Hiking Mount Mosor the “Man’s Way”
Mount Mosor is the highest peak in the Split area, renown for its fabulous views over the Dalmatian coastline. So when my new Croatian friends Vedran and Goran offered to take me for a hike up Mount Mosor there was no way I was going to say no.“Bring 2 liters of water, sunscreen and a lunch” said Vedran “It takes about 3 hours to reach the peak”.
We were going to get to Mount Mosor by bus but Goran managed to secure his wife’s car at the last minute. So we stuffed into the small Honda and started up the long winding road to the foothills of the mountain.
Most blogs out there describe a hike up Mount Mosor, the hike culminating at the Mountain House. That’s a 45 minute hike from the beginning point (a small town called Gornje Sitno). That’s not a hike. We wanted a real hike and that meant climbing those high peaks that loom right behind the Mountain House.
Some numbers:
Car park: 590 m
Mountain House: 870m
Veli Kabal: 1339 m (highest peak)
Vickov Stup: 1325 m (2nd highest peak)
From the car parking lot (altitude 590 m) we walked on a gravel path for about 10 minutes. We then navigated our way up a stairway of rocks. It was easy going. The guys told me about tourists climbing here in flip-flops. Some have gotten stuck and had to be rescued by helicopter (you get stuck with the helicopter bill if they have to come to get you). They told me to watch out for snakes; the hills of Dalmatia have nose-horned vipers poisonous enough to go kill children or older people (note: you can see a dead one on display in the Mountain House).
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As advertised, it took about 45 minutes to get to the Mountain House. We stopped at one of their picnic tables and had a snack and water. Goran told me that as a kid he had stayed here overnight. The upper floors of the building serve as a hostel. What he remembered most however was the Turkish squat toilet that they have on the premises. This led to a conversation about how squat toilets are actually physiologically optimal for taking the best dumps.
We continued, headed for the toughest section of the hike.
I don’t have photos from the Mountain House – Veli Kabal portion of the hike, mostly because it required the use of both hands. The climb is steep and you’ll often be using your hands to hoist yourself up to higher levels. When not climbing, you’ll find yourself scrambling over loose rocks.
Then you see the cross right in front of you. That’s Veli Kabal.
At the top of Veli Kabal there is a red metal box containing a book. Make sure to write your name in the book to make your achievement official.
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We decided to continue on to Vickov Stup, the 2nd highest peak (by 15 meters).
This section, along a sharp ridge (the coast on one side, the Dalmatian interior on the other) was the most scenic of the day. It’s a 45 minute hike between the two peaks.
We actually met quite a few people along the way: a young New Zealand couple doing the trek in the opposite direction, then a group of middle-aged German women up at Vickov Stup. We also met some Croatian men, people who looked like they did this every weekend.
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The path from Vickov Stup to the Mountain House is actually much easier than the one from Veli Kabal. No climbing with hands and feet, no scrambling over loose rocks. And with this peak being closer to Split we had some great views towards the city (below – unfortunately it was a bit of a hazy day).
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2 hours later, we were back at the Mountain House eating beans and sausages.
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Practical Information
– Getting to Gornje Sitno 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). It takes about 45 minutes to get to Gornje Sitno.
– Bring lots of water, something for your head, good shoes, and long pants (I had shorts and got bitten a lot by nasty flies). Bring a phone should something happen to you up there.
– Keep an eye out for snakes which can be found sunning themselves on rocks (we didn’t see anything).
On a personal note: Thanks to Vedran and Goran for inviting me up here. It’s a day I’ll always remember.
Related: Guide to Split (including Day Trips)
Related: Hiking Mt.Dinara, Croatia’s highest Peak
Related: Croatia’s 10 Best Hikes
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Woww!! Sitting in bus 28 now back to Split. Just hiked this trail with my girlfriend and it was amazing. We followed the signs and your blog to see if we were still on the same track as you guys. We did follow the photos in the post were you hiked towards Jabukovac and were happy every time we found ourselves on the same spot as you guys were on the photos.
The path is quite challenging and really steep. You’ll have to use your hands indeed.
Arriving at the ridge is amazing. We realised that we were on the ridge and from there we switched to this post. The view on both peaks are amazing, especially because you can see both views on either side of the mountain. We were also really happy about the way back. Way more easy and more of a real hike instead of semi-mountain climbing. Scrambling down such a steep path wouldn’t have been nice 🙂
Thank you for this blog, we had lots of fun today and a tremendous hike.
For other people: we got the bus at 8:30 (bus was few minutes late), arriving at 9:30. We got back at 16:00 and caught the bus at 16:15. We only saw 1 other person the whole hike, the mountain house was closed. We had 3L of water which was exactly the right amount and enough food. Weather was perfect. Forecast of Split said 30 degrees, during the hike in the mountains I’d say it was something between 20 – 25 degrees. Perfect for shorts (even though long pants might be better because of the vegetation that is scratching your legs) and a shirt.
Oh!! And bring a pen for the books at the peaks, we didn’t have one with us unfortunately.
Hi Ronald. So happy you enjoyed the hike and even happier that the post helped!
Thank you for the additional tips, great stuff.
Please make sure to go to Omis and go up to the Fortica (Starigrad). Amazing, amazing views.
Enjoy the rest of your time in Croatia!
Hi Frank,
We will be visiting Croatia this summer. If we want to hike this with kids, better to go up Gajna and travel the ridge to Vickov Stup ? Any hands necessary for that part ?
Thanks,
Edith
Hi Edith,
What I would recommend for an easier hike is that from the mountain house you go towards Vickov Stup and not Veli Kabal. No hands necessary. And you can go from there to Veli Kabal and then retrace your steps…it’s not a long walk along the ridge and it’s very scenic.
Either way it’s not really a tough hike (BUT beware in summer when it’s very hot).
I was talking about the other way you went up the ridge on your hike to Hrvoje Dujmić shelter in your other blog about Mount Mosor. Would that trail be easier than the one to Veli Kabal ? I rather do a loop than walk the same way twice when possible. Thank you.
Edith
You really have to go to Vickov Stup…then walk along the ridge to Veli Kabal. You can either walk back to Vickov Stup from there (not far and the views along that ridge great) and go back down OR go down towards mountain house from Veli Kabal..which is steeper and less well indicated.
I’d recommend the 1st with kids.
Again though, don’t underestimate the heat and lack of shade up there.