One of Croatia’s most beautiful and by far roughest and harshest mountains. Its combination of steep reefs and the sea they fall straight into is a unique sight for eyes. The very things that make it breathtaking and picturesque are the same ones that can put your life in danger. Not to exaggerate, this is not Matterhorn or Mt. Everest by all means, but Biokovo is seriously underestimated. A lot of foreign “hikers” approach it as a walk in the park. More often than not they end up with a Croatian mountain rescue service phone number on their screen.

It is a very steep, rocky and dry (few water refill spots) mountain. The most frequent issues are dehydration, sliding down the accumulations of rock debris or spraining an ankle due to uneven terrain. On many places the markings are very bad. They either faded out, burned down due to fire, got hidden by rocks due to earthquake or just got abandoned by the local mountaineering association. Therefore it is necessary to get all the information of the trail you want to use. Not to forget, check if there are any water sources along the path. That being said, Biokovo is undoubtably stunning!

The route

This time we decided to finally go to Sv. Ilija peak and as always we try to spend 2 days anywhere we go. We had few doubts before the trip, whether to sleep in a tent or to sleep in a shelter. Since we knew that the way up would be steep, for carry-on weight reasons we decided to spend the night in the shelter on the way up. In the following morning we reached the peak Sv. Ilija and then went back to our start in a small place called Bast.

The trail was 15.7 km long and it took us around 8.5h (across 2 days) of walking. Of course, due to taking photos and videos it lasted longer than it normally would. Without that part it could have been comfortable 7h, for us. We made sure we have enough water (3L each) due to sunny weather, steep terrain and Biokovo’s lack of sources of water along the trails. Even though we knew there was one by the shelter, we played it safe.

Day 1

Morning

Everything about this trip was in hurry and so was our start. We left Split at 11.20, hit the highway and were at Bast near Makarska at 12:30. We parked the car on the parking lot basically at the beginning of Bast. 10 mins after we were on our way. By the way Bast is one very cute little place in the foots of Biokovo.

From Bast there are two ways to Sv. Ilija. One to the right through Osičine and one to the left through quarry (rock excavation pit). The one through the quarry is probably the hardest and steepest classical hiking trail in Croatia. Originally we were planning on taking that one but due to the lack of time as we started late we chose Osičine which is a bit milder route. The beginning of the trail passes by the church and enters the forest between local houses on a narrow path. As we started getting higher and higher over the rock debris the view started to get better and better.

For those who don’t know or remember, there was a big fire on Biokovo 1.5 year ago. It destroyed large amount of pine tree forest and several marking posts located on trees. 90% of those big logs are still laying there on and off the hiking trail. So apart from not only being steep, the trail was also covered with tree logs to hop over. On the next cross section we turned left for “Kuća”.

Eveninng

We were loosing the sun here and realized that we would finish the hike with barely any light left, but nonetheless we welcomed the beautiful sunset with open arms. There are very few things if any, prettier than a mountain sunset with a sea view. This one is pretty hard to beat.

It was very hard to look away from this scene, so unfortunately after good 15 mins we had to continue forward to our shelter. From the small hunters cabin we turned right and 12 mins later on the next crossroad (we forgot to take a photo) we continued straight and that took us to our shelter located beneath the peak Korenik. The area is known as “Radića stanovi” which are old shepherd houses where people used to bring their cattle for pasture.

Needless to say how absolutely overwhelming the feeling is, when you have finished your first day of hike and all you have to do at that point is to sit back and relax. Relax in peace and quiet with the best piece of art there is just above your head for as far as your eyes can see…

Day 2

Rise and shine. It was time to head to Sv. Ilija peak. The weather was absolutely perfect, even too good for December. Backpack on, camera in place and we were ready to go. Since we slept in the less sunny north side it was a bit chilly in the shade, but luckily there were gaps where the sun rays could reach us, so they kept us warm until we crossed back to the south side again.

Our next stop was “Matijaševića stanovi”. Another set of old shepherd houses and this one looked just as impressive. A complex of drystone house ruins and yet you could still see and feel the soul of the place. The image in my head of how this little stone village looked like hundred years ago was very beautiful, unobtrusive and in complete sync with the environment.

10 meters from this spot was another sign for water source, but as we already had enough we did not need a refill. Also, we heard that it was not the cleanest and safest water to drink, so use it as a last resort.

After 1.5h we reached our goal, the Sv. Ilija peak located at 1642m. The views that arose on all sides were really spectacular. The sky as clear as it can get, temperature around 14 degrees and comfortable breeze that every now and then turns into a gust. Textbook example of a perfect weather on a perfect mountain. Bioko just like Velebit, acts like a climate separator as the sea side has sensitively different micro climate compared to the one on the other. But we were on the top, getting the best from both worlds.

As always, mesmerising views, the ones that Biokovo never lacks in. Overwhelming and unique combination of sea and sharp and aggressive mountains always has a more powerful and admirable look. Sunrises, sunsets, old drystone shepherd houses, cool shelters and beautiful scenery. Biokovo has it all!

We chose a beautiful, but quite physically demanding trail. In short, the plan was a 2 day circle hike while passing the Napoleon trail to begin with. By following the Bukovac trail we would reach Šćirovac peak in the afternoon and spend the night in the magical mountain hut PS Pakline to finish off the day. The return to the car was planned for the next day, saving the easiest part for last.

DAY 1

MORNING

Since we were driving from Split we didn’t have to head out too early. There is around 1h to Brela, so we left Split at 7 and arrived around 8. We parked the car in the bushes on the side of a dirt road, took our gear and crossed ourselves in the hope to find the car on the way back.

We started the hike through a small pine tree forest just to come out before a piece of Croatian history. A civil engineering breakthrough of the 19th century called “The Napoleon road”. During a short, but engineeringly effective Napoleon’s reign over Croatia, the French started building. To connect Dalmatia with other parts of the country they came up with a new way of road making. This is one of the best preserved examples of the French road engineering.

Our path onwards took us mainly through the woods and forest for the next 4 km, so we decided to enjoy the view a bit with some photo session.

From the Napoleon road we took the path towards the chapel of Sv. Nikola (St. Nicholas) through a pine tree forest. There is something about those walks under the green pines high enough to create a shade, but their canopy thin enough to still feel the sun. In addition to that, these pine trees had a unique look. They had a wide canopy and not only that, but they were very short. The resin from those trees is called paklina hence the hut’s name Pakline.

AFTERNOON

Upon arrival at the chapel of Sv. Nikola on a small hill Prirovac (527 m) we passed around 4.7 km and still had 13 km to go for the day. The chapel was built in the 14th century in the name of the protector of Brela Sv. Nikola, so it felt like a good spot for another short break before peak Bukovac.

Whenever you are surrounded with views on all sides, every 10 m feel like a whole new view. That is how we felt like on Biokovo. In fact each new step gave us something new to process. Next 3 km we covered 600 m of height straight to the “T” intersection. We took a turn to the peak Bukovac (1,262 m) because those views should not be missed. This obviously gave us a boost for the remaining of the day and we sure did need it.

We went back to the T intersection where we now chose Šćirovac. The first part was a 300 m of height gain in 1 km of distance (average 33% incline) followed by a relatively easy 1.5 km to Šćirovac. From Šćirovac (1619 m) we could see another two important peeks of Biokovo. The middle one from the left is Sv. Ilija (St. Elijah) and the one with the big radio beacon is the highest point of Biokovo, Sv. Jure.

Biokovo is a true definition of Dalmatia. It is pointy, heavy, aggressive and full of uncomfortable stones both at the beaches at it’s foothills and it’s peeks. Yet, it is so damn beautiful and worth all the sweat and blood. The same you could apply to it’s people because we are Impulsive, hasty and on first impression aggressive. But actually heartful, kind and ready to give our blood if you ask for it.

EVENING

From Širovac we covered almost 1 km of height on a very steep and above all uncomfortable terrain. Some parts reminded us of the steep stairs Smeagoll took Frodo and Sam on their way to Mordor. You could really see and feel why Biokovo is a home to chamois (wild goats). It is not that common to spot chamois or let alone come near it as it will run away over those stones like a cheetah. It is insane how agile and quick they are. But the fortune smiles at us for all the hard work so far…

After reaching Topol (957 m) we had around 500 m to cover before entering our last section and some parts were really steep (up to 60% grade). 700 m prior to the intersection and our final climb gave us many problems with the markings. We lost it several times because of poor marking condition, big rocks that fell of and covered the markings or overgrown bushes. At one point we had to break through the vegetation and hope to find the trail on the other side. We did, thanks to the map on my watch. At that moment we already did 15 km on a relatively rough terrain. We were looking at the final 2.5 km out of which 1 km was a steep incline (40% in average).

After 17 long and tiring kilometres the hut “Pakline” welcomed us with this scenery. There was no better reward. The most golden sun, a hygge hut and sea view to die for. Once again it proves to be true, the best things in life are free. Tired as we were, we enjoyed these views for some time before making a quick dinner and calling it a day. A nice sleep awaited us.

DAY 2

MORNING

Imagine, you wake up in a small hut. You go outside and find birds chirping, sun shining and sea as blue as it gets. Only thing you could add to it is a cup of freshly made coffee to match the view.

We were not in a hurry, so we decided to enjoy this lovely day and chill in the nice weather and nature while exploring the area. Some were reading books in the sun, some sunbathing or enjoying the the tasty dry leftovers from yesterday sandwiches. In a place like this it all tastes like a Michelin star restaurant.

AFTERNOON

Time was to head off and we had an easy 5 km of relaxing and beautiful trail back. It was a good idea to leave this for last as it gave us time to enjoy the walk without heavy breaths. Along the way there were still a lot of amazing scenes like “The hollow rock” (Eye of the Biokovo), cute pine tree forest and amazing sunset views.

EVENING

The mountain told us farewell with this amazing sunset. We really could not have had a better trip. Tired as hell, we soaked up the last rays of sunshine over Omiška Dinara and Adriatic sea in the distance and left Biokovo with the best memories. We are coming back!