Bikepacking TRANS BALKAN. Auf der Suche nach Abenteuer.

We are looking for adventure That is what we want to find on the Balkans Whether we succeed or not For months we have been dreaming of lonely gravel roads in the harsh mountains We want to set up the tent again under the starry sky We want to make plans then discard them and accept spontaneous invitations We want to challenge ourselves physically step out of our comfort zone From sheer exhaustion just stay in bed in the morning and ration food for several days We want to curse Laugh and despair Honestly it's not that much fun In short we are longing for an adventurous bike trip This time she will take us from Salzburg to Montenegro in five weeks During our world trip were already able to visit the Balkan countries Create memorable memories A region that promises even more wilderness Where there are mountains poisonous snakes scorpions and bears And the gravel bike with light luggage It could bring us a little closer to this wilderness This time we use the route of the Transbalkan Race as a guide A 1300-kilometer mountain bike race Traveling from Slovenia to Montenegro is no walk in the park The route passes through stunning landscapes and national parks At the same time the seemingly merciless gravel slopes and rugged mountain passes cause us some concern Is our undertaking too big for us Our journey begins at our doorstep in Salzburg Euphoria for the upcoming weeks is absent this time For we are starting this new adventure with heavy hearts For some time now we have been very worried about a family member The departure time kept getting pushed back further and further Also the heavy rainfalls of the last few days are affecting our travel plans Because the severe floods in southern Austria and Slovenia are not harmless We started off with mixed feelings but now we are already very happy and extremely excited about what's to come Yes we are on the move again We are now on the Alpe Adria Cycle Path and it is the best way for us As quickly as possible to the south so that we can then really take our time on the Balkans We are now going to the Tauern Pass then we will take the train through Then it goes only downhill to Villach The Alpe Adria Cycle Path proves to be the perfect introduction to our project The popular bike path runs along beautiful landscapes it is well developed and because luck is on our side today we also have Once you reach Tavisio the border with Italy it's almost all downhill from there and one passes by the rugged peaks of the Julian Alps We feel a bit like we're on a highway for cyclists in a positive way This is not quite what one would imagine as a gravel adventure but as a southern highway we take it gladly The route actually goes from Salzburg to Grado by the sea but for us the last stop in Udine is to endlessly turn towards Croatia From now on there are no more marked bike paths and we have to navigate on our own Just 200 meters from the Alpe Adria Cycle Path and we're right in the middle of the adventure To ensure our search for adventure doesn't end in a nightmare we need to sharpen our route planning skills a bit more Finally we don't have mountain bikes and when the terrain gets too rough it quickly becomes frustrating Also the first part of today's route is not necessarily recommended with a gravel bike It's quite rough and above all there's the highway next to us It's quite noisy I don't have the route entirely clear in my mind right now Also I hope we can at least get a little away from the highway and that the path might also become a bit wider and have more gravel As I said German is relatively rough to drive We need an entire hour for the first 7 kilometers of the day A change in plans is necessary after all we have something planned for this evening Book a room 100 kilometers further in Rijeka We take a look at Komoot and activate the bike map layer A bike path is marked just a short distance from us and the highlights along the route look promising And that was the best decision The day starts in Italy taking us through beautiful landscapes all the way to Slovenia Slovenia is delivering once again Hammer Great gravel pistes nothing going on spacious nature Slovenia is really a good bet for a pilgrimage We ride alternately on gravel and asphalt through forests and small villages With vineyards and rustic facades until we reach the border with Croatia The next day we leave the city of Rijeka through the steep mountains and now reach the route of the Transbalkan Race for the first time Now it's getting interesting Now we have covered the first meters of the Transbalkan Race route It really didn't take 200 meters before I got off and started pushing Let's see how it goes from here A few meters later even Reini who rarely gets off his bike has to push it for a while It etches the image very clearly into the mind It doesn't happen often But it does happen The further we follow the route the more rugged the terrain becomes Are we really here correctly Somewhere we are stuck in the bushes and without a navigation device we would have already lost our way This really amuses me to be honest We have now I think five kilometers or so Approximately yes Now we have passed through the high straits I'm looking out my entire lower legs are completely scratched up Well if that's the Transbalkan the route of the race If it looks like that then we wouldn't be friends But let's start first Let's see how it goes tomorrow After this wild section we decide to temporarily leave the route and think calmly in the evening about what to do next We certainly don't want to give up so easily We are only allowed to break spaghetti on a bike trip Otherwise it is strictly forbidden Cold night Daytime 30 degrees nighttime I don't know Five degrees And it was definitely cold Then one struggles so much that one ends up coming up We were about to get up an hour ago because it's just getting too hot If we had known in the morning what landscape awaited us today we would probably have gotten up more easily We have decided in fact to give the Transbalkan Race another chance And unlike yesterday the route today is exactly that what we have been looking for from the beginning The sunset was extremely beautiful yesterday But I didn't sleep very well Somehow in the bear area And next to us were lots of wild animal tracks Oh I don't know There was a very light sleep I hope there's enough energy left for today We are right in front of the gates of the Velebit National Park or rather we are driving up Velebit Croatia's highest and largest mountain range Well that's steep I remember the Black Forest a bit Today is a dream route The first part we climbed relatively steeply on asphalt And now we are on a gravel road Again looking out at the sea There you can see the island of Kryk Over there is Raab This is really dreamy The only thing that makes it a bit more difficult today is the crosswinds They keep coming in strong gusts at nearly blows her off the bike But as I said it's simply totally wonderful There's the gravel road behind me There's the sea below There are the mountains with the forest in the distance Ah it couldn't better At this moment we are no longer searching for adventure Because we have found everything we dreamed of After we are traveling through a karst mountain area in the Willibit National Park it is actually not that easy to get water Of course houses come up again and again We have already received some water But like this right now We are a bit more in the wilderness That makes it harder We saw a spring marked on the map We have taken a little detour from our route There were still a few people sitting at a mountain hut They said there was a spring down there We went there and fresh water came out And as is usual in Croatia it won't stop at water We will spend two whole hours with them We got water at the hut were naturally invited for a schnapps We will also stay almost there Then some friends came along Somehow we ended up a bit Not quite We had a misplaced feeling Yes exactly Although they told us 100 times to stay But somehow we wanted to destroy a reunion We also drive another 15 km to the next hut There we have now discovered the view At sunset evening light Madness So much light It is 20 past seven And we are counting the last meters The last steep meters Until we hopefully reach the next hut Let's see if someone is already there Or if we have it all to ourselves Probably not It's a big holiday tomorrow They are all on the move But in the bear area we're just glad to have a shelter The cabin appears to be empty Are the doors open And if not is there a shelter The big cabin is locked But a few meters further on there is still a small cabin at the edge of the forest Is that an open shelter Should there be some here How cool Beer beds A particleboard on a metal frame Even with a window for ventilation A stove for heating A chair to sit on When we put our sleeping mats down we sleep really well Perfect That's so cool You know what that reminds me of In Finland where we slept at the Blumsklo Because of the bears This is an upgrade Yes this is really an upgrade Even with a stove I think this is the shower or the changing room Now we have finally found the perfect spot Also with such a cabin where you can sleep inside But behind the cabin is aga A lot of toilet paper wet wipes People were whistling behind We've had that in Norway on the Lofoten Islands before That's really terrible It is from the National Park or the Alpine Club In Croatia something like that is available And then it whistles at the people behind the huts That's really pointless The large hut requires a key It belongs to the Croatian Alpine Club There's room for about 40 people I think But you don't need a key we don't have one The cabin over there is really a shelter For hikers and others who pass by Or like for us for example The offer is awesome We can just show up unannounced and spend the night in a hut Water is not available here though With our 6-liter water bag we filled up at the previous water source and now have enough water available for cooking and washing We don't think it's good to crawl into the sleeping bag sticky We have found a good mix of the Transbalkan Race route and our own planning with Komoot If you are interested in our route en you will find the link to the GPX data in the video description After two rest days in Gospić we are now continuing Behind and hopefully have had a bit of a break in the meantime That was actually the main reason why we needed two days And we are now going a bit closer to the Croatian border along the Croatian-Bosnian border Then we go over the mountains to Bosnia and Herzegovina Right into the nature parks that's where we go But we have a bit of respect for the rough gravel roads And as we drift aimlessly through the Croatian hinterland heading south we make a turn behind the next curve An unexpected encounter that will occupy us for many days Did we just see that right Are two loaded donkeys coming towards us We stop and don't know what to do What question we should ask first to better understand this unusual sight A few stammering questions and incredible answers later We couldn't stop gawking in amazement Michael and Cindy have been hiking across Europe for 3 years with two donkeys and a dog They didn't know each other at the beginning Each started a solo donkey journey and the first chance encounter would bring them together Either humans or animals are inseparable from this unusual traveling group Isn't that a crazy beautiful story While we stand by the roadside for an hour exchanging stories the situation keeps getting more exciting Suddenly A shepherd appears with hundreds of sheep and makes his way past us Suddenly we find ourselves surrounded by sheep and dogs and two loaded donkeys again This time the adventure has probably found us We cycled the rest of the day in deep thought The encounter with Cindy and Michael deeply moved us and in a way also fascinating Should we try camel trekking once Would this kind of travel Anything for us But we're still sitting on our horses and following the route on our Sigma navigation device And even before we reach the camel question We wonder if it can answer for us the next unusual experience is already waiting for us Today we wanted to set up our camp at a small lake Crash directly onto the road Now we have driven up to the lake and the lake turned out more like a puddle Where the sheep can then drink And there was a man sitting there who is now explaining to us in Croatian or we asked him first Whether we are allowed to camp everywhere And then he tried to explain to us in Croatian that we could not We should go up because there' s a high platform up there And he says in that we can sleep I think we will try it today And a guard dog we also have with us again The last time when we We had a guard dog we still had Fleck Spending a night in a tree stand We still have supervision We can't possibly refuse this invitation Yes Yes and I think when we are lying down there Because now a bit of wind is blowing Then we won't have any wind anymore Yes right now the wind is blowing and when we lie down there below it will be nice What about the view Yes already amazing We begin setting up about four meters above the ground Chairs and table moved to the side and we already have just enough space Plenty of space for our sleeping mats The adventure seems to no longer let us go How it goes on we will show you in the next video Allah because of such outlooks she has already paid off to embark on the journey again