Prenj Mountain: Herzegovina's Stone King

Prenj rises north of Čapljina like a wall of serrated limestone. Locals call it the Herzegovinian Himalaya, and they are only half joking. Eleven peaks top two thousand meters, the weather shifts by the hour, and legends claim the Slavic thunder god once lived here. If you want wilderness that looks you square in the eye, Prenj is your mountain.

Picture sharp gray ridges, white karst slopes, and hidden meadows carpeted with alpine flowers. Valleys such as Tisovica sit ringed by rock towers that glow pink at sunrise. In spring, snow patches linger beside purple crocuses. By mid-summer, the heat turns the higher slopes silver, and noon thunderheads rumble across the peaks. Stand on Zelena Glava at 2115 meters and you see the Adriatic shimmer in the distance, the Neretva River far below, and a horizon stitched with Bosnian ranges.

• Easiest summit. Tisovica Valley to Zelena Glava. A rough 4x4 track gets you near the valley, then a marked path climbs five hundred vertical meters. Expect four hours up, three down.
• Lupoglav for bragging rights. Steeper, less marked, some scrambling. Not for first timers.
• Weather. Take layers. Prenj can drop fifteen degrees between the valley and the summit, and storms build fast.
• Water. Karst rock means few springs. Carry at least two liters each.
• Maps and guiding. Trail blazes fade. A GPS track or local guide saves wrong turns and helps avoid areas still being cleared of old conflict ordnance. Stick to known routes.
• Season. June to October for hikers. May still has snow. Winter demands full alpine gear.
• Wildlife. Watch for chamois leaping cliffs and eagles riding thermals. Brown bears and wolves keep to forested sides and avoid people.

Prenj is close enough for a long day trip from Sommerhagene Resort, yet wild enough to feel far from everywhere. One steady climb rewards you with silence broken only by wind and occasional goat bells. At sunset, the peaks fade to indigo while the first stars flicker over Herzegovina. You head back to the trailhead, dusty, tired, and oddly light, pockets full of loose limestone chips that somehow look like trophies.

Pack good boots, respect the mountain's moods, and take a flask of plum rakija for a summit toast. Prenj gives nothing for free, but what it offers big sky, raw stone, untamed air, stays with you long after the hike ends.