Croatia: Visočica (Velebit) (August 14, 2025)
On my second day of Croatia, my true host shared with me …
A hike up the Visočica mountains! And even the ride up in the car was stunning. When I think of Croatia, I think of aqua blue sea contrasting with beautiful beaches, but this day I took in all the rich forestry that sits at the base of the mountains surrounding the inland side of Croatia.
Yes, Croatia has over 1,200 islands as part of its country. But once you get past the coastline, you hit some gorgeous mountains and they are really fun to hike. We went through a densely populated forest trail until we got near the top and then did a summit to a full 360 degree peak 1,619 kilometers high.
Panoramic view from the top of the mountain. A-mah-zing!
So here’s the thing, throughout this journey I’m going to keep trying (and failing) to bring you with me to these amazing places on earth. The pictures, while extremely cool, simply fail to do justice to what it’s really like to stand at the top of one of the highest peaks in Croatia and see for miles in all directions.
The wind was pelting my face as I looked toward the Adriatic Sea and my back as I saw an awesome place to parasail off the side of this mountain looking down on where my friends Nikola Maras and his wife, Ivana live. I mean, you could see the tallest building near their house and the general neighborhood, but not their house itself.
Another cool experience was when a beautiful moth grabbed onto my right arm and held on for dear life. I was amazed as this moth was using my arm hair to gather its strength before flying off. It was on my arm for a full 5 minutes or more. I totally understood. The winds were very strong at the top and I didn’t mind in the least.
Another cool thing that caught my attention was a “guest book” you could sign at the top (see picture #24). It’s a weather-proof canister that … well it was supposed to have a guest book to sign. Turns out someone took it and replaced it with a lame envelope. Oh well, what are you going to do? I liked the concept all the same. It really spoke to my ego’s, “I was here” need for acknowledgement — even an imaginary one where future generations look up my name.
Hey, the concept is cool even if the execution left something to be desired.
Lastly, I’ll take a moment to brag about Nikola’s wife, Ivana. She always thinks so far ahead. When we got to the top of the mountain, she broke out a surprise of hot water and coffee along with a picnic lunch. What? Seriously? While I was carrying sunscreen, water and extra sun protection for my extra-Irish-ready-to-burn-in-any-weather-skin, she had packed lunch for us. Amazing.
It’s not just that the summit was beautiful. We had one of the best picnic lunches in one of the best settings in Croatia — all to ourselves. No one else was up there with us and we took our time enjoying our lunch and the spectacular views from the clouds. What an epic day and incredible way to take in the whole of Croatia. I loved it.
