The Dinara Mountain, located on the border between Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, is the mountain range with the
highest peak in Croatia. We have already covered the
story of Dinara in one of our previous articles about mountains in Croatia and in this article we additionally bring you an overview of cycling trails on this mountain range, which is part of the Dinaric Alps i.e. the Dinarides, one of the biggest mountain ranges in Europe. For those looking to have an
active holiday in Croatia, we definitely recommend exploring the Dinara.
Book one of
our villas with private pool in Dalmatia and have an
unforgettable cycling experience on the Dinara.
Avid cyclists among our guests will definitely not want to miss out on the opportunity to indulge in their favourite leisure time activity while on holiday. All fans of MTB will be happy to hear that there are numerous trails, some of which will also lead you to the highest peak of the range -
Sinjal (1831 m). As some parts of the trails are too demanding or even too steep to ride, the routes usually include a combination of walking and cycling - such tours are often referred to as “
hike & bike” tours.
Two popular trails start near the town of
Knin and are suitable for those looking for demanding trails. One trail, which will take you from Knin to the
Brezovac Mountain Lodge and back, is around
33 km long and can be classified as demanding, with 879 m of elevation gain. The other, longer trail, after taking you to the Brezovac Mountain Lodge, will lead you to the highest peak of
Sinjal. It is around
60 km long and features 1850 m of elevation gain, which makes it very demanding. It is a circular route which descends in the direction of the Glavas Mountain Lodge. Afterwards the trail leads you to the village of
Kijevo and follows the
Krka River back, in the direction of Knin.
Another popular and a bit less demanding route starts near the
Krcic waterfall and the
Krka River spring and takes you along the beautiful
Napoleon road to one of the nearby hamlets and back. It is around
36 km long and features around 518 m of elevation gain. One of the less difficult routes starts from the town of
Cetina and takes you to the village of Kijevo. With around 27 kilometres in length and around 460 m of elevation gain, this trail is perfect for those looking for
a moderate ride.
It is
highly important to stress that you should not go cycling in the mountains if the
weather conditions are not favourable. Please note that you will also need a good bike for it, since some of the trails are very demanding, as well es comfortable shoes for walking as it might be necessary to hike in some parts. Mountains can be
unpredictable and the weather can change quickly. Therefore,
good preparation, good physical condition and quality cycling equipment are important prerequisites. Also, make sure to bring enough
water with you, as water springs might be scarce on the mountain and it tends to be really hot during the summer.
For all those who feel ready to indulge in this activity, the Dinara offers a
great opportunity to stay active and get to know one of the
most beautiful areas of Croatia on two wheels while on holiday.
Helena Nikolic
29.11.2022
MY ISTRIA GUIDE
