Zelena glava
2,103 m
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Also known as Зелена главаAlso known as
Зелена глава
- Elevation
- 2,103 m
- Prominence
- 1,107 m
- Difficulty
- 4/10
- Alpine hike
- Best Season
- Jun–Sep
- Routes
- 1
Routes
1Sources differ: Very strenuous (vrlo naporno) (HPD Prenj 1933 Mostar) · Very hard (jako teška) (planinarenje.hr)
The classic route to Prenj's highest summit from the Rujište saddle above Mostar: a long forest walk to the Bijele vode hut, across karst and pine to the Jezerce shelter in the heart of the massif, then scree, a short cable-secured step and an exposed ridge from the Otiš saddle. About 5 hours and 1,100 m up; usually split over two days.
Elevation Profile
approximate line- Distance
- 17.2 km
- one way
- Ascent
- +1,465 m
- −408 m lost on the way up
- High Point
- 2,103 m
- Time Up
- 7h 50m
- DIN 33466
- Time Down
- 6h 26m
- DIN 33466 · same way back
Rujište (about 1,050 m) is a saddle with weekend houses, a hunting lodge, a mountain hut and a ski lift, 25 km from Mostar: about 10 km on the M-17 towards Sarajevo, then 15 km on the asphalt road R435a from Potoci. Park in front of the hunting lodge (Lovački dom), where the first signpost for Bijele vode stands. Follow the asphalt to the last weekend house, turn right into mixed forest and rejoin a gravel road at Čatrnja, a ruined house with a cistern that holds water. The marked path climbs gently through beech forest and the Vilinski klanac gorge, where it crosses a suspected minefield on a cleared, taped corridor, and reaches the Adnan Krilić hut at Bijele vode (about 1,450 m) after 6.6 km and about 2 hours. A well by the hut has drinking water, and an adjacent shelter is always open; 4x4 vehicles can drive almost to the hut. Turn right at the junction beyond the hut and continue over rocky ground and meadows with scattered black pine and Bosnian pine, over Prevorac (1,673 m), to the Jezerce shelter (1,650 m) below Taraš, beside a small lake with drinking water. Just above the Vrutak hut, turn left at the junction with the path from the Tisovica valley. The path steepens over scree to the ridge below Otiš and climbs a steeper section partly secured with steel cables to the saddle between Otiš and Zelena glava (about 2,000 m). The final ridge is waymarked but exposed and needs full concentration. HPD Prenj gives 5 hours and 1,105 m of ascent for the 14 km from Rujište and recommends two stages with a night at Bijele vode (book in advance). The planinarenje.hr route also takes in Otiš (2,096 m), an easy, technically undemanding top above the saddle, on the way back. Descend the same way.
Start
Rujište1,046 m
- No public transport to Rujište was found; buses and trains reach Mostar
- Parking at the trailhead
Stages
| Day | Stage | km | m ascent | m descent | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rujište → Bijele vode | 6.4 | 491 | 90 | 2h 37m |
| 2 | Bijele vode → Zelena glava | 10.8 | 974 | 318 | 5h 14m |
Waypoints
- Parking: Rujište1,046 m
Park by the hunting lodge (Lovački dom)
- Hut: Bijele vode1,447 m
Adnan Krilić hut with well and always-open shelter
- Feature: Prevorac1,666 m
not on route line
- Hut: Jezerce1,597 m
Shelter by a small lake with drinking water
- Summit: Zelena glava2,103 m
Key Passages
- Taped cleared corridor through the suspected minefield in Vilinski klanac
- Scree and cable-secured step below Otiš
- Exposed final ridge from the Otiš–Zelena glava saddle
Equipment
0/7 packedDownloads
Route confidence 70%Overview
The highest summit of Prenj, the jagged limestone range above Mostar, Jablanica and Konjic. A long waymarked hike from Rujište via the Bijele vode hut and the Jezerce shelter, finishing with scree, a short cable-secured step and an exposed ridge; usually done over two days.
Prenj is a karst range of dolomite and limestone in northern Herzegovina, bounded by the Neretva on three sides, with at least eleven summits over 2,000 m. Its name is thought to derive from Perun, the Slavic god of thunder. The peaks have steep, pale rock faces rising above high karst valleys, scattered black pine and Bosnian pine, and dense beech forest lower down; water is scarce because the rock drains underground. Zelena glava ('green head') sits near the centre of the range above the Tisovica valley, between Otiš and the Vjetrena brda ridge.
The height of Zelena glava is quoted inconsistently: 2,155 m in older sources and the local Mostar club, 2,103 m on OpenStreetMap and in most current sources, and 2,115 m elsewhere. On the lower figures it is only a metre or so above Lupoglav (2,102 m), 4 km to the west.
The usual route from Rujište is a long hike rather than a climb, but the last section below Otiš and the summit ridge are steep, partly cable-secured and exposed. Prenj was a front line in the 1992–1995 war, and mines and unexploded ordnance remain a serious hazard, especially east of a line from Čelebići through Zelena glava to Ravni: the waymarked paths are cleared, the ground beside them may not be. Summit views take in the Tisovica valley, Lupoglav, Čvrsnica, Vran, Vranica, Bjelašnica, Treskavica, Maglić, Velež and Čabulja.
Climbing Notes
Plan two days: Rujište to Bijele vode takes about 2 hours, and the summit about 3 more; HPD Prenj gives 5 hours and 1,105 m of ascent in all. The loop including Otiš is about 18 km with 1,690 m of ascent. Book the Adnan Krilić hut in advance; electricity there is solar and limited. The Jezerce shelter is open but you need your own sleeping bag.
The final section needs a head for heights: scree, a steeper step partly secured with cables and a waymarked but exposed ridge. In snow, which can linger into late spring, it becomes a winter mountaineering route needing crampons, ice axe and experience. Water is available at the Čatrnja cistern, the well at Bijele vode and the small lake at Jezerce.
Mines are the overriding concern on Prenj. Never leave the waymarked paths, do not short-cut, and do not touch anything suspicious. In Vilinski klanac the path crosses a suspected minefield on a cleared corridor marked with tape. A local guide or a club outing from Mostar is a sensible way to make a first visit.
History
Prenj was part of the front line during the 1992–1995 war, with heavy fighting around the Bijela valley and above Konjic; former positions reach about 2,000 m on the shoulders of Otiš. The Bijele vode hut was destroyed and rebuilt on its old foundations, reopening in November 2009 as the Adnan Krilić hut. Zelena glava is checkpoint 8 of the Herzegovinian High-Mountain Transversal.
Season
Best Jun–Sep- January: Possible
- February: Possible
- March: Possible
- April: Possible
- May: Good
- June: Best (best window)
- July: Best (best window)
- August: Best (best window)
- September: Best (best window)
- October: Good
- November: Possible
- December: Possible
- Jan
- Winter mountaineering conditions; experienced parties only
- Feb
- Winter conditions
- Mar
- Deep snow high up
- Apr
- Snow on the scree and ridge
- May
- Snow lingers on north-facing scree and the ridge
- Jun
- Good conditions
- Jul
- Hot on the karst; afternoon storms
- Aug
- Hot; water only at Čatrnja, Bijele vode and Jezerce
- Sep
- Good conditions
- Oct
- Shorter days, first snow possible
- Nov
- Early winter conditions
- Dec
- Winter conditions
Access & Permits
- Hut Booking
- Adnan Krilić hut, Bijele vode: arrange overnight stays in advance (Divanović Sead, +387 61 528 562, psdprenjmostar@yahoo.com). Jezerce is an open shelter: no booking, bring a sleeping bag.
- Rules
- Mines and unexploded ordnance remain on Prenj, especially east of the line Čelebići – Zelena glava – Ravni; stay strictly on waymarked paths
- In Vilinski klanac the path crosses a suspected minefield on a cleared, taped corridor
- Getting There
Mostar (about 25 km to Rujište)
Mostar Airport (OMO); Sarajevo (SJJ) and Split (SPU) have more flights
- Car: from Mostar about 10 km north on the M-17 towards Sarajevo, then 15 km on the asphalt road R435a from Potoci to Rujište
- 4x4: a gravel road leads from Rujište almost to Bijele vode
- No public transport to Rujište was found
Hazards
- Exposure
- Weather
- Remoteness
- Landmines nearby
Huts & Shelters
2- 1,450 m
Bijele vodeHutBooking required
40 beds · By prior arrangement; adjacent shelter always open
- 1,650 m
JezerceBivouacUnstaffed
20 beds · Open shelter; bring a sleeping bag