The Vrbas is a major river in western Bosnia and Herzegovina.
It is a right tributary of the river Sava. The town of Banja Luka is located on the river banks. It lent its name to one of the provinces (banovinas) of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, the Vrbas Banovina.
The Vrbas river appears at the southern slope of the Vranica mountain, at around 1530 meters above the sea level and it drains central part of the northern slopes of the Dinaric mountain massif. It empties into the Sava river at around 90 meters above the sea level. Total length of the main watercourse is around 235 km.
Average annual rainfall is around 800 l/m2 at the mouth of the Vrbas to the Sava river and up to 1500 l/m2 in the southern part of the basin. Characteristic mean flow is around 34,6 l/s/km2 Maximum rainfall occurs in the southern parts of the Vrbas basin in the late autumn and winter months, with minimum quantities in summer, whereas the northern parts of the basin receive the largest quantities of rain during the summer months (June-July), with the maximum in November and December.
Vrbas river
The most important tributaries are Pliva, Ugar, Crna Rijeka and Vrbanja which are located in the middle part of the basin.
"Vrbas" means "willow" in Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian and a number of weeping willow trees adorn the river banks in Banja Luka.
Off the beaten track to the highlands around the canyon are excellent hiking and walking trails where one has phenomenal views of the river below. The canyon walls are home to hawks, eagles and falcons as well. The highlands are dotted with many old villages that offer a stark contrast to the beat of the Banja Luka city center. It’s a ‘must do’ trip if you are in the Banja Luka region.
World Rafting Championship took place on this magnificent river in 2009.
THINGS TO DO & SEE
