Biokovo is the second-highest mountain range in Croatia, located along the Dalmatian coast of the Adriatic Sea, between the rivers of Cetina and Neretva.
It is sometimes referred to as Bijakova, especially among inhabitants of the eastern side of the mountain. Its highest peak is Sveti Jure (Saint George), at 1762 m.a.s.l. Atop the peak there is a powerful FM and DVB-T transmitter.
The 196 km2 of its area is protected as a nature park.
Biokovo is one in a line of Dinaric Alps stretching along the Dalmatian coast - northwest of it is Mosor and southeast of it are Sutvid and Rilić. In the east, the Šibenik runs in parallel. When the weather is very clear, from the top of Biokovo it is possible to see Monte Gargano in Italy, which is 252 km (157 mi) away.
To aid the hikers, there is the Biokovo Nature Park Visitor Center in downtown Makarska.
The beauty of Biokovo has always attracted explorers and visitors and you are likely to be thrilled too. What is the best way to get to know it. There are over thirty marked trails leading up the mountain on the seaward side and eight on the landward side. On your way up, you will pass ancient villages on the foothills of the magnificent rocky mountain: Gornja Brela, Topici, Bast, Veliko Brdo, Makar, Kotisina, Gornji Tucepi, Gornja Podgora and Gornje Igrane on the seaward side, and Kozica, Rascane, Zupa, Biokovsko Selo, Rastovac, Zagvozd and Zadvarje on the other side of the mountain. A main hiking trail transverses the mountain - the Biokovo Mountain Trail with its twenty control points.
However, one should not forget that Biokovo deserves full respect and therefore should be well-prepared for the ascent. ImageThe weather conditions can change in a moment, no surface water is to be found and any deviation from the marked trail entails some risk. Hiking boots, backpack, spare clothing, raincoat, drinking water, some chocolate and a good map of the Park are the items you will surely need. Climbing the steepest ascent in Croatian mountains at dawn, you will be surprised to learn that the people of Biokovo once used the same trails to carry hay and potatoes or drive their livestock to pasture. Biokovo is the mountain that one can visit either by car or bicycle as well as on foot from various parts of Adriatic coast and Makarska Riviera.
