As I often do when I’m in Europe, I use google flights to see where I can get quickly for a weekend excursion. It’s a really cool feature, just enter your starting airport, set Stops to Nonstop, and then for the destination you can enter broad areas such as Europe or the Balkans.

On a recent trip to Berlin, I saw I could get to Split, Croatia on a nonstop early Saturday morning flight. Having been to Croatia before, I thought I’d zoom out the map to see what was accessible in a couple hours’ drive from the airport. What I found on the map is the Blidinje Nature Park in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Little did I know what an amazing trip was in store.

The Blidinje Nature Park is made up of three mountain ranges, with mountain peaks up to 7,309 feet (2,228). As such, I knew there would have to be some great trails to explore. I googled around for places to stay but wasn’t having much luck until I came across Hajdučke Vrleti, a hotel and restaurant located right in the center of the trails I’d found. The hotel perfectly fit the needs for my weekend trip. Just a 2 hour drive from the Split, Croatia airport, centrally located among great hiking destinations, including one trail right from the hotel, and an on-site restaurant serving breakfast, lunch and dinner. I anxiously emailed the hotel, hoping they had availability that weekend, and I got a quick and friendly response that it was available and that I could get dinner reservations each night too.

While I didn’t get in an ultra-distance run on this trip, this area is ideal for an ultrarunning destination since so many tracks can be strung together for 50k and greater run. One example track can be found here. What would be extra cool is stringing together a run that includes the Hajdučka Vrata and some of the taller mountains in the area, including the tallest one in the area, Mount Pločno at 7310 feet (2228m). This would be a truly epic day.

Getting There

I flew into the Split, Croatia airport and rented a car at Avis. I would not recommend Avis as they charged excessive fees for insurance, 50 euros to cross the border into Bosnia, and when I returned it, they did something I’ve never seen in 100s of rentals. They wrote up a claim report on a scuff underneath the front bumper and a tiny scratch likely from a rock on the road. There are likely much better options if you go with local carriers instead of Avis. All that being said, the car was reliable, and the driving worked out great.

The driving was very easy, mostly two lane winding roads through the countryside. In the Split area, traffic was busy but not excessive, and drivers seemed courteous overall. Part of the drive was a toll road, but they take Euros or credit cards, so no stress at all. The Kamensko Border Crossing was easy too. Just roll down your window, hand over your passport, get a stamp, and drive on.

Lodging

My base of operations for the two days was the Hajdučke Vrleti hotel and restaurant. The staff was exceptionally friendly; the room was very comfortable and included a balcony, and the food was excellent. I had breakfast, lunch and dinner while there. I was embarrassed at dinner because I couldn't eat all the food since it was so good, but the portions were very large.

For breakfast, I had the Bosnian Pancakes, called Uštipci, that came with Nutella, honey, and jam. These were tasty and fueled me up for the 8 hours of hiking ahead. Other meals I had were the Bosnian steak, boneless chicken leg, and grilled trout. Each dish was perfectly prepared and full of flavor, along with the fresh salad and baked potatoes. I could have stayed for a full week just to sample everything from the menu!

The hotel is well situated for a ultrarunning destination weekend since there is at least one hiking trail that starts directly from the hotel and ascends the mountain behind it and then many other trailheads within only a 15 minute drive. I saw many people also starting bike rides directly from the hotel on their mountain bikes.

Excursions

Day 1: Hajdučke Vrleti to Veliki Vran

My first hike started early in the afternoon since I arrived at the hotel around noon and wanted to get some lunch first since I had eaten nothing all day. Since my trip was in mid-May, I had plenty of light since sunset wasn’t until after 7pm when I had my dinner reservation.

The trail starts off directly behind the hotel and begins the climb through dense forest. I was amazed at how quiet it was and since there were so many spiders across the trail, I could tell I wouldn’t see anyone during the hike. Once the trail exited the trees, I encountered some snow, but it was hard packed so I could dig my shoes in and still make it up the steep slopes.

The reward of this trail is a sweeping view of the surrounding mountains, the valley where the hotel is located, including a lake in the distance, but also being able to see the hotel itself where you started just a couple hours beforehand.

Track

Start and End: Hajdučke Vrleti
Elevation Gain: 2840 feet (865m)

Gallery

Vitlenica to Hajdučka Vrata and Veliki Vilinac

The Vitlenica trailhead is just a 15 minute drive from the hotel. The trail starts off in dense forest, but you are rewarded relatively quickly with views of mountains in the distance. The trail goes through several valleys where you hike to the ridge, and then as you crest the ridge, you have to pause to take in the expanse's beauty in front of you.

A lot of this hike was in snow, which thankfully other hikers had stomped out a path as I would have been less sure of myself in these areas. There were two big rewards on this hike in the way I did it, but I believe most hikers just set out for one or the other.

Hajdučka Vrata - Known as Bandit or Outlaw Gate
This ring of stone and the valley below is one of the most impressive natural sites I’ve seen. It’s very cool to come upon because it surprises you as you take the right turn on the trail and then the entire valley opens up with the stone ring right in front of you.

Veliki Vilinac
This is a 6932 feet (2113m) mountain in the Dinaric Alps. It’s worth hiking to the top since the 360 degree view of the surrounding mountains is breathtaking. On your way there, you can also stop by the mountain hut (closed when I was there).