All nationalities require a full passport that must be valid for the intended length of stay. It is your responsibility to have the correct personal documents and to obtain your own visa, if one is necessary, in accordance with the regulations of the country you are to visit. The information below is primarily for UK passport holders, and other nationalities should check with their travel agent or the relevant embassies. We are not responsible for the actions of local immigration and customs officials, whether at points of entry or otherwise, and any subsequent effects.
Bosnia Battlefield Tour - 21st May - 1st June 2019
Travel with us as we visit all the major UK ex military bases and special places on this all road tour.
This tour is ideal for people who served in Bosnia or have a special interest in the Bosnia Battlefields. It is a 100% road tour, so a Full Bike License will be required.
Full details to be announced. Register your interest first as we only have a few spaces left
What's the mission?
A guided Battlefield Tour, revisiting or discovering for the first time, places and landmarks in the beautiful country of Bosnia & Herzegovina.
Visit the towns and villages where the British Army were stationed during and after the Balkans War, places of interest and Regimental memorial sites, tailored to your experiences and places you want to see.
Why?
As a veteran of Bosnia, I have always wondered how it all played out after we left them to it. And as a biker, I wanted to ride there, I wished, when I was on tour there, but it was just too far away to ride there. Now thanks to Bulgaria Bike Shipping it became possible to do just that.
So I did a 'Recce' tour in June 2018, and saw a side to the country I'd never seen before. I'd like to help other veterans to do the same, see country that has changed hugely but so much of it is still the same as it was.
Who is this tour for?
This tour is obviously tailored for veterans, but not exclusively. If you just want to ride your own bike around some of the most beautiful and spectacular areas in Europe, all are welcome. Just be aware you will be sharing your experiences with a bunch of Ex Soldiers, on their holidays!
I want to make the trip as enjoyable and fulfilling as possible, by tailoring the tour to those on it and maximising time spent in areas that are most significant to you. Ideal for a group from a Corps or Regimental Bike Club, or a group of mates, solo riders or groups, we can ship up to a maximum of 10 big bikes, per trip.
What's Included
Included in the package.
- 12 Days Holiday
- 11 Nights Accomodation in various hotels
- Bed & Breakfast, shared room
- Ride your own bike - Return Bike shipping from UK to Bulgaria
- Fully guided
- Fully insured licensed Airport Transfers in Bulgaria
- Your money Protected. PTS Protected 5207
What's Not Included
Not Included in the package.
- Flights - closest airport is Sofia
- Bike
- Fuel
- Insurance, both bike and personal
- Motorcycle Breakdown Cover for the countries we are riding in.
- Common sense and team spirit, we cannot provide this but is essential for your safety and enjoyment.
Tour Itinerary
This tour will visit the following places:
Gorazde, Sarajevo, Banja Luka, Mrkonicgrad, Dorni Vakuf and Gjorni Vakuf. Mostar.
Full details and dates to be confirmed.
We will be shipping your pride and joy, to Samakov in Bulgaria, fully insured, tried and trusted, by yours truly. After a night in a 4 star hotel we will be riding to Gorazde, a long days riding.
* Total distance travelled - km
* * Difficulty - easy to medium. Experience of riding on the continent would be an advantage, being confident on your own bike and ability is much more relevant.
* Bike suitability - road going bikes capable of comfortable touring and carrying all you need with you. There will be opportunity for some off road excursions for any dual-sport machines, but this is not essential.
DAY 1 -- Samokov - Bulgaria - 9th July
Flying in to Sofia, transfers to Samakov, collect bikes and ride to the Yanakiev 4 Star Hotel.
Meet and great, safety information, prep bikes, informal briefing, Q&A, relaxing night for to get to know a little more about who you will be riding with.
DAY 2 -- Samokov Bulgaria to Gorazde Bosnia ( via Serbia ) - 10th July - Distance 400 miles
Iron Bum day, early start after an early night. A big day out travelling through Serbia to Gorazde.
DAY 3 -- Gorazde sightseeing - 11th July
After a long day in the saddle, a chance to visit locations in and around Gorazde, follow on your bike or get in the minibus with a local guide. A 2 night stop in Gorazde for those ex RGBW members of the tour.
DAY 4 -- Gorazde to Sarajevo - 12th July - Distance 60 miles
A short trip over the mountains to Sarajevo, stopping for lunch and some site seeing. The first part is a scenic ride out of the Drina valley up over the top to Mosque, then back on a faster A road to Sarajevo.
DAY 5 -- to Banja Luka - 13th July - Distance 125 miles
Flexible route, there are so many locations between these two stopovers that will be of interest to veterans, this can be planned on the ground.
This summer I travelled to Banja Luka via Tuzla, taking a loop route through mountain passes and forest before dropping onto the plains and a long toll road to Banja Luka town. By no means the quickest route, or most scenic for the second part. A route via Vitez wll be taken on this trip.
Stayng in Hotel Kobilj, next to the river Vrbas, and an evening meal at the Kastel Fortress, medieval style restaurant and bar, in the castle grounds overlooking the Vrbas.
DAY 6 -- Banja Luka to Mrkonij Grad to Donji Vakuf - 14th July - Distance 65 miles
Moving from the plains, through the mountains to Djorni Vakuf via Mykonic Grad/Sipovo. Spectacular countryside turns to mountains on roads blasted into cliff sides. A day for the camera!
Hotel Orhideja in Dorni Vakuf. A friendly family run hotel, the owners cousin has a small garage next door, handy if you need to do a little spannering.
DAY 7 -- Donji Vakuf to Mostar - 15th July - Distance 80 miles
Heading into Herzagovinia , was like riding through the set of Jurassic Park, stunning mountains and beautiful river valleys. A stop at a riverside grill for lunch near Jeblanica.
The roads are amazing, the scenery spectacular, and the destination the jewel of Herzagovinia.
Pansion Oscar Summer Garden will be home for 2 nights.
DAY 8 -- Mostar - 16th July
Rest day and sight seeing in the jewel of Herzagovinia , visit the beautiful Old Town and bridge, shop in the Bazaars and enjoy the local hospitality. Go for a ride out and visit local beauty spots or any where that takes your fancy. An organised guided tour can be arranged if there is enough interest.
DAY 9 -- Mostar to Novi Pazar - 17th July - Distance 250 miles
Starting the long haul back to Samakov, with a stop over in Serbia, at a busy little town full of life, Novi Pazar.
Apartmani BELI, self contained apartments with all mod cons!
DAY 10 -- Pazar to Vlasina Rid, Serbia - 18th July - Distance 170 miles
Staying at 3M Pansion a short walk from the beautiful lakeside area, a little oasis of a place.
DAY 11 -- Vlasina rid to Samokov - 19th July - Distance 110 miles
Back to our start point, unpack, sort out bikes for shipping, retire to the bar for a final night lamp swinging, bring your own sand bag.
DAY 12 -- 20th July
Transfers to Sofia airport for return flights.
You must bring along the following documents:
Your original V5 for the bike you are riding
Copy of your insurance documents that cover your for the countries we will be riding in
Bike License.
Europe/Sofia EEST (DST +02:00)
The national currency of Bulgaria is the Bulgarian Lev (BGN), with an exchange rate of approximately 2.26 to the GBP (April 2018).
The national currency of Bosnia is
There are no banks or ATMs once you enter the mountains. There are ATM's and Banks in Samokov and Borovets and some major petrol stations. The Yanakiev Hotel that we use also has an ATM. There is a couple in the arrivals hall at Sofia Airport, but please note that the bank located within the arrivals hall is typically closed at the weekends, so if you plan to exchange cash please make sure you obtain Bulgarian Lev in your home country.
If ordering your Bulgarian currency, it is advisable to request the smaller denomination notes possible. Shops and restaurant in Bulgaria rarely have much in the way of small change and often refuse to accept larger denomination notes
Is readily availabe but if we stop at a petrol station it's best to top up before we head back up into the mountains. Prices are comparable to UK and the rest of Europe.
In the unfortunate event of your bike breaking down you must have breakdown cover for the countries we are riding in. We will do our upmost to help you fix your bike or locate a part, but the tour must continue.
There are main bike dealers in Sofia and other major cities throughout the Balkans. We will help you source the part needed and can also arrange to have the part delivered at you expense.
You must have personal accident cover that covers you for the activities you are about to undertake. ie riding a motorcycle off road, this must include full repatriation.
You MUST HAVE FULL health insurance that covers the activity you are doing that includes FULL repatriation cover. Make sure your next of kin has details should the worst happen.
We have used Properly Protected ». They cover almost anything at any level. Feel free to give them a call and see if they have cover that meets your needs.
Who ever you're insured with ring and check you are covered BEFORE YOU TRAVEL!
Yes and you must have a Full Bike Licesnse for this tour
Please make sure your bike is in a good working condition and fully serviced and ready to ride the Balkans.
You know your bikes better than we do. Please feel free to bring any specialist tools that could ruin your trip if your bike fails.
Wheel removal tools in case of puncture/moose failure.
Remember to list on the shipping inventory in the admin section of your booking page. (You will be sent the access details for the website upon booking.)
We currently have a Southern pickup/drop off point which is Bedford and a Northern pickup/drop off point which is Lancashire.
At present no, but there are many great delivery companies out there that would accommodate.
Although we don't endorse the following companies; Any Van and Bike 2 You are just a couple.
If we have to load your bike for you there will a £50 charge for this.
Yes, as long as its secure and fits within the confines of your crate.
Upon delivering your bike to our pickup/drop off point you'll be asked to load it personally into our purpose-built cradles.
These are metal crates specifically designed to transport a motorcycle safely.
For your piece of mind, our trained drivers then check each cradle again before departure.
Our standard shipping cradle measures 230cm(L) x 100cm(W) x 125cm(H). Your bike must fit within this space.
For all shipments bikes are required to be with us 2 weeks before your holiday is due to start.
Your bike will be returned to the UK 10/14 days after your holiday, usually much sooner.
Safe, secure, strong crates for your motorcycles transport to Bulgaria. Book now for an adventure of a life time.
Your bike must be clean and have less than 1 litre of fuel. We may need you to remove fairings and bags/paniers to ease loading in our crates.
This tour is possible on type of bike. Most bikes on this tour will be large adventure style bikes. For example the guides will be riding a Yamaha XT660R and a Honda XR650R
Any questions please Just ask.
What people say
Justin G
Enduro Bulgaria 23rd June - 30th June 2018
The off road riding is like nothing else I have ever ridden. I have no idea coming from the UK that you could spend so long climbing and depending such steep slopes! The guides where epic and nothing was a problem. If you like off road riding you can ride trails or go proper hard enduro there is something for everyone!
Book now!