Trans Croatia: Mountains to Islands MTB Tour

The Croatian mountain biking adventure starts and ends in the small town of Čavle, near Rijeka.

The first day of the Trans Croatia mountain bike tour begins in the small village of Čavle, located just above the city of Rijeka. A mix of asphalt and gravel roads leads to Grobničko polje and continues with a rather steep ascend towards the Platak Ski Resort (1237 m), where it is time for a lunch break in a mountain hut.

Mountain biking in Croatia quickly leads to the next point on the map, Gorski Kotar, a karst plateau with an average altitude of 800 m, the name of which literally means “the highland district”. The rest of the day is spent mountain biking through this beautiful area with 63 % of its surface covered in forest, showing the forested side of MTB in Croatia. It is no wonder that the plateau is also known as the green lungs of Croatia.

The following eight-kilometers single trail along Lokve Lake adds a cherry on top of the entire stage, and, in our opinion, one of the most beautiful MTB trails Croatia has to offer.

Passing by the serene lake, the day is wrapped up at Fužine, a beautiful little highland town in the midst of unspoiled nature, which has a long-standing tradition in tourism.

Gravel: 60%
Asphalt: 20%
Single trail: 20%

The second day of the guided MTB Croatia tour starts with a new trail leading from Fužine to the sea. The route first runs along the shady area of the mountains above the coast, revealing the greener side of the MTB trails Croatia has to offer. It then continues on a fun downhill trail towards Crikvenica and Novi Vinodolski, highlighting the variety of MTB Croatia while staying above sea level throughout.

Cycling tour continues through the wind power plant area and descends to the legendary town of Senj, the final destination of the day. The town is well known for its bora wind, which can reach a speed of up to 220 kilometers per hour. Strong wind currents are the result of the  Velebit mountain range, a 145-kilometer-long massif situated right along the seaside. The mountain chain acts as an enormous weather and climate divide between the sharp continental climate of the islands and the Mediterranean climate of the Adriatic coast.

The symbol of Senj is the Nehaj Fortress dating back to 1558. For a time, it was the seat of Uskoks, Christian refugees from Ottoman Bosnia, who settled in the area to protect the Habsburg Empire borderlands.

Gravel: 45%
Asphalt: 30%
Single trail: 25%

This guided MTB tour in Croatia turns into a true adventure on the third and fourth day. This cycling section is one of the most challenging. Biking up towards the mighty Mt. Velebit follows some of the most rewarding MTB trails Croatia has to offer, with beautiful views over the northern Adriatic coast and its islands.

The ascent starts from sea level, with mountain biking straight towards Velebit, one of the most spectacular areas for cycling in Croatia. At the Oltari mountain pass, it continues up and then slightly down towards the small town of Krasno, still below the Velebit ridge, where the first half of the ascent is finished for an overnight stay in a local Konoba Jure, a tour base for the night.

Gravel: 55%
Asphalt: 45%

After climbing above the town of Krasno on the following day, the route joins the road leading to the entrance of the Northern Velebit National Park. For anyone mountain biking Croatia, this is a bucket-list stretch.

From here, the trip continues along the gravel road to the Zavižan mountain hut, the highest-positioned meteorological station in Croatia with amazing views of the Adriatic almost 1.600 meters below. The scenery stretching offers a priceless experience. On a clear day, it is possible to see all the way to the Italian Apennines range and, if lucky, one can even see the famous Dolomite peaks in northern Italy.

The trail that runs along the main Velebit mountains ridge is one of the highlights of this MTB Croatia tour. Lush forests, green meadows, and the amazing nature-created shapes of the karstic relief in the Dinaric Alps provide an exciting day and capture the wild side of mountain biking Croatia.

After reaching the Alan mountain pass, the trail continues downhill towards the Jablanac village on the Adriatic coast. The route combines asphalt, and rocky single trails, eventually leading to the ferry port of Stinica, where biking in the Croatian islands begins with the crossing to Rab. This is where the cycling tour transitions into the island-hopping part of the mountain biking adventure.

Upon arrival at Rab island, from Mišnjak ferry port, one has to overcome the last 13-17 km of asphalt or dirt roads, depending on the route difficulty chosen.

Gravel: 60%
Asphalt: 30%
Single trail: 10%

Mountain biking Croatia continues on Krk with some of the best mountain biking trails over hilly sections around the whole SE half of the island. One of the highlights is definitely a visit to the stone desert Moon Plateau above Baška and taking the trail from Mt. Veli Vrh to Punat, perfect trails for biking in the Croatian islands.

In the green fertile Baška valley, which is surrounded by vineyards, olive groves, and fig trees and embraced by the beautiful karst mountain of Velebit, lies one of Croatia’s most popular tourist destinations – the town of Baška. One of the main reasons to visit Baška is the unique, 1.800-meter-long pebble beach. Although unfit for biking, it is well worth a visit as it is considered one of the most beautiful beaches on the Adriatic. Nevertheless, Baška offers a great infrastructure for bikers and other tourists and makes for a perfect destination for the Trans Croatia biking tour.

From Baška the MTB route continues featuring nice and easy cycling between meadows and sheep pastures, followed by a shorter but rather steep climb which, after 12 kilometers, rewards bikers with incredible scenic vistas from just below the top of Mt. Veli Vrh. From that point onwards, a great rocky single trail leads almost directly down to the sea and town of Punat. Taking the easy roads and asphalt cycling path the tour finally heads back towards the main settlement on the island, the town of Krk. This is a pleasant way to complete a week of cycling in Croatia and biking in the Croatian islands packed with fantastic adventures.

Gravel: 40%
Asphalt: 40%
Single trail: 20%

This is where the Trans Croatia mountain biking tour comes to an end. Your tour ends with breakfast and a transfer back to Čavle.