American ex-pat Tim Clancy is the John Muir of a surprising natural wonderland: Bosnia.
By Alex Crevar
“In the U.S., this country would be a national park,” says Tim Clancy, co-founder of eco-adventure tourism company Green Visions, as he takes a breather from a trek to gaze out over one of the least explored canyons in southeast Europe. He’s flanked by a startlingly bucolic panorama of hillside pastures and thick forests. “Everything is here, from mountain villages to untouched wilderness, and as a new nation we have the opportunity to keep it like this.”
The Long Island native left college in 1992 and sold his belongings for a one-way ticket to Europe. During the next three years, he was one of the few foreigners allowed through Sarajevo’s citizen-dug tunnel to bring in fuel and medical supplies during the siege. But even after years of warfare that killed 200,000 people, Clancy’s most important fight has become keeping his adopted home — a country of 4.6 million — green. “Most of the front lines were in the highlands, so if you mention hiking trails people think trenches and land mines,” says Clancy. “Part of Green Visions’ mission is getting people back to nature.”
Bosnia provides almost endless terrain begging to be hiked, snowshoed, skied, and paddled. The country also boasts a unique karst topography (and resulting water riches), the rugged Central Dinaric Alps, and one of two remaining primeval forests in Europe. Green Visions showcases these eco-assets on expeditions that cross Bosnia’s highest peaks and also offer hiking, biking, rafting, and stops in Sarajevo and Mostar.
“What I appreciate about Tim and Green Visions is their work beyond tourism,” says Anne Wood, program director for Mountain Travel Sobek, who contracts Clancy to handle its 10-day hiking trips through Bosnia. “It’s not just a desire to grow tourism but to grow it responsibly — so ultimately the rewards go back to Bosnians, add to youth employment, and educate people about nature.”
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July 22nd, 2009 at 11:22 am
[...] it’s not just business pubs; Men’s Journal has story detailing Tim Clancy’s efforts to bring eco-tourism to Bosnia with a company called Green Visions, Justin Timberlake’s eco-friendly golfcourse, and Revo [...]
Ooops, should have mentioned good post! Waiting on the next post!
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July 22nd, 2009 at 4:15 pm
As someone that has worked alongside Green Visions, I have to say I completely agree with Anne Wood, and that their passion for responsible tourism in Bosnia and Herzegovina is inspiring to say the least. Nice article Alex. I hope people see the value in visiting this incredible country and not be put off by any previous conceptions of the destination.
Luke Ford
whl.travel
Europe and Middle East Region
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