Whitewater Rafting the Neretva Gorge from Glavatičevo

Less than an hour north of Sommerhagene, the Neretva River slices through a deep limestone canyon and delivers Herzegovina's signature adrenaline rush. The 18 km stretch between Glavatičevo and Dzajići is a series of Class II to Class III rapids that anyone with basic fitness can tackle. Sign up with Cheyf Rafting in Glavatičevo, pull on a wetsuit, and trade morning villa quiet for cold spray, cliff walls and the roar of moving water.

Cheyf's riverside base issues helmets, life vests and neoprene before loading crews into 8‑person rafts. A short safety drill covers paddle commands and what to do if you swim. Guides steer from the stern while guests power the raft through the first gentle riffles. The emerald water is so clear you can count stones on the riverbed. Within ten minutes the valley narrows and the real fun begins.

The first named rapid, Žilavka, is a bouncy Class II that warms up the arms. Two more technical drops follow. Guides shout "Forward" and the raft lunges into standing waves that slap faces and flood footwells. Between rapids, the river calms under towering pine and oak slopes. This is the time to jump in for a quick swim or float beneath a dripping limestone ledge where icy spring water tumbles straight onto your helmet.

Mid‑route, the raft pulls to the left bank for a short scramble through forest to a 4 m ledge. Adrenaline junkies can leap into a jade pool while the rest film from below. Back in the raft, the largest rapid, Bijela Stijena (Class III), waits. Paddles dig in, the bow lifts, and everyone whoops as cold spray blinds the front line. Two minutes later the raft drifts into a music of dripping paddles and echoing canyon walls.

Cheyf's crew hauls a portable grill onto a sunny gravel bar for lunch. Expect sizzling ćevapi, grilled vegetables and fresh bread, washed down with herbal tea or a cheeky shot of plum rakija. Shoes come off, bodies stretch on warm stones and guides retell the river's wartime history and paddling legends.

The afternoon section eases back to Class II. Sunlight deepens the water to a glass‑green as the gorge opens into a floodplain near Dzajići. On the take‑out ramp, a dry towel and minibus wait for the short shuttle to Glavatičevo. By late afternoon you are back at Sommerhagene, swapping wetsuit for swimwear and letting the villa pool's calm surface replay the river in reverse.

Rafting the Neretva combines raw canyon scenery with beginner‑friendly rapids, cliff jumps and Bosnian hospitality served straight from the grill. It is the quickest way to turn a lazy holiday into a memory that splashes back every time you close your eyes.