Mountains & even more action II

  • Booking:
  • ---
  • Progress bar boja: Zelena
  • Difficulty: 2
  • Accommodation: Camp
  • Country: Croatia
  • Type of travel: Travel
  • Start: 2026-09-12
  • End: 2026-09-19
  • Price from: 1,289.00€
  • Awards ME points
Overland croatia
Željava airbase

A mix of overlanding and challenging tracks on Dinara Mountain

This tour is for those who want more than just a beautiful view. During the 6 riding days of this wonderful tour, there are not only sights and moderate overlanding but also one or two technically demanding passages on the Croatian-Bosnian border.

We start in the Plitvice Lakes National Park, visit the abandoned Željava military airport and climb the summit of Gola Plješevica via dense forest paths. We continue on gravel roads through deserted villages in the Lika region and the historic Majstorska Cesta — a masterpiece from the 19th century. We then follow the railroad line on its old service road and drive up to Dinara, where real off-road challenges and spectacular views await us. We spend the night in the mountains, by lakes and in small camps — in the middle of nature, far away from everyday life.

Itinerary

We meet at a campsite within the Plitvice Lakes National Park. This is an opportunity to get to know each other, exchange experiences and ask the guide questions about the tour. All the services of this first-class campsite are available to you here.

Departure is scheduled daily at 9:00 am. Before departure, there will be a short briefing about the day ahead.
The trip leads to the Bosnian-Herzegovinian border, to the former Željava military airport of the former Republic of Yugoslavia. Three runways, underground hangars and the control tower on Mount Lička Plješivica now belong to Croatia, while two runways belong to Bosnia and Herzegovina.

After Željava, we climb 1300 m with our 4x4 vehicles through dense forest to the summit of Gola Plješivica (1600 m above sea level), where the control center for the Željava underground airport was located and from which there is a beautiful view of the Una Valley in Bosnia and Herzegovina as well as the Lika Plateau and Plitvice Lakes in Croatia. We then continue our journey south on the Lička Plješivica mountain, where we spend the night.

From Lička Plješivica, we head towards the Lika plateau through rural areas and partially abandoned villages in the direction of Mount Urljaj and its plateaus. The aim is to reach the lake at Sveti Rok, where we spend the night.

From the lake, we climb up the Majstorska Cesta (Master’s Road) on the continental side. The name is derived from the German word “Meisterstück” (masterpiece), as it was built in a very short time at the beginning of the 19th century and the gradient nowhere exceeds 5%, which is still above the standards of modern road construction. What is important for Germans is that this is the filming location of the first Winnetou film based on Karl May’s book, which is why many Germans also call the road “Winnetoustraße”. We leave the mountains and descend to the village of Rovanjska, where we take a short break right by the Adriatic Sea to enjoy the sea. We then return to the continental side to the town of Gračac, where we spend the night at a campsite and have the opportunity to refuel and replenish our supplies.

We ride on a paved road to the Zagreb — Knin railroad line, which we follow on a service road to Knin. Continue along the Krčić River to another source, the source of the Cetina River. The Cetina forms the majority of the water mass of Lake Peruča, where we will camp.

The day begins with a leisurely drive up Dinara Mountain. The start is on an asphalt road, which gradually turns into a gravel track and then becomes a real off-road ride, which can be a real challenge for both vehicle and driver in wet and bad weather. Although most of the mountain has been cleared of mines from the Homeland War of the 1990s, there are still remaining mines, so we stick exclusively to tested and well-trodden paths. We spend the night at an altitude of 1600 m with a view of Lake Peruča, where we spent the night the previous evening.

The descent from Mount Dinara takes us back along part of the same route, the challenging part. We hurry to the small town of Vrlika, which we will visit to replenish our supplies and wash down the dust in the nearby cafés, or to eat something together in one of the restaurants if we wish. We spend the night at the campsite by Lake Peruča.

Tour details

Accommodation and Meals

  • 7 x camping
  • Group dinner at the beginning of the trip (paid individually)
  • Group dinner at the end of the trip (paid individually)

Group Size

  • Minimum 3, maximum 8 vehicles

Included in the Price

  • 3 x accommodation in a campsite
  • All entrance fees for national parks
  • Travel guide who speaks Croatian, German, and English

Difficulty

🟠🟠?

Trip application

A partner agency’s tour

After filling out the application form, you will be redirected to the application form of the partner agency.

If you are booking this tour together with our tour Three souls woven into one Balkan heart II, please enter the code "Magna&NPL" when filling out the form to get a discount.

I agree that my data will be transferred to NPL Overland. *

62 + 64 = ?

Language mobile

Select your language