The Extra Mile
How can I plan a self-guided hike on Croatia's Dalmatian coast?
Travel editor Paul Ash has the answer
Q. We plan to visit Croatia in 2019 and hike sections of the Dalmatian coast, namely Split, Hvar, Brac and Korcula, as a self-guided group. Whom can we contact regarding maps and details of hiking trails? - Anne Menday
A. You have certainly chosen a magnificent place to go hiking. Croatia's Adriatic Sea coast - roughly 1,800km long - boasts some of the finest scenery in the world, where a turquoise sea laps against dramatic karst islands. There are 48 permanently inhabited islands, with secret coves where you might feel like you are the last people on Earth.
The islands of Hvar, Brac and Korcula are among the 10 largest islands and have incredible history and culture - and visitor numbers to match.
Tourism to Croatia has boomed in recent years, and lots of operators now offer guided and self-guided hiking tours.
It may make sense to go on a self-guided trek arranged by an operator, as they can sort out your accommodation and admin, such as ferry crossings.
Operators include Macs Adventure, On Foot Holidays, Backroads and MeridienTen.
I do, however, understand the appeal of planning everything yourself. For that, a hiking guide is vital. I found two books: The Islands of Croatia ($24.95) and Walks in Croatia ($22.95), published by Cicerone and available from omnimap.com.
Both books contain hiking maps. From what I could glean online, Islands of Croatia may be the better book as it covers 30 hiking routes on 14 islands, including Hvar and Brac.
For hiking, you'll need 1:25,000 topographic maps, and these are harder to come by. Happily, Stanford's - London's excellent map shop - offers a hiking and cycling map of Hvar published by The Croatian Mountain Rescue Service (£9.99). It's printed on demand, though, so give yourself some time to get it. Stanford's also stocks The Islands of Croatia for £16.95.
You could also check out other, lesser-known hikes in Croatia such in the Velebit Mountains in the Paklenica National Park, which is reached from Stari Grad. According to reports, the park offers some of the best hiking in the country and is still not overrun with European hikers. See climb-europe.com.
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