Vrbas (river)

The Vrbas is a major river with a length of 235 kilometres (146 mi), in western Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is a right tributary of the Sava river. The city of Banja Luka is located on the river banks. 

The word vrba means "willow" in Bosnian, Serbian and Croatian, and a number of weeping willow trees adorn the river banks in Banja Luka.

It lent its name to one of the provinces (banovinas) of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, the Vrbas Banovina.

It is a right tributary of the river Sava. The Vrbas river appears at the southern slope of the Vranica mountain near the town of Gornji Vakuf, at around 1,530 metres (5,020 ft) above sea level and it drains central part of the northern slopes of the Dinaric mountain massif. It empties into the Sava river at around 90 metres (300 ft) above sea level. Total length of the main watercourse is around 235 kilometres (146 mi).

Average annual rainfall is around 800 l/m2 at the mouth of the Vrbas to the Sava river and up to 1500 l/m2 in the southern part of the basin. Characteristic mean flow is around 34,6 l/s/km2 Maximum rainfall occurs in the southern parts of the Vrbas basin in the late autumn and winter months, with minimum quantities in summer, whereas the northern parts of the basin receive the largest quantities of rain during the summer months (June–July), with the maximum in November and December.

The most important right tributaries are the Desna river, the Ugar, and the Vrbanja, and left: Prusačka river, Semešnica, the Pliva, the Crna Rijeka (Black River), and the Suturlija, which are located in the middle part of the basin

The canyon of the river Rakitnica

The river Rakitnica is probably one of the largest confluent of the river Nere­tva. Its canyon is almost inaccessible, but extremely beautiful. It is almost 26 kilo­meters long.

The water that flows thro­ugh the canyon is crystal clear. It is clean so that it is possible to drink it. This area is full of endemic species of flora and fa­una. The canyon stretches between the mountains Bjelašnica and Visočica that are situated southeast from Sarajevo.

This is probably one of the deepest river canyons in Europe. In that terrain we can find bears, wolves, wild boars, martens and chamoises. The canyon of the river Rakitnica is still unexplored, because there have been only a couple of expe­ditions until now.

The biggest attraction is placed in the upper stream of the river Neretva, near Konjic. This area is conve­nient for rafting because of its numerous wild rapids. To get to rafting, you can use the same road you would use to get to Boračko jezero. The complete experien­ce gives you the sense of relaxation. The mere view represents an adventure.

The pure water, the wild surrounding and the river rapids will make your vacation unforgettable, for sure.