I was so glad to find some trail reports online which not only fueled my curiosity but also made it seem feasible for me to set out on this adventure. I devoured everything I could find but found it quite hard to get reliable up-to-date information. Here's the list of resources I found most helpful:
🗺️ Via Dinarica GPX tracks 🧭
- Wurzelkocher
- Official Via Dinarica White Trail website and app
- Superhip hikes aka Samson Clyde
- František Kaláb's wordpress site
I am particularly grateful to Sonja and Thomas who shared their experience of hiking the Via Dinarica in 2020 on their German-language hiking blog Wurzelkocher. I don't think I would have dared to start my journey without their example, GPX tracks and many fun and encouraging stories. They went back in 2021 and share recommendations about alternatives to the less enjoyable stages. Their blog was my Bible. I followed their tracks and always kept an offline version of my current stage's description as a reference on my phone. Highly recommended!
The official Via Dinarica White Trail website and app are super helpful resources, expecially the GPX tracks and the comments of fellow hikers. There are quite a few caveats to the official route as you can read in the comments to the individual stages. Nevertheless, it's a great baseline and the comment sections on the individual stages are true life savers.
I was initially quite confused that there are 2 different starting points in Slovenia and subsequently also divergent routes to Snežnik mountain. This depends on whether you follow the single consecutive GPX track you find in the Via Dinarica app if you open the White Trail or look at the 45 individual stages from the same resource. The first stage of the individual stages can be found here: Via Dinarica Razdrto trailhead. You will see the route with the Postojna trailhead on the map if you open the trail overview in the app. Very confusing, but that's how it is. I was very happy with my decision to start in Razdrto as this seems to be the trail which is being maintained. The Slovenian section has been updated and marked freshly as of summer 2021, so you will find even more variations but also way more markings on the way. Plus - according to a lovely lady from Bike Slovenia who I met on the trail and who was involved in this endeavour - there are now less gravel roads and more natural highlights on the new route.
Samson Clyde aka Superhip is another Via Dinarica hiker from 2019 who shared his GPX tracks with helpful waypoints. I only discovered this after my trip but wish I had known it before! 😅 He also made a beautiful video with impressions from his Via Dinarica thru-hike.
This Czech hiker also hiked the Via Dinarica in 2020 and shares his GPX tracks, gear list and some insights on his Czech wordpress site.
As you notice, my main concern is sharing GPS coordinates as reliable navigation really is the biggest challenge on the trail. While many sections are marked very well and are easy to follow, there are countless other sections where you have no clue where you're going. If you compare 5 tracks, you are likely to get 5 trail variations - and nature or humans may have changed the circumstances on the ground in the meantime. So be prepared to get lost - and find your way over and over again!
🏕️ My Via Dinarica gear list 🥾
What gear do you need to do a Via Dinarica thru-hike? Well, that depends. I invested in some essentials as I had previously usually hiked in the company of well-equipped friends. 😉 However, I did NOT spend a fortune and was absolutely happy with my choice of gear. I am convinced that it is not necessary to own the latest, most expensive light-weight outdoor gear available. I was also extremely thankful and surprised that nothing broke - and even my trail running shoes lasted the whole trail (they were predicted to tear after 1,000 km max). The only thing I had to resupply over and over again were socks! I lost count on how many pairs I went through! 😃
I once read that if you want to travel light, don't ask: "What do I need?" Instead ask yourself: "What can I spare?" I find this very wise and would encourage you to consider what you think you need, weigh your gear and then iterate on it until you're happy with the weight. I was very glad to be travelling light! And trust me, there's plenty of stores, supply opportunities and, most importantly, helpful people on the way. Not everywhere, of course, but usually within a day or two of hiking or within a few hours of hitchhiking!
I hope my list provides some guidance and orientation. Let me know if you have questions about specific items!
👉 Check out what I packed: My Via Dinarica gear list
🎬 More inspiration ✨
As I transitioned back into civilized life, I spent another few days at Dom Vrela and met a guy who directed a series about Balkan mountains for Al Jazeera Balkans, called "Vrhovi Balkana". This features beautiful portraits of many of the peaks and mountain ranges you will cross (Sjeverni Velebit, Dinara, Visočica, Bjelašnica, Čvrsnica, Zelengora, Vranica, Prenj, Maglić, Volujak, Komovi, to name a few). The images speak for themselves, even if you don't understand the words. For me, it was priceless to revisit some areas where I had hiked a few weeks earlier on the screen.