A war veteran and former member of the elite 4th Guards Brigade, Mario Jelavić experienced the region long before it was viewed through the lens of travel.

During the war, and in the years that followed, he moved from military service into humanitarian work, spending extensive time in Bosnia and Herzegovina as a UNHCR and Red Cross field officer. He witnessed the shelling of Sarajevo and took part in delivering humanitarian aid to besieged cities, refugee camps, and detention facilities, transporting food, supplies, and assistance to civilians in the most affected areas. Alongside this work, he also operated on press assignments, including field work for Reuters, documenting events and conditions on the ground during the conflict.

Working deep inland and far beyond the main routes, Mario gained first-hand knowledge of the region’s landscapes, backroads, and communities under conditions shaped by conflict and recovery. These experiences formed a lasting, factual understanding of the places and people that few outsiders ever encountered directly.

Long before founding this tour, he knew the region from the road—not as a visitor, but through direct involvement with the realities on the ground.

Over time, that experience merged with his work as a professional photographer and lifelong motorcycle enthusiast. His photography is closely tied to movement, and all images featured on this website were captured while riding the very routes that define the journey.

Today, decades of riding, a photographer’s eye, and early field experience come together in a tour guided by someone who knows the road—not only where it leads, but what it has carried over time.