A 98-metre drop a dozen kilometres from the city
Skakavac is the tallest waterfall within easy reach of Sarajevo: water falls 98m off a limestone cliff inside the Skakavac Nature Reserve, a protected pocket of beech and fir forest around 12km north of the city centre. It sits close enough to reach without a rental car and far enough that you’ll share the trail with dozens of people rather than hundreds, which is more than can be said for Vrelo Bosne on a warm Sunday.
The name means “grasshopper” in the local languages, which locals will tell you refers to the way spray leaps off the rock face in high water rather than any insect connection. Whether or not that’s the true etymology, it’s a fair description of the waterfall in April: mist jumping off the cliff, visible and audible well before you reach the viewing point.
The honest reason to read this page before you go is timing. Skakavac is fed by a small stream, not a river, and that stream’s volume swings hard between seasons. Get the timing right and you’ll see one of the more striking natural sights near Sarajevo. Get it wrong and you’ll have hiked ninety minutes to look at a wet rock.
The trail from Mrkovići
The standard approach starts at the village of Mrkovići, on the northern edge of Sarajevo’s urban sprawl, reachable by taxi or car in 30 to 40 minutes from the city centre. From Mrkovići, a marked forest trail climbs gradually through beech woodland for roughly 5km to the waterfall viewing area. Budget 1 to 1.5 hours walking each way at an unhurried pace, so 2 to 3 hours round trip including a stop at the falls, more if you picnic there.
The path is well-trodden and signed, gaining a moderate amount of elevation without requiring any scrambling or technical skill. Trainers or light hiking shoes are fine in dry conditions; after rain, the forest floor gets muddy and proper hiking boots make the descent considerably easier. There’s no entrance fee and no ticket booth — this is an open, unmanaged nature reserve, not a paid attraction.
A shorter alternative approaches from the village of Nahorevo, slightly closer to the city, which some local operators use to shave 20 to 30 minutes off the round trip. Either way, you’re looking at a genuine forest hike rather than a stroll, so bring water, decent shoes and a bit of daylight buffer, particularly if you’re heading out in the afternoon.
If you’d rather not work out the trailhead and timing yourself, a guided option covers the walk with a local leader and usually builds in a coffee or picnic stop at the falls.
a half-day guided hike out to Skakavac takes care of transport to Mrkovići and the trail itself, which is useful if you’re short on time or don’t want to navigate the forest paths solo. For something more relaxed, a version of the hike that builds in a proper picnic and coffee break at the falls turns the outing into more of an afternoon than a there-and-back walk.
The seasonal reality: strong in spring, weak in summer
This is the point worth being blunt about. Skakavac’s water comes from snowmelt and rainfall draining off the surrounding hills, not from a permanent spring or glacier-fed source. That means its appearance changes dramatically through the year:
| Period | What to expect |
|---|---|
| April - May | Full flow, snowmelt-fed; the waterfall at its most dramatic |
| June | Still strong most years, tapering by late June |
| July - August | Frequently reduced to a thin trickle or a series of drips down the rock face |
| September - October | Depends on autumn rainfall; can recover after a wet spell |
| Winter | Can partially freeze in cold snaps, with icicles forming on the cliff face; trail can be icy and is less recommended without proper footwear |
If you’re visiting in July or August and Skakavac is the main reason for the trip, it’s worth checking recent photos or asking locally before committing half a day to it — a dry summer can leave the cliff nearly bare. This isn’t a reason to skip the hike outright: the forest walk itself, and the viewpoint over the valley, are pleasant regardless of water volume, and the reserve’s shade is a genuine relief from Sarajevo’s summer heat in the valley below. But if a full, roaring waterfall is what you’re picturing, go in spring.
How Skakavac compares to Bosnia’s other waterfalls
Skakavac’s selling point is height and proximity, not power. Two other falls come up constantly in comparison, and neither is a substitute for the other:
| Waterfall | Height | Distance from Sarajevo | Reliability |
|---|---|---|---|
| Skakavac | 98m | ~12km | Seasonal — strong in spring, weak by August |
| Kravice | ~25m, ~120m wide | ~180km, about 3 hours | Reliable year-round, fuller in spring, popular for summer swimming |
| Pliva Falls, Jajce | ~20m, in the town centre | ~165km, about 2.5 hours | Reliable, urban setting, less of a hike |
Kravice, near Mostar, is shorter but much wider and fed by the Trebižat river, so it keeps flowing through summer and is genuinely swimmable in July and August — that’s the trip to book if a guaranteed, photogenic waterfall with a swim attached is what you want in high season. Jajce’s Pliva Falls drop right in the middle of town, no hike required, and are similarly dependable. Skakavac wins on height and on being reachable without leaving Sarajevo for the day, but it loses on summer reliability. Treat it as a spring hike, not an all-season guarantee.
Getting there and practical notes
A taxi from central Sarajevo to Mrkovići costs roughly 15-20 KM (about 8-10 EUR) one way on the meter; agree a return pickup time if you don’t want to arrange a taxi back from the village afterwards, since phone signal thins out on the trail itself. There’s no public bus that runs directly to the trailhead, which is the main reason most independent visitors either drive, taxi, or join a guided hike.
Bring more water than you think you need — there are no shops or kiosks on the trail — along with decent shoes, and a jacket even in summer, since the forest and the spray zone near the falls stay noticeably cooler than the city. A picnic at the top is a good use of the extra time if the weather’s decent; there are flat rocks near the viewing area suited to it, though nothing in the way of facilities.
The reserve is a genuinely quiet stretch of forest, and mobile signal is patchy once you’re a kilometre or so in. As with any hike in the hills around Sarajevo, stick to the marked trail rather than cutting through the undergrowth. Suspected minefields remain in parts of Bosnia and Herzegovina away from cleared and regularly used paths, and while the Mrkovići-Skakavac route is a well-known, well-walked trail with no such concerns, the safe habit — stay on marked paths, respect any yellow or red warning signs, and don’t wander off-trail chasing a better photo angle — is worth keeping wherever you hike in this country, including here.
If you want to fold Skakavac into a broader look at Sarajevo’s nature and history rather than a single there-and-back hike, a wider city tour built around Yugoslav history and its unravelling covers some of the same northern hills.
a Sarajevo tour tracing Yugoslavia’s rise and fall takes a different route through the region’s story, and pairs reasonably with a separate half-day dedicated to the waterfall itself. Cyclists sometimes combine a ride out toward the northern hills with a stop near the Tunnel of Hope on the opposite side of the valley.
a guided bike tour that includes entry to the Tunnel of Hope is worth considering as a different kind of half-day out, though it doesn’t reach Skakavac itself — the terrain and direction are different.
Where Skakavac fits in a Sarajevo itinerary
Most visitors treat Skakavac as a half-day add-on rather than the centrepiece of a trip, slotted in alongside a morning in Baščaršija or as an alternative to the more crowded Vrelo Bosne. If you only have one full day free for nature outside the city, the choice between the two comes down to what you want: Vrelo Bosne is flat, easy, and reliably scenic year-round with its poplar-lined avenue and horse-drawn carriages; Skakavac is a proper forest hike with a genuine payoff in spring, but a gamble in high summer.
For visitors basing themselves for three days in Sarajevo or longer, Skakavac fits well on a day that also leaves time for Bijambare Caves or a shorter walk around the Trebević cable car area, both reachable from the same general side of the city. If your schedule is tighter, our one-day Sarajevo guide sticks to the city centre and leaves Skakavac for a return trip.
Anyone building a longer hiking-focused stay should also look at hiking around Sarajevo for how Skakavac compares to routes on Trebević, Bjelašnica and the high village of Lukomir, and should read our guide to landmine safety while hiking in Bosnia before heading off any of the well-established, well-marked routes. For those staying near Ilidža, it’s a reasonably short drive to Mrkovići in the opposite direction from Vrelo Bosne, so the two make a natural pairing across two separate mornings rather than one long day.
Skakavac Waterfall: frequently asked questions
How do I get to Skakavac Waterfall from Sarajevo?
Take a taxi or drive to the village of Mrkovići, about 30-40 minutes from central Sarajevo, then follow the marked forest trail on foot for roughly 1 to 1.5 hours each way. There’s no direct public bus to the trailhead.
How long is the hike to Skakavac?
Around 5km each way from Mrkovići, taking 1 to 1.5 hours at a steady walking pace. Budget 2 to 3 hours round trip, more if you stop to picnic at the falls.
Is Skakavac Waterfall worth it in summer?
Not reliably. The stream feeding Skakavac is snowmelt- and rainfall-dependent, and by July or August it often drops to a thin trickle. If a full waterfall is the goal, visit in April or May instead, or head to Kravice Waterfalls near Mostar, which flow year-round.
Is there an entrance fee?
No. Skakavac Nature Reserve has no ticket booth or entrance charge; it’s an open, unmanaged protected area.
What should I bring?
Proper walking shoes (hiking boots after rain), water, a jacket even in warmer months since the forest stays cool, and cash if you’re taking a taxi, since there are no shops or cards accepted on the trail.
Is it safe to hike off the marked trail?
No — stick to the signed path. As with hiking anywhere in Bosnia and Herzegovina, suspected minefields remain in parts of the country away from cleared and regularly used routes. The Mrkovići-Skakavac trail itself is well-established and safe when you stay on it; the habit of never leaving marked paths is worth keeping on every hike here.
Can I combine Skakavac with other sights in one day?
Yes, though most people treat it as a stand-alone half day. It pairs reasonably with Bijambare Caves or a shorter city walk, since the round trip itself takes 2 to 3 hours plus travel time. It doesn’t combine well with Vrelo Bosne or Trebević in the same morning — pick one nature outing per day.
How does Skakavac compare to Vrelo Bosne?
Vrelo Bosne is flat, easy walking along a poplar-lined avenue, reliably scenic year-round, and more crowded. Skakavac is a genuine forest hike with more elevation gain, quieter, and dependent on season — spectacular in spring, underwhelming by late summer.
