Why you don’t need to take a tour to hike Mosor Mountain – Split (Croatia)
People think that you need to book a tour if you want to climb Mosor Mountain. You don’t (especially since you can get here by city bus). Besides which, most organized hikes up Mosor Mountain only make it up as far as the Umberto Girometta Mountain house. The best hiking is done behind that, up the steep slopes of the mountain.
* Note: you don’t have to take a tour but I don’t advise going by yourself. Go with some friends as I did.
The last time I climbed Mosor with friends Vedran and Goran we had explored the two highest peaks of Mosor: Veli Kabal and Vickov Stup. We had stopped at the mountain house (PL. Dom) to eat beans and sausages. To see that post, which covers the most popular route, CLICK HERE.
This time we took a slightly different route with a different destination in mind: the Hrvoje Dujmić shelter. This shelter (an ex-shipping container) lies on the interior side of Mosor. It has a barbecue pit – besides nature and great views, the goal was to have a few drinks and cook some meat.
Related: Croatia’s Top 10 Hikes
They’ve done a great job with signage on Mosor and unless you intentionally stray off the trail you would have a hard time getting lost. Most signage posts always have a sign indicating PL. Dom – that’s the mountain house. If you ever get lost that’s the best way back.
Starting from the parking lot we made our way towards the mountain house. A few photos:
45 minutes later we arrived at the Umberto Girometta Mountain house (PL. Dom). It’s pretty quiet in the morning but when you come here in the afternoon you’ll find quite a lot of people – locals and tourists – having drinks or resting at the outdoor picnic tables
After a brief break we continued on. I mentioned that we were going to the Hrvoje Dujmić shelter – well, there’s no sign for this shelter. The way to get there from the mountain house is to first head in the direction of Gajna (about 45 minutes from the mountain house) and then, from there, continue to signs indicating Jabukovac.
Getting to Gajna, you’ll see a large open meadow. A lot of school groups come up here for picnics and outdoor games. It also means the end to flat surfaces and vegetation – if you continue from here the terrain gets much steeper and rockier.
Seen from Split, Mosor looks like a large, rocky mountain with bald peaks. After 2 hours of hiking we finally reached the top – just to find ourselves looking straight down the other side of the mountain. Despite faraway appearances, Mosor is all sharp peaks and ragged edges, there is very little (if any) smoothness to this mountain.
You’re now at the top of the long ridge that connects the 2 highest peaks on Mosor: Veli Kabal (1339 m) and Vickov Stup (1325 m). You can follow the ridge in either direction (it is this ridge we had followed on our previous hike).
This time however, we followed the Jabukovac trail right down the other side of the mountain.
NOTE: See the snow above? Going over the ridge we were: 1) in the shade 2) facing a cold wind coming from the interior mountains. Coming down this side of the mountain there was ice and snow and we slipped a few times. If doing it in winter (we did this hike in mid-February) be very careful.
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Then we saw our destination: the Hrvoje Dujmić shelter.
We had brought our own food: chicken, pork, bread, beer and some rakija. We also had matches and some of those white firestarter things you use to get the fire going. Other than that, the barbecue pit has metal grills and there are branches all around the shelter that we used for firewood. The shelter itself has a bunkbed with 2 mattresses, a table, and a wood stove to keep warm in the winter. It even has a few basic cooking utensils that people can use.
A bit about the Hrvoje Dujmić shelter here.
We spent a few hours there eating, drinking and taking some sun. Then we cleaned up our mess and were back on our way up from where we came.
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What’s the most beautiful spot on Mosor? For me it has to be walking the ridge between Veli Kabal and Vickov Stup. On one side you have the Adriatic with all the islands, on the other you have the interior with snowy mountain peaks in the distance (in Bosnia and Herzegovina).
Time it took us to do this hike:
From the Parking lot to the top of Mosor (the ridge): 2.5 hrs.
From the ridge down to the Hrvoje Dujmić shelter: 45 min
Back up to the ridge from the shelter: 40 min
Walk along the ridge to Vickov Stup: 20 min
Vickov Stup back to Mountain House and to Parking: 2 hrs
Total hiking time: 6 hrs, 15 min (not including 2 hrs spent at the shelter).
Practical Information
– Getting to Gornje Sitno (10 minutes from parking lot) by bus: Take bus 28 which runs on the large intersection behind Split’s Green market. Schedule here (make sure to arrive early because buses to Gornje Sitno are not frequent). Takes about 45 minutes to get to Gornje Sitno.
– Bring lots of water, something for your head, good shoes, and long pants. Bring a phone should something happen to you up there.
– Keep an eye out for snakes, can be found sunning themselves on rocks (I’ve been up here 3 times and have never seen anything more than a garden-variety snake).
Summary: It is easy getting to the mountain by bus and the signage is good. I’ve highlighted a couple of hikes – take the usual precautions, bring enough water, and come with a couple of friends. If you do all that you don’t have to book a tour.
More: Hiking Mt.Dinara, Croatia’s highest Peak
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Related: Bbqboy’s Guide to Croatia
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Thank you for this description! Highlight of our holiday in Split was to hike here.
Since the weather was already very hot at the beginning of June, we wore shorts which was mistake – especially if you go through Gajna. The grass was very long and it was hard to try avoid possible snakes and ticks. I would not recommend going up through Gajna because of this, even though the climbing was much more challenging and fun than easy path back from Vickov Stup.
Also you should select the first guided route up during the summer. We tried the second one and time to time it was hard to find the next sign. We came back the first route which was very clear.
It took us 3 hours up and 1,5 hours down. Going up would have possibly been faster if we would have selected the first path to Mountain House and continued to V. Kabal. Even if it was very hot, this trip was not the challenge we expected. Visiting only at the Mountain House would not have been worth the bus drive. Especially the left side route up to Vickov Stup (which be came down) was very easy. We met some senior group at the top, so general fittness is enough.
Remember to have enough water! We had 1,5 l for a person and had to follow the consumption at the end.
Thank you Kata for the feedback and tips. Great that you enjoyed it. Agree about just going to the Mountain Hut – not worth it. The payoff is that ridge and the views at V. Kabal. You guys obviously in pretty good shape.
I think you have here a really nice post… But i would like to know more about the Bus from split to Sitno Gornje … Because our group is going to stay at the Stobreč Split camping park and we would like to know where is the Bus stop… And in Sitno Gornje because its in the middle of the bus route according to one website ive found…Thanks and have an nice day
Hi Rui,
There’s a bus stop on the main road (ie highway) which I believe is just on the other side of the river that flows into the Bay. You might want to ask the owners of the camping. I don’t think it’s far though (from memory).
Sitno Gornje is the 2nd last stop and you should ask the bus driver to let you know. When you get out of the bus, walk up the small road to the left. It will bring you to the trailhead.
Bus routes and schedules are shitty in Croatia. To be safe, add 15 minutes to the time indicated on the schedule. So for the 8:30 bus, I’d be waiting at the bus stop in Strobrec at 8:45 (probably takes a bit more time to get there, but with 15 min you’re playing it safe).
I haven’t taken the bus from Stobrec so please let me know how it goes.
Great post, I’ve wanted to hike Mosor but didn’t know you could do it without booking some kind of transport from Split. Always love a good hike but often hard getting to one without public transport.
Love the photos! What a view.
Hi Jack,
Yes, easy to take the bus where the 2 large streets meet behind the green market (across the street you’ll see BIPA).
Take it early in the morning, it’ll take about 45 min which is not much different than driving there. Tell the driver you are going to Gornje Sitno (I think it is the 2nd to last stop).
Then catch one of the buses in the late afternoon coming back. Easy, but just make sure you make the schedule because the buses not so frequent.