Ascent of Sinjal: The Highest Peak in Croatia

Sinjal (also known as Dinara) is the highest peak in Croatia. It is located on the border between Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina and is part of the Dinara mountain range. Although Sinjal is the highest peak in Croatia, the Dinara mountain range has its highest peak, Troglav, which is located in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The starting point for the ascent from the southeastern side is the village of Glavaš (580 meters above sea level). The village is more of a hamlet with a few houses. The ascent is well-marked and quite varied - not a boring path to the top. After just a few minutes, the trail passes beside the ruins of a castle. About half an hour later, a sign alerts us to a cave on the right. If you have a good headlamp, definitely visit - there is a network of paths and lots of bats :-)

After an hour and a half, we reach a spring (according to GPS, approximately 950 meters above sea level). If you don't linger at the castle and the cave like we did, you can make it in a good hour. From the spring, a steeper climb begins (about 160 meters of elevation gain) and after that, you reach a valley that offers a completely different picture of Croatia than you might expect. The trail with a slight elevation gain led us through meadows to a crossroads (the summit of Dinara is marked on the sign). Then the path goes through a deciduous "forest," where the snow started to accumulate... There was more and more snow, and in some places, we sank almost to our waists (it was the end of March). At the summit, there is a concrete post with a metal box containing the summit book.

We didn't meet anyone on the way. During this spring period, only a few ascents were made. The entire ascent was safe (even with a lot of snow) and well-marked.

Other information:

• Information in English on the website of the Croatian mountain association: http://www.hps.hr/english/dinara/
• You can find affordable accommodation in the town of Knin, which is about 32 km from the hamlet of Glavaš.

Did you know that Sinjal (Dinara) is often considered a place where different ecosystems meet? This peak offers a unique combination of flora and fauna that is not typical for other parts of Croatia. During World War II, however, this area was used by partisans as a hidden refuge, which adds historical value to this place.