Jablaničko Lake, a marvellous man-made gem

If you happen to be in Bosnia & Herzegovina, more precisely in the region between the towns of Konjic and Jablanica (only 70 km from Sarajevo and 60 from Mostar), and if you are a nature lover, you will be spoiled for a choice here. High-thrill seekers can feel the real rush of adrenaline during ultimate rafting on the Neretva River, or they can test their gorge walking skills at Rakitnica, Europe’s most unexplored canyon. For softer nature aficionados, chilling out at Boračko Lake or just admiring the divine Neretva River can be a good deal. On the top of this comes the icing on the cake – Jablaničko Lake, a marvellous human-made gem.

Pure and good quality water

Bosnia & Herzegovina, a country of plentiful watercourses and lakes, has no shortage of pure and good quality water. On the contrary, we are among the rare countries in the world were water deficiency is nonexistent. Besides numerous mountainous rivers, another essential water sources are also artificial lakes. One of them is Jablaničko Lake, created in 1953 by the construction of a massive hydroelectric dam (80 m high) on the Neretva River, only 5 km upstream from the town of Jablanica. Having a rather elongated shape over the surface of 13km2, the depth of lake fluctuates between 25 and 80 m (80 m being a maximum).

Lake cruises around fishermen’s paradise

Not only the lake is beautiful, but also the nature that surrounds it is stunning as well. Among others, worth mentioning are spectacular highlands of Blidinje Nature Park and Mt Prenj – known as Bosnian Himalayas. Swimming in Jablaničko Lake is an attraction for itself. Water sports lovers can rent traditional wooden boats or simply join some of the organized lake cruises. However, if fly-fishing is your thing, you will be in the right place, as this is one of the best locations for fishing in the country. This fishermen’s paradise offers 13 sorts of fish, some of them being endemic and only found here. There is also a local habit of selling the fisherman’s catches of the day along the road around the lake. So, if you have no luck with fishing, you can still buy some.

Artificial but nature-shaped

The regions of Konjic and Jablanica are rather prosperous when it comes to natural gems. It goes without saying that one of them is Jablaničko Lake. Perhaps artificial, but it became beautifully nature-shaped. Being a popular weekend destination for the locals, with plentiful of pensions, hotel and campsite along the shore, this marvelous man-made gem deserves to be discovered by worldwide nature admirers as well.