Rafting the Una: Štrbački buk, Martin Brod and a trip apart from Sarajevo

Why this is not a Sarajevo day trip

Every other rafting guide on this site starts from Sarajevo and gets you on the water within an hour or two. The Una is different. Una National Park sits in the far northwest of the country, near Bihać, close to the Croatian border, and it is roughly 300km and about 4 hours 30 minutes from Sarajevo by road. That is longer than the drive to Dubrovnik, and about the same as Sarajevo to Belgrade.

Doing that drive there and back on the same day, on top of a day of rafting, is not realistic and not something we recommend. If Una rafting is on your list, plan it as its own 2-3 day trip, or slot it into a longer loop that already has you in the northwest of the country - most naturally paired with Banja Luka, which is closer to the Una than Sarajevo is and has its own rafting on the Vrbas river. See driving in Bosnia and car rental in Sarajevo if you are self-driving from the capital, and check rafting season and safety in Bosnia before you commit dates.

This guide treats the Una on its own terms rather than folding it into our Neretva-based logistics, because the base, the season, and the character of the river are genuinely different from the rafting out of Konjic that most Sarajevo-based visitors do. If your time is limited and Sarajevo is your only base, rafting the Neretva from Konjic is the realistic choice; this page is for travellers building a longer route through Bosnia and Herzegovina, or basing part of their trip in the northwest.

Getting there: routes and driving times

There are two practical approaches, depending on where the rest of your trip runs.

From Sarajevo, the drive to Bihać runs north-west through Jajce and Ključ, on mostly two-lane roads through hill country - budget the full 4 hours 30 minutes and expect to stop. There is no direct train, and bus connections require a change and take considerably longer than driving. If you are coming from Sarajevo, this only makes sense as a multi-day trip, ideally worked into a longer 7-day Bosnia road trip rather than tacked onto a city stay.

From Banja Luka, the Una is much closer - under 2 hours to Bihać on decent roads - which is why we suggest Banja Luka as the more sensible second base for anyone splitting a Bosnia trip between the capital and the northwest. If you are travelling in from Croatia (Zagreb or the coast), Bihać itself sits close to the border crossing and is often the easier entry point into Bosnia and Herzegovina altogether.

Once you are in the Bihać area, Una National Park’s main entrances - including Martin Brod, where most rafting starts - are a further 30 to 45 minutes by local road, well signposted from the town.

Štrbački buk and Martin Brod

The single image most people associate with the Una is Štrbački buk: a waterfall of around 24m where the river drops in a wide curtain over a travertine shelf inside the national park, close to the village of Martin Brod. Unlike some of the country’s more remote natural sights, it is an easy stop - a short, well-maintained walk from the car park to several viewing points, with wooden walkways along parts of the bank. It gets busy in July and August; late spring or early autumn gives you the same water with fewer people.

Martin Brod itself is a small settlement built around the river, with the ruins of an old Ottoman-era mill complex and ferry crossing, and it functions as the practical hub for rafting put-in points, park entry, and a handful of small guesthouses and restaurants serving grilled trout from the river. It is quieter and more low-key than Bihać, and worth a night if you want to be by the water rather than commuting in each day.

Park entry is charged separately from any rafting trip; expect a modest fee at the gate in season, and buy your ticket before you plan to walk to the falls, since it also covers the marked trail network inside the park.

Rafting the Una: rapids, season, and how it compares to the Neretva

The Una is a different river to raft than the Neretva most Sarajevo-based visitors are used to. Sections around and below Martin Brod include faster, more technical rapids, with more continuous whitewater in places than the largely grade II-III float most operators run out of Konjic. That does not mean it is inaccessible - operators run everything from gentle, family-friendly floats on calmer lower stretches to more demanding whitewater sections for people who want a proper adrenaline day - but it does mean you should be honest with an operator about your experience and what you actually want, rather than assuming “rafting” means the same trip everywhere in the country.

	Una (Bihać / Martin Brod)	Neretva (Konjic)
Distance from Sarajevo	~300km, ~4h30	~60km, ~1h
Character	More technical, faster sections	Mostly grade II-III, family-friendly
Best season	May-September	April-October
Typical trip length	Half-day to full-day	Half-day
Good for	Experienced rafters, combined with Bihać/Banja Luka trip	First-time rafters, Sarajevo day trip

Season runs May to September, same broad window as elsewhere in the country, but water levels and temperature swing more here: late spring gives you full, cold, fast water; by August the river is warmer and somewhat lower, and some operators shift towards the calmer lower Una for family groups rather than running the harder upper sections. If you specifically want the technical whitewater the Una is known for, aim for May or June and book with an operator who is explicit about which stretch you will be on.

For a broader comparison of Bosnia’s main rafting rivers and how to think about season and water levels generally, see rafting season and safety in Bosnia.

Choosing a rafting trip

Operators in Bihać run trips ranging from relaxed family floats to full whitewater days, and it is worth matching the trip to who you are travelling with rather than booking the first one you find.

For families or anyone rafting for the first time, a gentler run on the lower river is the sensible choice - you get the scenery and the current without the harder technical sections. A family-friendly rafting run on the Una out of Bihać is built for exactly this, with a calmer route and a pace suited to children.

For a middle-ground trip that still puts you inside the national park proper, this rafting adventure through Una National Park runs closer to Štrbački buk and Martin Brod, combining the park scenery with a genuine whitewater stretch.

If you would rather stay on the lower, gentler section of the river without leaving Bihać itself, a relaxed rafting trip on the lower Una keeps things simple and short, useful if you are tight on time or travelling with older relatives.

For a different pace on the water, a guided kayak safari on the Una gets you closer to the banks and wildlife than a group raft does, at the cost of needing a bit more paddling confidence.

Whichever trip you book, ask directly which stretch of river you will be on and how it is graded that day - water levels change through the season and a good operator will tell you plainly rather than oversell a calm day as whitewater or vice versa.

Where to stay: Bihać or Martin Brod

Bihać is the practical base: the largest town in the area, with the widest choice of guesthouses and hotels, restaurants, and the operators running most of the rafting trips listed above. It also has its own old town on an island in the river, worth an evening walk if you have the time. Most rafting trips include transfer to and from Bihać as part of the package.

Martin Brod, inside or right at the edge of the national park, is quieter and smaller - a scattering of guesthouses and a couple of restaurants, aimed squarely at people visiting the falls and rafting rather than at general tourism. Staying here means less driving each day and evenings by the river, at the cost of fewer dining options and a more limited choice of rooms, especially in July and August when it is worth booking ahead.

Neither option is expensive by Western European standards, and both are noticeably quieter than Mostar or Sarajevo in peak season - one of the genuine appeals of coming this far northwest.

Landmine safety: stay on marked ground

This applies here as much as anywhere else in rural Bosnia and Herzegovina, and it is worth repeating plainly: parts of the countryside away from marked paths, roads and managed sites still have suspected mined areas left from the 1990s war. The walking routes around Štrbački buk, the paths through Martin Brod, and the water itself on organised rafting trips are used daily and are safe.

The rule is simple - never leave marked trails or step off managed paths into unmarked forest, riverbank scrub or fields, respect any yellow or red warning signs you see, and if you want to hike beyond the park’s marked routes, go with a local guide who knows the area. See landmine safety when hiking in Bosnia for the fuller picture, which applies to Sutjeska and other mountain areas as much as it does here.

Other things to do around Bihać and the Una

If you are giving the area two or three days rather than a rushed single visit, there is more to see beyond the rafting and the falls themselves. Martin Brod’s old mill ruins and the wider Una National Park trail network reward a second day, particularly if the weather is good enough for a swim in one of the calmer pools. Bihać’s island old town is worth an evening. For anyone extending further into the northwest or working this into a longer Bosnia loop, Sutjeska National Park and the Perućica primeval forest sit at the opposite end of the country’s protected nature and make an interesting contrast if your itinerary has room for both.

Suggested 2-3 day itinerary

Day	Plan
Day 1	Drive from Sarajevo (or arrive from Banja Luka/Croatia); settle in Bihać or Martin Brod, evening walk
Day 2	Morning at Štrbački buk; afternoon rafting trip with one of the operators above
Day 3 (optional)	Second, calmer stretch of river, or kayak safari; drive on to Banja Luka or back to Sarajevo

If you are combining this with a wider trip rather than a dedicated Una visit, folding it into a 7-day Bosnia road trip or checking our wider list of day trips from Sarajevo - to confirm the Una genuinely isn’t one of them - will help you place it correctly on the map rather than trying to squeeze it into a Sarajevo-based week.

Questions about rafting the Una

How far is Una National Park from Sarajevo?

About 300km, roughly 4 hours 30 minutes by car. There is no useful train or direct bus link for a day trip, and the drive alone rules out doing it and returning in one day.

Is Una rafting harder than rafting the Neretva?

Generally yes. The Una’s rapids around Martin Brod and further downstream include more technical, faster stretches than the mostly grade II-III rafting run from Konjic on the Neretva, though operators grade specific sections and match trips to experience level.

What is Štrbački buk?

A waterfall on the Una of around 24m, dropping over a wide travertine shelf near Martin Brod, inside Una National Park. It is one of the most photographed natural sites in Bosnia and Herzegovina and a short, easy walk from the car park.

When is the rafting season on the Una?

May to September, with the strongest water and coolest weather in late spring and early summer. Some operators run shorter or gentler family sections into early autumn, but rely on May-September as the reliable window.

Where should I stay to raft the Una?

Bihać is the practical base, with the widest choice of guesthouses, restaurants and rafting operators. Martin Brod itself has a handful of small guesthouses right by the national park entrance if you would rather wake up next to the water.

Are there landmines near the Una rafting routes?

Bosnia and Herzegovina still has suspected mined areas away from marked paths and managed sites. Rafting trips and the marked walking routes around Štrbački buk and Martin Brod are safe and regularly used, but never leave marked trails or wander into unmarked forest or fields nearby.

Can I combine Una rafting with Banja Luka?

Yes. Banja Luka is around 3 hours 30 minutes from Sarajevo and closer to the Una than Sarajevo is, making it a workable second base for a longer Bosnia trip that also takes in Vrbas river rafting.