Dinara
1,831 m
Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia
Also known as Sinjal, Vrh Dinare, +1Also known as
Sinjal · Vrh Dinare · Синьял
- Elevation
- 1,831 m
- Prominence
- 727 m
- Difficulty
- 3/10
- Mountain hike
- Best Season
- May–Jun
- Routes
- 2
AdvisoryReported 1 Mar 2026
Croatia was officially declared free of mine danger, after nearly 30 years of clearance, at the Civil Protection Day ceremony in Zagreb. Leftover ordnance can still occasionally be found, and suspected mined areas remain on the Bosnia and Herzegovina side of the range; stay on marked paths and call 112 if you find anything suspicious.
baranjainfo.hr
Routes
2Sources differ: T1 (Camptocamp) · Very hard (Jako teška) (planinarenje.hr)
The most popular route to Croatia's highest point: a steady, waymarked climb of about 1,260 m from the hamlet of Glavaš near Kijevo, past a medieval fortress and a spring, up the Kobiljovača scree to the shelter at Martinova košara and over open karst and dwarf pine to the summit. About 3½–4½ hours up.
Elevation Profile
- Distance
- 8.0 km
- one way
- Ascent
- +1,271 m
- start → summit
- High Point
- 1,831 m
- Time Up
- 5h 15m
- DIN 33466
- Time Down
- 3h 34m
- DIN 33466 · same way back
Drive the D1 from Knin towards Sinj and turn off in Kijevo at the 'Dinara' sign for Glavaš (about 7–9 km). Park at the edge of the village (about 550–570 m); the small Glavaš hut, a converted container, is five minutes up the path. Red-and-white waymarks lead over open, scrubby ground to the ruins of the 14th-century Glavaš fortress (marked as 'Dinarić' on a Venetian map of 1525), then through tall maquis above Pekasova draga to the Gornji bunar spring at about 1,000 m, the only reliable water on the route. Above the spring a steep zigzag climbs the Kobiljovača scree to a grassy plateau and a junction. Left is the direct line to the summit; straight on is the shelter at Martinova košara (1,287 m), a restored shepherd's hut with a cistern, about ten minutes off the direct path. From either, the route continues north-north-west over open karst with sinkholes and through dwarf pine to the summit ridge and the top, which carries a survey pillar ('1831 vrh Hrvatske'), a small summit shelter and, about 50 m away, a metal cross of similar height. The Croatian checkpoint guide (HPO) gives 3½ hours; walkers report 3–4½ hours. Descend the same way, or make a loop via the Drago Grubać shelter on Ošljak and back to the junction above the spring. In summer the south-facing slopes are fully exposed to the sun: start at dawn and carry plenty of water. The final ridge is exposed to bora wind and thunderstorms.
Start
Glavaš parking566 m
- No practical public transport to Glavaš; the trailhead is 7–9 km by road from Kijevo on the Knin–Sinj road (D1)
- Parking at the trailhead
Stages
| Day | Stage | km | m ascent | m descent | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Glavaš parking → Dinara | 8.0 | 1,271 | 5 | 5h 15m |
Waypoints
- Parking: Glavaš parking566 m
- Feature: Glavaš (Dinarić)661 m
Ruined medieval fortress
- Hut: Martinove košare1,287 m
Open shelter about 10 minutes off the direct path
- Summit: Dinara1,831 m
Key Passages
- Kobiljovača scree zigzags
- Karst plateau with sinkholes and dwarf pine below the summit
Equipment
0/6 packedDownloads
Route confidence 80%Overview
Croatia's highest point (1,831 m), a bare limestone summit on the border ridge with Bosnia and Herzegovina that gave its name to the whole Dinaric Alps. A long, hot, waymarked walk of about 1,260 m from Glavaš near Kijevo, with no technical difficulty but little water or shade.
Dinara is a karst massif about 100 km long on the Croatia–Bosnia and Herzegovina border north-east of Knin. Its Croatian high point, traditionally called Sinjal and now usually just 'Dinara', rises above a line of grey limestone cliffs that dominate the view from the Dalmatian hinterland; the range's highest summit, Troglav (1,913 m), lies further south-east in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The summit has a survey pillar, a small shelter and, about 50 m away, a metal cross on a second top of similar height.
The mountain is wild and empty: no-one lives on it, and the few buildings are shepherds' huts converted into open shelters. It is the core of Dinara Nature Park, declared in 2021, and has a rich flora with dozens of endemic species and populations of brown bear, wolf and lynx. Views on clear days reach Troglav, Kamešnica, Peruća lake and the Adriatic islands.
The climb is a long hike rather than a mountaineering objective. The usual route from Glavaš gains about 1,260 m on scree, karst and dwarf pine; the shorter approach from the Brezovac hut depends on a poor gravel road. The main challenges are heat and dehydration in summer, bora wind and thunderstorms on the ridge, and snow in winter.
Climbing Notes
Allow 3½–4½ hours up and 2½–3 hours down on the Glavaš route, with about 1,260 m of ascent. Fitness and heat management matter most: in summer start at dawn, carry 2–3 litres of water and refill at the Gornji bunar spring (about 1,000 m), the only reliable source. Spring (May–June) and autumn (September–October) are the most pleasant seasons.
In winter the summit can carry deep snow and ice, and the bora can be violent; crampons, an ice axe and winter experience are needed. Fog makes navigation on the karst plateau tricky: keep to the waymarks. Stay on marked paths, particularly near the border, and do not touch any suspicious objects. The summit is checkpoint 1 of the Croatian Mountain Transversal (HPO), which requires both a stamp and a photo.
Shelters at Martinova košara, Zlatko Prgin and Drago Grubać are unstaffed and basic; Brezovac hut is maintained by HPD Dinara in Knin. Most people do the climb as a day trip from Knin or Sinj.
History
The range's name, of uncertain origin, was extended to the entire Dinaric Alps (Dinarides). The ruined Glavaš fortress at the start of the normal route was built in the 14th and early 15th centuries to guard routes towards Bosnia and appears as 'Dinarić' on Matteo Pagano's map of 1525. During and after the Croatian War of Independence (1991–1995) parts of the massif were mined; Croatia was officially declared free of mine danger on 1 March 2026. Dinara Nature Park was proclaimed by the Croatian Parliament in February 2021 as the country's twelfth nature park.
Season
Best May–Jun- January: Possible
- February: Possible
- March: Possible
- April: Good
- May: Best (best window)
- June: Best (best window)
- July: Good
- August: Good
- September: Best
- October: Best
- November: Possible
- December: Possible
- Jan
- Winter conditions; bora and snow; experienced parties with crampons only
- Feb
- Winter conditions
- Mar
- Snow on the upper slopes
- Apr
- Lingering snow near the summit
- May
- Good conditions, spring flowers; afternoon storms possible
- Jun
- Long days; start early to avoid heat
- Jul
- Hot and shadeless on the south side; start at dawn
- Aug
- Hot; water is the limiting factor
- Sep
- Good conditions
- Oct
- Good conditions, cooler
- Nov
- Short days, first snow and bora
- Dec
- Winter conditions
Access & Permits
- Hut Booking
- No booking for the open shelters (Martinova košara, Zlatko Prgin, Drago Grubać). For Brezovac and Glavaš huts contact HPD Dinara, Knin.
- Rules
- Dinara Nature Park: stay on marked paths and carry all litter back down
- The area around Suvo polje on the Brezovac approach borders the 'Josip Markić' military training range near Knin; obey closure signs and announcements of live-fire exercises (published by HPD Dinara Knin)
- The summit ridge runs along the Croatia–Bosnia and Herzegovina border; do not leave marked paths on the Bosnian side, where suspected mined areas remain
- Getting There
Knin (about 30 km from the Glavaš trailhead); Sinj
Split Airport (SPU)
- Car: D1 Knin–Sinj road to Kijevo, then a local road signposted 'Dinara' for 7–9 km to Glavaš
- Brezovac: from Knin by asphalt to Guge, then a rough gravel road via Suvo polje; high-clearance or 4x4 vehicle, or walk
- Mirkovići (jogurt staza): turn off the Knin–Kijevo road at the sign for Slavići and follow a gravel road
- Trains and buses reach Knin; there is no practical public transport to the trailheads
Hazards
- Weather
- Exposure
- Landmines nearby
Huts & Shelters
3- 1,050 m
BrezovacHut
- 1,287 m
Martinove košareBivouacUnstaffed
10 beds · Year-round shelter (converted shepherd's hut) with cistern
- 1,543 m
Zlatko PrginBivouacUnstaffed
Always open; container with stove and sleeping loft, no mattresses