A cliff-hanger in the most literal sense, the climb to Sveti Jure zigzags above the turquoise Adriatic dappled with Dalmatian islands. Pounded by the Bora wind and, in summer, a blisteringly hot sun, Sveti Jure is a long (30 km), high climb and one of Europe’s most spectacular.
Makarska is on the sea level and the top of Biokovo National Park is on 1762 meters high. The route, paved all the way and gradient is between 10 and 15% and a bit more (up to 20%) before the top of the mountain.
Switchbacks and high drops
According to the experience of most of the cyclists that have performed the ascent, the route is moderately hard, but every well trained cyclist can do it within the time frame of let’s say 3 1/2 hours.Keep in mind that you will have to pay the entrance ticket, but as a cyclist you pay just 50% from the original price. So you will pay 20 HRK for a ticket (roughly 2.7 EUR)Surface is mostly paved and not too demanding for a ride. Don’t forget to take enough water with you because there is no water source on most of the routes. You should also bring windbreaker because of the strong wind on the top of the Biokovo.
I climbed it in early April 2016 and the snow wasn’t a problem, just very little snow on the top.
The entrance of the national park and the mountain you are heading to
The views back to the coast
Hard to not stop for taking a picture
Sheer drops
Shepherd hut on the high plateau
Getting closer (radio tower is the top)
Almost there
On the top