Stretching 2000 kilometres from Slovenia to Albania, the Via Dinarica is the epic long-distance hiking trail almost no one has heard of. More accurately, it’s a network of paths that follows three main routes – one over the highest peaks of the Dinaric Alps , another that skirts the Adriatic coastline and a bike-friendly track that meanders through the range’s forested foothills .
Our first outing is a strenuous 21-kilometre trek to Outlaw’s Gate, a striking natural stone archway located almost 2000 metres up Cvrsnica Mountain in Bosnia and Herzegovina. In addition to our main guide, Bashkim Fazliu, we’ve been joined by Miroslav Mihalj, president of the local hiking group and a certified mountain rescuer – a fact that is both reassuring and slightly concerning .
Albania is a one-hike wonder, but it’s arguably the most spectacular of the trip – the 19-kilometre trek from Theth to Valbona, a challenging climb up and over a 1795-metre-high mountain pass that rewards weary walkers with yet more eyeball-breaking vistas of towering peaks and plunging forested ravines.