Hey everyone.

I'm Damian from Taipei, TAIWAN.

I'm a fit 31yr-old male.

I'll quit my job this summer for a 10-month round-the-world trip.

I'd like to ask for your insights about the Balkan part of my itineraries.

(I'll visit the several Balkan countries after three Baltic countries, Poland, Slovakia and Hungary.

Then I'll fly from Tirana, Albania to South America for several countries.)

[i cut Croatia since (a) it's expensive in August, and ( otherwise I'll need a multiple-entry visa from BiH.]

It's most likely I'll arrive in the Balkan part in August or late July.

This is a tight-budget trip.

I'll rely on public transportation and try to couch-surf or get hostel bunk beds.

I love arts, architectures, music, museums, and foods.

I enjoy hiking and lots of walking,

and if activities like rafting tour aren't too expensive, I'd like to try them from time to time too.

Some major questions/problems:

1) Are there good websites for bus/train info? Info is hard to find and can be contradicting;

2) Should I cut down the number of days? [if there're sights too samey in qualities]

(Originally I planned for only 6 weeks);

3) Maybe some cities can be used as centers from which I can visit other cities as daytrips?

Any advice is welcome,

especially regarding whether the iti makes sense,

or whether it's too tight or too loose.

As I said, I'm really not sure about certain parts of the transportation Thanks in advance!!

=======================

Day 0 Hungary

Day 1 to Subotica, Serbia

Day 2 to Novi Sad

Day 3 Novi Sad + daytrip to

Fruska Gora + Sremski Karlovci

Day 4 N.S. to Belgrade, Serbia

Day 5 Belgrade

Day 6 Belgrade

Day 7 bus

to Despotovac,

+ taxi? to Monastery Manasija,

+ then how to go to Niš (for "Ćele Kula")

Day 8 Nis bus to Novi Pazar

Day 9 to Zlatibor

(Zlatibor = Kraljeve Vode?)

(too expensive to visit/stay?)

+ tour? to Drvengrad (Mokra Gora)

Day 10 Zlatibor

+ daytrip (via Uzice to) Studenica Monastery

Day 11 (bus to?) Višegrad, BiH

+ then to Sarajevo

Day 12 Sarajevo, BiH

Day 13 2hr bus to Travnik

+ 1.5hr to Jajce, BiH

Day 14 to Trebinje + Mostar, BiH

Day 15 Mostar, BiH

Day 16 Mostar

+ tour to Blagaj, Pocitelj, Medugorje, Kravice Waterfalls

Day 17 Herceg-Novi, Montenegro

Day 18 Kotor, Montenegro

Day 19 Kotor

Day 20 to Cetinje

+ daytrip to Lovcen National Park

Day 21 (Cetinje to) Budva

+ daytrip to Sveti Stefan

(or should I do Sveti Stefan as a Podgorica daytrip instead?)

Day 22 (Budva? to) Stari Bar

+ to Podgorica?

Day 23 Podgorica

+ daytrip/tour? to Lake Skadar?

Day 24 Podgorica

+ daytrip to Ostrog Monastery (how to get there?)?

Day 25 (from Podgorica?) Durmitor National Park (@Zabljak?). And back?

[not sure about rafting]

Day 26 (backtrack to Podgorica to? go to) Peć/ Peja,

Day 27 Dečani Monastery+ Prizren

Day 28 Prizen+ Gračanica Monastery

[is it safe to visit?

Will there be visa problem for me?]

Day 29 Pristina

Day 30 (how to get to?) Skopje, Macedonia

Day 31 Skopje

Day 32 Skopje

Day 33 (2¼ hours to) Prilep

Day 34 Prilep

+ daytrips to Treskavec Monastery and Zrze Monastery

Day 35 to Bitola

+ daytrip to Krusevo

Day 36 Bitola

Day 37 Ohrid

Day 38 Ohrid

+ daytrip: how to visit Galicnik National Park?

Day 39 Ohrid bus to Sveti Naum

+ then to Tirana or Berat, Albania?"

Day 40 Berat

Day 41 Berat

Day 42 how to go to Drymades for Llogaraja Pass National Park?

sleep in Drymades?

Day 43 to Saranda

for Butrint National Park

Day 44 Saranda

for tour to Blue Eye Spring?

Day 45 to Gjirokasttra

Day 46 to Shkodra for Rozafa Fortress?

Day 47 Tirana + daytrips

Day 48 Tirana + Kruja + flight to Bogota, Colombia

Hi Damian!

Wow that's a long post. I can't answer all of your question, so just a few:

1) Are there good websites for bus/train info? Info is hard to find and can be contradicting;

For train schedule in most of Europe use this website:

http://www.bahn.de/i/view/GBR/en/index.shtml

For buses each country has its own website. For Serbia there's this: http://www.bas.rs/RedVoznje.aspx?lng=sc&idDrzave=9

However, it's not available in English, so I don't know how helpful it will be for you. Maybe learn some cyrillic letters?

Croatian buses: http://akz.hr/default.aspx?id=7

Hungarian buses: http://www.volan.eu/

3) Maybe some cities can be used as centers from which I can visit other cities as daytrips?

In Serbia you should use Belgrade as the center, because it has buses to every destination, and also international buses.

About your itinerary:

Day 7 and 8 are too packed. You should plan another day for Niš. I don't think there's anything interesting in Novi Pazar, so you can skip that town.

Huh, big trip! I'll try to help you a little bit.

day  9: Zlatibor=Kraljeve vode  ==> correct

day 21: You won't see anything interesting at Sveti Stefan. It is a small island, and I'm not sure you can enter there. The beaches around are nice. Anyway, it will be nice just to see it if you take a boat to get there. But, Budva is really crowded an expensive in July and August, just to have that on your mind.

day 24: There are organized tours to Ostrog monastery from Budva, for example, and all the cities on the coast, I believe. Probably from Podgorica, too, maybe somebody else knows more details about it.

day 25: It is not worth of going to Durmitor and stay only 1 day. The nature is beautiful there, perfect for hiking and mountaineering. You may choose one peak to climb, that is a good option. Or, if you want to stay there only 1 day, I suggest you to go to Komarnica river, rent the equipment and do the canyoning at Nevidio canyon. It is maybe expensive, but the feeling is unforgettable. Rafting on the river Tara is also a nice choice, but you don't have to go to Zabljak for that. Starting point is from some small village, I forgot the name.

For buses each country has its own website. For Serbia there's this: http://www.bas.rs/RedVoznje.aspx?lng=sc&idDrzave=9

However, it's not available in English, so I don't know how helpful it will be for you. Maybe learn some cyrillic letters?

There is a version in latin alphabet, it can be helpful for you:

http://www.bas.rs/basweb_lat/redvoznje.aspx?lng=sl

Good luck and enjoy!

Hey, I hope that you have PRC passport since with RC (Taiwan passport) i dont think you can enter the country (Serbia), since i think we dont recognize taiwanese passports and you will be returned from the border (actually did you figure it out can you get the serbian visa?)

Here is the info that airlines use to allow boarding the plane:

National Chinese Taipei (TW)   

Embarkation Chinese Taipei (TW)/Destination Serbia (RS)

Serbia (RS)

Admission and Transit Restrictions:

- Passports issued by Chinese Taipei are not accepted.

Be sure to check first if you can get the serbian visa. But i am not sure that its possible.

Why would you go to Zlatibor and than back to Studenica? Studenica is much closer to Novi Pazar. When in Novi Pazar you can also visit Sopocani and Stari Ras. On the way from Studenica to Kraljevo, you can climb the medival fortress of Maglic: http://www.raska-turizam.rs/index.php/znamenitosti/43-srednjovekovni-grad-maglic.

Zlatibor is just an overdeveloped mountain resort. If you want to see some nature, better go to Kopaonik (on the way from Nis to Novi Pazar) or to Tara (on the way from Novi Pazar to Visegrad). However thay are no match to Durmitor. Drvengrad (Mokra Gora) is a tourist trap - better avoid.

I suggest the following itinerary from Nis:

Nis - Kopaonik - Novi Pazar - Sopocani/Stari Ras - Studenica - Maglic - Kraljevo - (via Uzice) - Visegrad

For Novi Pazar - Sopocani/Stari Ras - Studenica - Maglic - Kraljevo you will have to rely on hitchhiking or taxi.

BTW, Serbia recognizes passports issued by Taiwan, getting a "visa" (not really a visa but sort of approval to enter the country) should not be a problem.

http://www.koznazna.com/putovanja/vizni_rezim/drzave/tajvan.html

Thanks everyone! I'm soooo moved. I'll soon reply to you with specific points, and I'll soon post an updated itinerary; hopefully I can get more insights from anyone here.

About Croatia: I'll drop it entirely because of the raging prices.

(Also, as a consequence I won't need a multiple-entry visa for BiH.)

One big question: is it essential or highly-recommended that I go rafting or kayaking somewhere in Balkan area?

(Note that: I'll do one in southern Poland,

I can do the same things in Taiwan (a very very very mountainous country with amazing gorges),

and I'll visit South America after Balkan.)

My concerns are:

* I probably need to book them in advance?

* or will I need to wait for long to get a group or something?

* Is it true that I'll need to spend MORE DAYS at these spots for such activities?

* I'm VERY distinctly concerned whether it's going to be expensive and whether it's worth it.

* Also, I don't know whether I can find cheap(er) lodging in these areas

(mostly in mountains?). I don't mind sleeping in very simple places,

but I don't have a tent, and I probably do need a safe place to keep my

things and re-charge batteries, stuff like that.

** if rafting is a "must-do" for a certain place, and I either don't

have the time or don't have the money for that, then I probably should

just skip that place?

These also directly determine how many days I may need for this area,

since I'll need to book my round-the-world flight ticket soon, and such

an estimate is sorely needed

Thanks again everyone! My gratitude is more than I can describe.

Well, it is up to you if you will do the rafting here or not. I didn't have that kind of experience, but, all the people who had it, said that it was amazing. You can find a lot of videos on youtube and a lot of articles if you type on google "Tara rafting". Tara is the name of the river which makes the second deepest canyon of the world, after the canyon of the river Colorado. At some points, it is deeper then 1000m. It is a national park, and the landscape is really breathtaking! You can book it in advance with the transportation, accommodation and food included. I think you can make a choice whether you will stay 1, 2 days or more. I think that price should vary between 50-120 EUR, depending on the number of the days. As I said, everything is included. Accommodation is nice, and the food is traditional and really good, according to the experiences of my friends. The best months for rafting are May and June.

For the part of the year when you will go there, I would recommend you canyoning in the river Komarnica, as I mentioned already. That is a bit different then rafting, but definitely the experience you will never forget. It will take you few hours, and the price of renting the equipment is around 100EUR. You can book it at Zabljak(Durmitor), but maybe it will be better to do that in advance. Take a look here, just to have an idea:

This site can give you all the necessary information about rafting and canyoning:

http://www.raftingmontenegro.com/index.php

Thanks everyone. I'm very touched by the fact that so many people offered such great suggestions.

[As for the entrance permit, I intend to apply for it in the Serbian embassy in Budapest. I called and it seems it can go smoothly, although I'll just keep my fingers crossed ]

Below I have an updated iti. (I cut Croatia so that I can avoid (a) its high prices and ( the need to enter BiH twice -- visa problem.)

Hopefully this one looks reasonable. I also have doubts over certain issues:

1. I tried several bus/train websites (thanks everyone!), although even with Google Translation I still can't manage to use the websites to yield results that I understand. Maybe I can go directly to bus stations or information centers for schedule info?

2. I tried to make sure I can stay in certain towns for 2 to 3 days.

However, I still wonder whether I should cut certain places, such as:

*Nis [mainly famous for "Cela Kula," and I have seen the more interesting skeleton church in Kutna Hora, Czech. Otherwise the fortress of Nis is open 24 hours a day]

*Zlatibor

*Drvengrad/Mokra Gora (isn't it just an especially built ethno village, or it has very unique significance?)

*Lovcen National Park or other national parks (not enough time?)

*Podgorica: too many days?

3. Rafting: I'll see if I can do it in Zabljak, or from Sarajevo. If it's still too troublesome or expensive, I probably need to give up.

4. I think I'll be in the following countries in August and September. I'll try to surf couches as often as possible, but for the parts where I can't, should I book hostels one or two months in advance? By the way, are there good booking websites for these countires? (I found very few listings on websites like hostelworld, hostel.com, or hostelclub)

Day 1 From Hungary to Subotica, Serbia

Day 2 to Novi Sad

Day 3 Novi Sad + daytrip to to Fruska Gora and Sremski Karlovci

Day 4 to Belgrade, Serbia

Day 5 Belgrade, Serbia

Day 6 Belgrade, Serbia

Day 7 to Despotovac

+ taxi or 40min walk to Monastery Manasija

+ then to Niš

Day 8 (leave Nis at 10.30 or 13.30 to) Novi Pazar

Day 9 Novi Pazar + daytrip (via Uzice to) Studenica Monastery

Day 10 Novi Pazar to Zlatibor (= Kraljeve Vode)

+ tour? to Drvengrad (Mokra Gora)

Day 11 via Užice to Visegrad,

+ to Sarajevo, BiH

Day 12 Sarajevo, BiH

Day 13 Sarajevo, BiH

Day 14 to Travnik

+ to Jajce, BiH

Day 15 Mostar, BiH

Day 16 Mostar + tour to Blagaj,

Pocitelj, Medugorje, Kravice Waterfalls, BiH

Day 17 Mostar + Trebinje

(sleepover in Trebinje? or do Trebinje as a daytrip from Mostar?)

Day 18 to Herceg-Novi, Montenegro

Day 19 to Kotor, Montenegro

Day 20 Kotor, Montenegro

Day 21 to Budva

+ daytrip to Sveti Stefan, Montenegro

Day 22 to Cetinje

+ daytrip to Lovcen National Park

[sleepover in Cetinje? or night bus to Podgorica?]

Day 23 to Podgorica

+ daytrip/tour (e.g. Lake Skadar)

Day 24 Podgorica

+ daytrip to Stari Bar and even Lake Skadar

Day 25 Podgorica

+ daytrip to Ostrog Monastery

Day 26 (from Podgorica to) Durmitor National Park (@Zabljak); sleepover.

Hiking and maybe no rafting.

Day 27 to Podgorica

Day 28 to Pec/ Peja, Kosovo

*Rugova gorge

Day 29 to Dečani Monastery,

+ to Prizren, Kosovo

Day 30 to Pristina

+ daytrip to Gracanica Monastery

Day 31 Pristina, Kosovo

Day 32 to Skopje, Macedonia

Day 33 Skopje

+ Matka Canyon daytrip

Day 34 (Skopje to) Prilep

Day 35 Prilpe

+ Treskavec Monastery +Zrze Monastery

Day 36 to Bitola

+ daytrip to Krusevo

Day 37 Bitola

Day 38 Ohrid

Day 39 Ohrid

+ how to visit Galicica National Park?

Day 40

via Sveti Naum to Tirana or Berat?, Albania

Day 41 Berat

Day 42 Berat

Day 43 to Drymades for Llogaraja Pass

National Park? sleep in Drymades?

Day 44 to Gjirokasttra

Day 45 to Sanranda for Butrint National Park

Day 46 Saranda for tour to Blue Eye Spring?

Day 47 to Tirana

+ daytrip to Shkodra for Rozafa Fortress

Day 48 Tirana

+ daytrip (maybe via Fushe Kruje) to Kruja; returns by 3pm?

Day 49 Tirana. Flight for Colombia

1. Yes you can ask for bus schedule at the bus station. Especially at the Belgrade station they should give you every information you'll need.

2. For me Niš is a place worth visiting not because of Ćele kula, but because the food is so good. This part of the country is BBQ heaven.

I haven't been to Drvengrad but I think it's mostly for people who like movies by Emir Kusturica. If you're not his fan then you can probably skip this place.

There's nothing interesting in Podgorica, but it's a good base to other cities.

Regarding the Serbian embassy in Budapest, I suggest you to assume it will not go smoothly. Reserve enough time for yourself, because it's possible they won't work even when they should, or will want documents that they haven't mentioned over the phone. I've met several people from Taiwan that complained that they managed to get every visa in Europe, except Serbian, because the staff was very unhelpful. I don't know specifically for the Budapest embassy, but don't think it will be easy just because they were nice on the phone.

If you're really keen on rafting, the World Rafting Championships were held on the Vrbas and Tara rivers near Banja Luka in BiH in 2009. It's a little north of Jajce, so you probably have to drop something else from your itinerary. It might be worth it you really want to go rafting.