sharp stones. What To Pack For Albania In the second Siege of Mostar, the Old Bridge was used for combat on the front line, until Croats shelled it on 9th of November 1993. On Monday, the people of the town of Mostar gathered to commemorate the 27th Anniversary of the destruction of the town's iconic bridge during the Yugoslav Wars. Nothing makes me happier than capturing the world one destination at a time so make sure you follow me on my adventures! That averages . What happens now is, one at a time, you cross over the wall of the bridge and stand looking out over the water. Although the competition is held in the middle of the summer (end of July), water is very cold so only the most trained and the most skilled will try to jump. Just before sunset, the cream-colored stone surface of Stari Most turns golden, shimmering upon the beautifully renovated old town of Mostar. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); 2023 Bizarre Globe Hopper. Well, you will splash against the green Neretva River in 3 seconds after jumping off Stari Most. Youll then need to do a few practice jumps. Yes, people have died jumping off Mostar Bridge. No matter what the weather, someone will jump off the bridge like a diving. 21 Pins 5y Collection by Tour Guide Mostar Similar ideas popular now Diving Travel Bridge Cliff Diving It was made with 456 blocks of white stone, held together by a system of anchors and dowels. 2,310 reviews. So, what else could I do? So technically, the current bridge is not old, but its still a replica of the old bridge. I'm an Economics graduate with a passion for travel. The jump costs 35 (10 for the training and 25 for the Old Bridge jump). The Crooked Bridge looks like a miniature of the Old Bridge. They will ask you to jump a few times until you get the technique correct. Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. As soon as I jumped off Mostar bridge I knew I had done it wrong. The Stari Most really is one of the sites you must absolutely visit when traveling through the Balkans. Ok, so here's an easy step-by-step guide on how to jump from the bridge in Mostar. There are rocks and branches beneath the bridge and currents can be strong. Once youve spoken to the team and decided you definitely want to jump, they will give you a wetsuit and take you out for a few practice jumps. After living in Croatia for 5 weeks, we decided we should drive through and stop off in Bosnia Herzegovina before heading back home to the UK. They will also give you a wetsuit to help protect against the cold. Every year there is a special bridge jump competition . In my opinion, hell yeah! If you do the whole thing and pay the full 30 Euros, then be aware that you will also become an official member of the Mostar Dive Club! Somehow, at the last second, I managed to pull my arms and legs in, grab my balls, and make myself pencil-thin as I speared the water. Being a symbol for the town and for the whole of Bosnia, as soon as the war was over there were meticulous plans to rebuild it exactly the same as it was before the war, right down to the smallest detail. That 20 will also make you a member of the dive club, allowing you to jump in the future again whenever you want. Pop in the pub at the eastern end the Crooked Bridge for craft beer at the terrace overlooking the bridge. They will also enter your name into the official record books alongside the hundreds of others who have completed the jump. This website uses cookies to improve your experience. One of the dive instructors will also be there to steady you and help you. And after Cazzy told me it was possible that's exactly what I decided to do As a part of our drive around the world, we actually found ourselves back in Mostar in July 2021. If youve heard about the ghosts of Mostar, please share the stories in the comments below! I'm Macca & I run the multiple award-winning blog An Adventurous World. He didn't stick the landing and dislocated his arm. Everyone around you gets involved in the fun, and theres a great atmosphere. The Mostar bridge jump in Bosnia costs 25 euros per person. We witness a daring and incredibly high bridge jump in Mostar, Bosnia. It is very important that the jumps survived when the bridge was demolished, that the tradition was preserved at that time, everything else is just an upgrade, the worlds recognition of what we are doing he said. Mostar was even named after the bridge keepers (mostari). As far as physical fitness is concerned, I think that I have given the maximum said Listo, emphasizing that he wants to defend the title but also to pass without injury. Divers take plunge off mostar bridge in centuries old tradition. There will be lots of handshaking and high-fives at this point; its excellent! It it Ill tell you all about what its like doing this jump, and whether there have been any Mostar bridge deaths. All in all, it doesn't take long from booking the jump to actually doing it. But it is now time for the actual jump! The series' seventh visit to Stari Most bridge marks the start of the second half of the season, and divers will compete from a new platform design inspired by local building tradition. Theres a lot of excitement around people jumping, so expect to see dozens of people with their phones and cameras out, ready to record you! Your email address will not be published. Mostarski Ikari Diving Club organizes all bridge jumps for adrenaline rush seeking tourists. Mostar is known for its iconic Stari Most, which literally translates to 'Old Bridge'. It costs 20 Euros to sign up for the bridge jumping into the water and an additional 10 Euros for your practice jumps from a smaller 10-meter platform. In the evening haze, legends and ghost stories come alive. As I broke the surface, the first thing I did was look back to the bridge; it was huge! Before you jump, the dive team will outfit you with a wetsuit. Sinan was the chief Ottoman architect of Suleyman the Magnificent. But lets dig deeper into the history and tragic legends of Stari Most! You can jump off the Mostar Old Bridge with permission of the Dive Club to the right of the bridge. Ok, thats a joke! Mostarski Ikari Diving Club has been officially operating since the end of the war in 1995. Hows the jump, then? We want to use, edit and work with this amazing Image. You must hit water properly to avoid injuries: thats what the training is all about. Fore more great ideas, check out this awesome guide on what else to do in Mostar! Many locals can tell you openly that its definitely not safe to jump off Mostar Bridge. Its easy to forget you are in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Mostarian jumps are the most important tourist event and brand for Mostar and all of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and during the times of traditional jumps from the Old Bridge the city of Mostar is the most visited. The art of bridge diving is entertaining to watch, so why not to support a diver and the club. But I believe they are happy to let you jump even if theres just one person. It was great fun watching Joe (the American) and Dom (the Austrian) jump first, and there's a real buzzing atmosphere of excitement all around the bridge. , I recommend GetYourGuide as they offer some great deals off Mostar bridge I knew had. 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