Visiting Hutovo Blato in a pastel dress / Posjet Hutovom blatu u pastelnoj haljini

August 02, 2016

Today I'm taking you to nature park Hutovo blato (located in Bosnia and Herzegovina). This amazing natural habitat is a home to more than 240 migratory birds, so if bird-watching is your thing, this place should be on your bucket list. However, even if you don't like birds, rest assured that you can enjoy your visit because Hutovo blato has a lot to offer. It not just about birdwatching no, no. This Mediterranean swamp is beautiful on its own and is an absolute joy to behold. Shall you visit it, you will surely enjoy some mesmerizing views. It is located only about 15 kilometres from the Adriatic sea, so don't be surprised if you sense the salt in the air. There is a lovely restaurant here where you can order freshly caught local fish. I ate there a few times, so I can vouch for it. In addition, I would highly recommend going for a boat ride. I took it once and it was a great experience. You can see photographs taken on that boat ride here and you can check out my previous visits here, here, here, here, and here.

Danas vam vodim u park prirode Hutovo blato. Ovo prekrasno prirodno stanište je dom više od 240 migracijskih ptica, tako da ako volite promatranje ptica, ovo mjesto vam treba biti na popisu. No, čak i ako ne volite ptice, možete uživati u posjetu jer sasvim sigurno Hutovo blato ima puno za ponuditi.Ne radi se tu samo o promatranju ptica, ne. Ova mediteranska močvara je prekrasna sama po sebi, a divna je za vidjeti. Posjetite li je, uživati ćete zasigurno u očaravajućim pogledima. Nalazi se samo oko 15 kilometara od Jadranskoga mora tako da se nemojte iznenaditi ako osjetite sol u zraku. Tu je i lijep restoran gdje možete naručiti svježe ulovljenu lokalnu ribu. Jela sam tamo par puta, tako da ga mogu preporučiti. Uz to, predložila bih vam da odete na vožnju brodom. Jednom sam bila na njoj i ostala mi je u lijepom sjećanju. Možete vidjeti fotografije iz te vožnje ovdje, a možete pogledati neke moje prijašnje posjete ovdje, ovdje, ovdje, ovdje i ovdje.

A DREAM (MY TRANSLATION OF A POEM BY CROATIAN POETESS VESNA PARUN)

My mother's hand, like a white sail, a wing of a tender oriole.

Do you remember a fairy tale about a golden apple, a moonlight's rainbow?

On a swing branch transparent to the (point of) snow, soft to the (point of) sorrow,

my eyes weave silent conversations, long lullabies.

Wells filled with heavy water travel into an unknown harbor.

My mother's song, a white daisy, is guiding me by the hand.

HERE ARE SEVEN IDEAS FOR WHAT TO DO IN HUTOVO BLATO

1. TRY OUT THE NEW ADVENTURE PARK TRACK WITH YOUR KIDS AND/OR ROCK CLIMBING

2. GO FOR A BOAT RIDE AND ENJOY MAGNIFICENT VIEWS (BRING YOUR CAM!)

3. VISIT A SECRET BRIDGE THAT IS EVEN OLDER THAN THE FAMOUS OLD BRIDGE IN MOSTAR

4. DINE OR STOP FOR COFFEE AT THE RESTAURANT MOTEL PARK

5. GO HIKING, STROLLING OR CYCLING IN THE PARK

6. DISCOVER THE AMAZING NATURAL BEAUTY AND WILDLIFE- BIRD-WATCHING IN PARTICULAR IS A MUST HERE!

7. TAKE A SOUVENIR WITH YOU! BUY SOMETHING TO MAKE YOU REMEMBER!

________________________________________________________________________________

IDEJE ZA ŠTO RADITI U PARKU HUTOVO BLATO

1. ISPROBAJTE NOVU AVANTURISTIČKU STAZU DJECU I/ILI PENJANJE NA STIJENI

2. IĐITE NA VOŽNJU ČAMCEM I UŽIVAJTE U PREDIVNIM POGLEDIMA (PONESITE KAMERU!)

3. POSJETITE TAJNI MOST KOJI JE ČAK STARIJI OD ČUVENOG STAROG MOSTA U MOSTARU

4. UŽIVAJTE U OBROKU ILI SE SVRATITE NA KAVU U RESTORANU MOTEL PARK

5. PLANINARITE, ŠETAJTE ILI BICIKLIRAJTE U PARKU

6. OTKRIJTE NEVJEROJATNU PRIRODNU LJEPOTU I DIVLJINE - PROMATRANJE PTICA JE OVDJE DIVNO ISKUSTVO!

7. PONESITE SA SOBOM SUVENIR TAKO DA KUPITE NEŠTO ZA PAMĆENJE

Whatever it might be that makes us love a certain place (and probably it is a sum of different factors), I know there always exists that X factor. It is like when we really like somebody. Often we cannot explain why we feel drawn to that person. There is still a bit of mystery left in this world and I quite like it that way. We don't have to always know everything and be able to explain everything. Secrets have a charm of their own.

What makes me like what I'm wearing here?

Who knows?

I mean, there are answers, but there's also some mystery.

It is the same way with places somehow. A connection of souls....and perhaps places have souls too. Did it ever happen to you that you felt connected with some place? In what way? Do you believe that places have souls of their own?

Što god bilo što nas navodi da volimo određeno mjesto ( a vjerojatno se radi o zbroju više faktora), znam da uvijek postoji i onaj faktor x. To je kao kada vam se netko jako sviđa. Često ne možemo osjetiti što nas točno privlači toj osobi. Ima još misterija u ovome svijetu i meni je drago što je tako. Ne moramo uvijek sve znati i sve moći objasniti. Tajne imaju svoju čar. Veze između ljudi su uvijek ispunjene paradoksima. Možemo cijeli život živjeti sa jednom osobom, sve dijeliti s njima i opet se osjećati bližima nekoj osobi koju smo tek upoznali.

Uzmite ovu odjevnu kombinaciju za primjer. Zašto mi se sviđa? Što je čini tako posebnom? Jednostavno se dobro slažemo. Tako je nekako i sa mjestima. Poveznica duša...i možda i mjesta imaju duše. Je li se vama ikada dogodilo da se osjećate povezanima s nekim mjestom? Na koji način? Vjerujete li da mjesta imaju svoju dušu?

MORE INFORMATION ABOUT HUTOVO BLATO CITED FROM WIKIPEDIA:

Hutovo Blato is a nature reserve and bird reserve located in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

It is primarily composed of marshlands that were created by the underground aquifer system of the Krupa River. It is fed from the limestone massif of Ostrvo that divides the Deransko Lake and Svitavsko Lake.^[3] The reserve is on the list of BirdLife International's Important Bird Areas. It is the largest reserve of its kind in the region, in terms of both size and diversity. It is home to over 240 types of migratory birds and dozens that make their permanent home in the sub-Mediterranean wetlands surrounding Deransko Lake.^[4] In the migration season, tens of thousands of birds fill the lake and its surroundings.

WETLANDS THAT FORM A REMARKABLE LANDSCAPE

The valley along the last 30 km of the Neretva River, and the river itself, comprise a remarkable landscape. Downstream from the confluence of its tributaries, the Trebižat and Bregava rivers, the valley spreads into an alluvial fan covering 20,000 hectares. The upper valley, the 7,411 hectares in Bosnia and Herzegovina, is called Hutovo Blato.

Ramsar site

Neretva Delta has been recognised as a Ramsar site since 1992, and Hutovo Blato since 2001. Both areas form one integrated Ramsar site that is a natural entity divided by the state border.^[5] The Important Bird Areas programme, conducted by BirdLife International, covers protected areas in Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina.^[6]

Hutovo Blato Nature Park

Since 1995, Hutovo Blato has been protected as a Hutovo Blato Nature Park^[7]^[8] and managed by a public authority. The whole zone is well protected from human impact and functions as an important habitat for many plants and animals .^[6] Historical site, Old Fortress Hutovo Blato, is located in the area of Nature Park. Nature Park "Hutovo Blato" is located in the South-Western part of Bosnia and Herzegovina, 30 km from City of Mostar and near the Croatian border. It stretches over an area of about 7,411 ha and represents one of the richest wetland reserves in Europe. Until 1995, when the cantonal protected area was founded, Hutovo Blato represented well-known area mainly for its hunting and fishing tourism. Every winter over 200 species of birds find their shelter inside this untouched nature.^[9] Visitors can enjoy relaxation, recreational activities in nature, sport-fishing, cycling and main tourist attraction – photo safari. There is also an educational path providing information of park and for rising environmental awareness and need for preservation of natural heritage in Nature park "Hutovo Blato".

Gornje Blato – Deransko Lake

The part of the park which kept its original form and almost untouched nature. Gornje Blato-Deransko Lake is supplied by the karstic water sources of the Trebišnjica river, emerging in the proximity of the bordering hills. It is hydro-geologically connected to the Neretva river through its effluent, the Krupa river, formed out of 5 lakes (Škrka, Deranja, Jelim, Orah, Drijen) and by large portions permanently flooded, also isolated by wide groves of reedbebds and trees, thus representing the most interesting preserved area.^[10]

Krupa River

The Krupa river is the Neretva left tributary and the main water current of Hutovo Blato, which leads the waters from Deransko Lake and Svitavsko Lake into the Neretva river. The length of Krupa River is 9 km with an average depth of 5 meters. The Krupa River does not have an actual source, but is actually an arm of Deransko Lake. Also, the Krupa River is a unique river in Europe, because the river flows both ways. It flows 'normally' from the 'source' to the mouth and from the mouth to the 'source'. This happens when, due to high water level and large quantity of water, river Neretva pushes the Krupa river in the opposite direction.^[11]

Endemic and autochthonous fish

Birds

Systematic list of registered species on 13 April 2001:^[4]

HUTOVO BLATO IS ONE OF THE MOST SIGNIFICANT MEDITERREANEAN WETLANDS (INFORMATION CITED FROM WIKIPEDIA)

Mediterranean Wetlands comprise the wetlands of the Mediterranean region.

Wetlands are ubiquitous and they may briefly be defined as transitional spaces between land and water. In a more detailed sense, according to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, wetlands are defined as:

"areas of marsh, fen, peat land or water, whether natural or artificial, permanent or temporary, with water that is static or flowing, fresh, brackish or salt, including areas of marine water the depth of which at low tide does not exceed six metres […..] and may incorporate riparian and coastal zones adjacent to the wetlands, and islands or bodies of marine water deeper than six metres at low tide lying within the wetlands".

The Ramsar Classification of wetland types includes 42 types which can be broadly divided into:

Marine and coastal wetlands
Inland wetlands
Human-made wetlands

Among the richest ecosystems in the world, wetlands have an exceptional value, but are also the most threatened. In the Mediterranean, they support high concentrations of birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, fish and invertebrate species that cannot be found anywhere else in the world.

Regions in the Mediterranean Basin
- AN ALPHABETICAL LIST OF MEDITERRANEAN WETLANDS

The Mediterranean region is unique because of its special type of climate and its very long history of human use. Wetlands in the Mediterranean Basin are varied, and there are many different types in every country. For example:

Africa
- Algeria (Chott Ech Chergui)
- Egypt (Wadi El Rayan Protected Area)
- Libya (Ain Elzarga)
- Morocco (Oasis du Tafilalet)
- Tunisia (Chott El Jerid)
Asia
- Israel (Hula Nature Reserve)
- Jordan (Azraq Oasis)
- Lebanon (Palm Islands Nature Reserve)
- Syrian Arab Republic (Sabkhat al-Jabbul Nature Reserve)
Europe
- Albania (Lake Shkodra and River Buna)
- Bosnia and Herzegovina (Livanjsko Polje: Livno Karst field and Hutovo Blato)
- Bulgaria (Belene Islands Complex)
- Croatia (Lonjsko polje and Mokro polje including Krapje Dol)
- Cyprus (Larnaca Salt Lake)
- France (Camargue)
- Greece (Messolonghi lagoons)
- Italy (Valli residue del comprensorio di Comacchio)
- Macedonia (Lake Prespa)
- Malta (Ghadira)
- Monaco (Réserve sous-marine du Larvotto)
- Montenegro (Skadarsko Jezero)
- Portugal (Estuário do Sado)
- Serbia (Gornje Podunavlje)
- Slovenia (Lake Cerknica & its environs)
- Spain (Doñana)
- Turkey (Lake Burdur)

Values of Mediterranean Wetlands
(CITED FROM WIKIPEDIA)

Man benefits from wetlands' natural functions and services, which help to meet the needs of millions of people – to cultivate soil, to fish for food, to cut trees for building, to hunt the waterfowl for leisure activities, to organize ecotourism programs in remarkable sites, to use their water for our domestic or agricultural needs, etc.

WETLANDS HAVE A CULTURAL, ECOLOGICAL, ECONOMIC AND HYDROLOGICAL VALUE!

Cultural value

Some cultural values developed in wetland areas are non-material and have become part of the life cycle and livelihood of local residents, such as rituals, beliefs, the seasonal work calendar, and different traditional techniques.^[4

Ecological value

The Mediterranean wetlands have a high percentage of endemic species. They not only provide breeding and wintering for millions of birds, they also play a role as a stopping place for an even larger number of birds during migration periods.

Economic value

Environmental economics assumes that by giving a monetary value to nature, it would allow us to better take into account its importance in development choices. The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment gave wetlands a value of US$15 trillion in 1997.

Hydrological value

Wetlands greatly influence the flow and quality of water, thus providing benefits to humans. They store and slowly release surface water, rain, snowmelt and flood waters, maintaining soil humidity during dry periods. But the most important service is the supply of clean water for drinking, agriculture, and industries. Scientists have estimated that a 2,500 acre wetland in Georgia saves $1 million in water pollution control costs annually (OTA 1993).

POST UPDATE 2025- RELEVANT LINKS TO EXPLORE IF YOU WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT HUTOVO BLATO !

Post update is basically Ivana from the future. :) I try to keep my blog post as informative as possible, so I do my best to come to my old post add relevant information.

In this case, I came to add a relevant link list to this post.

MY PREVIOUS (YEARLY) VISITS TO WETLAND NATURE PARK HUTOVO BLATO

1) 2024- A WINTER VISIT TO HUTOVO BLATO!

2) VISIT WETLAND HUTOVO BLATO WITH ME! (modaodaradosti.blogspot.com) 2022

3) https://modaodaradosti.blogspot.com/2021/06/visit-hutovo-blato-wetland-nature-park.html- this was A SUMMER VISIT TO NATURE PARK HUTOVO BLATO . There you can find tips on what to do in this nature park as well as some nice photography. Bellow are links to more visits:

4) NATURE PARK HUTOVO BLATO AUGUST (SUMMER) 2020

5) HUTOVO BLATO (SUMMER) 2019

6) LET'S VISIT HUTOVO BLATO, JANUARY (WINTER) 2018