Pine forest, clean air and the Miljacka spring: what air spa status really means.
Cities keep getting louder and the air we breathe dirtier. So as soon as we have a few days off, we instinctively head for the mountains. But a stay in certain mountain places is more than a break; it does the body real good.
Ravna Planina has been officially declared an air spa. Here is what lies behind the title, and why a stay here is a fine gift to your body.
What is an air spa?
Air spa status is not handed out lightly. A place has to meet strict geographical and meteorological criteria: the right altitude, a particular pattern of winds, no sources of pollution and a high concentration of negative ions and clean oxygen.
Ravna Planina brings all of these together. Staying here works like a natural inhaler: it clears the lungs, calms the nervous system and restores energy.
The pine forest, natural support for your immune system
On the trails of Ravna Planina the first thing you notice is the scent of pine. The dense pine forests around the hotel release phytoncides, natural compounds that trees use to protect themselves from bacteria and fungi. Studies of forest bathing show that just two hours walking through a forest like this stimulates the body’s defensive cells, and the effect lasts up to two weeks after you get home.
The Miljacka spring, richest in ozone around Sarajevo
Nearby is Vrelo Miljacke, the source of the Miljacka river: a beautiful spot with crystal-clear water. Thanks to the fast-flowing water, the shape of the land and the dense forest, it is recognised as the spring richest in ozone in the wider Sarajevo area.
Time in a place with this much ozone and negative ions boosts circulation, lifts your energy and helps against fatigue and stress. You can genuinely taste the difference: the air is sharper and cleaner.
A weekend to reset
Hotel Planinska Kraljica sits at the heart of this air spa. Start the day with a mountain breakfast and a cup of tea from herbs picked in these meadows, walk to the Miljacka spring, and end it in the sauna and hot tub.
Swap city smog for clean mountain air and feel your energy return after your very first weekend.
