Driving Mt. Biokovo, Croatia

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Map of Biokovo and the different viewpoints

 

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Viewpoints on Mt. Biokovo
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There are 5 major viewpoints on Mt. Biokovo, 3 of which don’t require any hiking at all. These stops include restaurants, bathroom facilities, an information center, a historical trail as well as animals. So Biokovo is not just about views. You can actually spend a full day here and not get bored.
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Ravna Vlaška, 1 228 m

 

 

13 km from the Nature Park’s entrance, Ravna Vlaška has an information center where you can get a map and guide on Biokovo. It also has a great lookout with views over the most southern part of the Biokovo massive as well the islands of Brač and Korcula. There are also bathrooms here. No hiking required to get to the lookout.

Update: in 2020 the Skywalk Biokovo was built here at Ravna Vlaška. Even if you don’t have a car, you can come here on a tour from Makarska to enjoy the views. This tour is one of the best priced ones. For a unique tour, this one takes you there by tuk tuk.

 

 

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Sv. Jure, 1 762 m

 

 

Driving on, the road suddenly climbs dramatically in a series of switchbacks. You’ll see a huge TV antenna which marks the highest point. The is Sv. Jure, the 3rd highest peak in Croatia at 1762 m. This is where the 23 km road ends.

On one side you’ll see mountains and sea, on the other you’ll be looking towards Bosnia and Herzegovina where you’ll see endless mountains and valleys. Walk around. You’ll see signs indicating a church. The Church of St. Jure was built in the 1600’s and still today pilgrims come here on the last Saturday in July to celebrate the holiday of St. Jure (you can hike here from the coast town of Makarska in about 7 hours).

 

 

Vošac, 1 422 m

 

 

Coming back down from Sv. Jure, you’ll see signs for  Vošac. Don’t skip this, the best views in the whole park are here.

After turning off for Vošac you’ll get to a parking lot (they seemed to be building a restaurant next to this spot when we visited in July 2016). From here, it’s a 20 minute hike to the mountain hut at the top of the peak.

The Views at Vošac are incredible. You’ll be looking straight down at the town of Makarska (which is listed as a 4 hour hike). The whole Dalmatian coastline opens up in front of you.

There’s a man who takes care of the mountain hut and you can buy beer and chips. If you want to wake up to these views, you can even sleep here. They have comfortable beds on the 2nd floor of the hut (I don’t remember how much it was to rent in for the night but I do remember that it was inexpensive. I would totally do it).

 

 

 

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Štrbina (below Vošac), 1 338 m

 

Štrbina gives you even clearer views on Makarska below. From here you can continue the trail straight down into town if you wish (we met a few Serbian hikers here who were on their way up to Vošac).

From Štrbina it is an easy 20 min hike back to the Vošac parking lot.

 

 

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Staza, 897 m

 

 

On the way back down you’ll see a sign for a restaurant called “The Doors Biokovo”. It’s a good place to park the car and have lunch. Next to the restaurant area are a few stables where you’ll see donkeys and cows.

 

 

This area also has a lookout, a small church, as well as a 1.5 km historical trail containing the remnants of military installations in World War 1: artillery nests, trenches, and barracks.

 

 

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I’ve mentioned a few times how much Croatia reminds me of South Africa, my other favorite country. Have a look at this post if you don’t believe me.

 

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Practical Information

– The Park’s website: Nature Park Biokovo.

– Entrance to the park is about a 10 minute drive south of Makarska.

– We recommend going early when there are less visitors. We arrived around 7:30 am and basically drove to the top without any trouble. Coming down, there were more cars and you often have to pull over to the side so that both cars can squeeze by each other. Overall however, we didn’t see too many other visitors – Biokovo still seems unknown to most.

– Tours. I mentioned a few tours above that will take you to the Skywalk. If you want to go all the way to the top as we did, this Tour takes you to Sv. Jure (Mount George), the highest peak on Biokovo. 

– Biokovo was included in my post featuring Croatia’s 10 Best Hikes. Some popular trails: Makarska to Vošac (3-4 hours). Makarska to Sv. Jure (7 hours). See the Biokovo website for many more trails.

– Accommodation. Makarska is the perfect base and, as mentioned above, you can actually hike up the mountain. A few recommendations: Hotel Park Makarska (big modern hotel on the beach with a pool. All with fantastic views), Hotel Osejava (modern hotel, pool, great views), Apartment Petra & Apartment Rustic (fully equipped apartment, right in the old town, steps from everything).

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I’ve seen a lot of natural beauty in Croatia but Biokovo impressed me more than anything I’ve seen to date (including Plitvice Lakes). I recommend a visit here if you are anywhere in Central Dalmatia.

 

 

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