Via Dinarica – a Real Natural Beauty

08.03.2021
Active holiday

Via Dinarica, what is it? For who is it?

Imagine all the people sharing all the world.

You know that one?

Of course you do. It’s the line from John Lennon’s song Imagine. He wrote it in 1971.

We all know the song. Lyrics are describing a dream of the world where …all the people (are) living life in peace and …the world will be as one.

But, somehow, it doesn’t seem to be that easy. 48 years later, people are still quite divided.

What do you think could connect people? Our answer is – Nature. If nothing else will, Nature will.

This is the lesson of The Via Dinarica project – the hiking trail which connects 7 countries: Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Monte Negro, Serbia, Kosovo, and Albania.

All these countries are equal parts of a unique geographic morphological entity called Dinarides – the largest karst area in the world.

Just like the Alps are geographically connecting all Alpine countries, Dinarides are connecting countries of south-eastern Europe. It’s the complex of mountains spreading from north to south in a total length of 645 kilometres.

Via Dinarica is the pure hiking challenge for any mountaineer.

Even more – it’s the journey within the cultures, languages, and traditions, that are similar in many ways, but different in their own uniqueness.

Or as the project itself puts it – Connecting Naturally.

Via Dinarica is the chance to meet all the countries of south-eastern Europe while avoiding the crowded tourist points.

Hikers are privileged to meet real-life people:

their customs, mentality, and routines;
to taste original flavours, not the ones by overrated restaurant chefs;
to experience folk art, not the art promoted in fashionable, hipster-designed art galleries;
to hear true stories, not the tourists-adjusted interpretations

Here, we’ll introduce you only to the Croatian part of the whole route.

What would you like to see of Croatian natural beauties? Well, Via Dinarica covers most of it.

The Croatian part of Via Dinarica covers 2.000 kilometres of hiking, walking and cycling paths. It runs through 6 national parks, 4 nature parks and both of Croatian natural reserves.

There are three separate lines of Via Dinarica in Croatia:

Blue line (1070 km) introduces you to Croatian coast – it runs over 2 peninsulas (Istria and Pelješac), 4 islands (Krk, Rab, Pag, Mljet), 3 national parks (Paklenica, Krka, Mljet), 4 nature parks (Učka, Velebit, Vrana Lake, Biokovo), 2 canyons (Zrmanja, Cetina), 3 bridges (the bridges of Krk, Pag and Šibenik).
White line (760 km) runs through the limestone and karst complex of Croatian largest mountains – from the mountains of Gorski Kotar and Velebit to Dinara and Biokovo.
Green line (200 km) line of Via Dinarica offers an extraordinary opportunity for getting acquainted with untouched green landscapes along with the long haul through the continental areas of Croatian Dinarides.

Impressive huh? You think you could do it?

Altogether, there are 57 stages of Via Dinarica in Croatia. Most of them are multi-day hiking trips. So, it’s the spectacular hiking adventure, even though it is only a small part of the entire route that connects 7 countries and nations.

Let’s just run through the all-in-all numbers of Via Dinarica:

200 mountains
240 peaks over 2.000 meters of altitude
20 national parks
19 UNESCO preserved locations
And much, much more…

Now, that’s impressive!

The Via Dinarica project is designed to promote mountaineering tourism in south-eastern Europe.

It intents to put Dinarides area unto the mountaineering map of the world. These mountains are not as high as some of the most famous mountains in the world, but what distinguishes them, is their wide cultural diversity.

If you want to meet the real south-eastern Europe, and you estimate yourself up to the challenge, Via Dinarica is the way to go.

Your CTC Team, S.J.