TOUR OF SACRED SITES IN BOSNIA & HERZEGOVINA
The Heart Shaped Land    17th to 23rd April 2010

Together Isobel and Joy have spent much time in this beautiful country and they feel that the beauty and history of Bosnia & Herzegovina and its people must be shared, so they offer the opportunity to join them on their tour, as they journey through some of the mystical and sacred sites from April 17th to 23rd 2010.

Isobel Denham, although born in London, lives part of the year in Sarajevo. She was drawn to Bosnia & Herzegovina in 1994 - during the 'Bosnian War' to a local women's initiative 'Through Heart to Peace', which held a series of 'impossible' Peace Conferences in besieged Bosnia & Herzegovina. She became involved with and managed a Holiday Project, which provided respite in SW France, for survivors of the conflict. She has 11 years experience facilitating Cathar Tours, with Wholistic World Vision, from her home in SW France.

Joy Smith joined Isobel and the Bosnian Holiday Project at Le Château de Castelfranc in 2001 while seeking a new direction after having been healed from a crippling injury. She attended Through Heart to Peace Conferences and worked as a volunteer in Bosnia & Herzegovina. Over the past 5 years Joy has run many spiritual retreats and tours to sacred sites in the United Kingdom.

We will begin our journey in Dubrovnik, travel through Trebinje to Stolac and Radmilja, with links to the heretical Bosnian Church/Bogomil/Islamic past and on to Mostar and the Stari Most Bridge.

We visit Blagaj to explore the source of the River Buna, a place of great mystery and ancient pilgrimage for Sufis and Dervish, and then on to Medugorje, where six teenagers saw 'Our Lady' in 1981.

We explore Sarajevo - Austro-Hungarian Architecture, 16th C Mosques, eastern Orthodox and Catholic Churches, Synagogue and the "Tunnel of Life". These are all sites which demonstrate the rich mosaic that was Sarajevo's past, in the heart of Europe.

Visoko, site of the 'Bosnian Pyramids' - Pyramids of the Sun, Moon, Dragon, Earth and Love. These are amazing and mysterious and were discovered as recently as 2004 by Semir Osmanagic. Vegetation found in the tunnels is said to have been dated from 30,000 B.C.E. We hope to be able to enter sections of these interconnecting underground tunnel during our day in Visoko.

We then journey to Olovo to visit 'Our Lady of Olovo', revered by Christians and Muslims alike. The tour continues to Potocari, to the memorial centre built to honour the 8,000 men and boy victims of the 1995 genocide. We continue on to Srebenica, which was a beautiful, ancient spa town, known for the healing properties of its waters; the silver mined since Roman times in its mountains, and the dense forests which surround it.
From Srebenica we travel to Visegrad where we lunch by the Ottoman Bridge made famous by Ivo Andric. We continue to Trebinje and return to Dubrovnik to spend the last morning exploring this ancient walled city.

The seven day tour, including bed & breakfast, local transport and guiding is £695.
Single supplement is £100. Airfares, entrance fees and other meals are extra.

All with open hearts and minds are welcome to join this tour.

Download booking form.