South Velebit hike-thru

Day 3 of the trip is the most diverse one in terms of the landscapes we cross. It is the moment when we leave the Paklenica National Park area. From now on, there’s a bigger chance to meet people who are also thru-hiking Velebit because access to the path in the later part of the day gets limited and one-day trips won’t be that easily feasible. It is also the day with the biggest distance to cover and with a significant landscape transformation. There’s also a chance to get a refreshing shower as there is running water on our way - the only case for the whole 5-day trip! The day ends in Tatekova Koliba, a small hut with a unique water pump.

Veliko Rujno from Struge hut:

We leave the Struge hut and begin at a leisurely pace with some even terrain walking in the direction of the coast - that is south - through Buljma pass. In my case that was a climate zone change from autumn into summer, I immediately had to change from two long-sleeved layers to a t-shirt only. Now a rocky zigzag descent and then traverse follows. Views from here are truly magnificent. After reaching the pass just below the peak of Stražbenica don’t miss the water source, it’s a bit down but to me was a mystical experience washing away two days of sweat. Subsequently we descend a bit more to the plateau of Veliko Rujno.

Tatekova koliba hut from Veliko Rujno:

Veliko Rujno is thought to be the single biggest karst field of the Velebit mountains. It is home to many grass-fed animals like goats, cows, oxen and horses. At first we follow a gravel road then we cross some of the pastures so watch out for livestock. Here the marking of the trail is somehow flawed, I needed to check my position a couple of times. With time the altitude starts to rise again and first we gain elevation in the direction of Sedlo peak only to level off again with a traverse of the southern slopes of Bobicki Kuk. Comfort of walking diminishes, the path is rugged and full of stones lying here and there. So the pace drops, not only because of that but also because of the open space and scorching sun. We cross the empty ruins and remnants of Račabuša village and then enter the forest. It is still at least 3 hours to reach the destination according to the signpost. Just now in the dense forest it is nicer than in the sun. However the path is still of a demanding character due to limestone formations. If you have time you can give Kamena galerija path or Špilja Vrtlina cave a try as they lie on the way. I did not make it to visit these because of the rather short November day. Finally we get to see the very characteristic formation of Stapina which we need to circumnavigate and after a nasty, knee-bending descent we land at Tatekova Koliba hut.

Links:Karst field (wikipedia)Špilja Vrtlina cave locationKamena galerija location

Tips and author's comments:

This stretch covers a really beautiful part of Velebit and I enjoyed it a lot. What missed from my perspective is that it does not climb any actual peak what makes me feel a bit hollow. To counteract this feeling I climbed Tadina Glavica peak from Buljma pass.

Accommodation:

Tatekova koliba - this is not the most luxurious place which you can tell by looking at it, it does not make that great of an impression. But inside there’s really all you are gonna need for a peaceful overnight stay, provided you get inside as it is quite small. It consists of two rooms, the main one with the entrance and a small attic that will sleep max two people, and another three on the benches around the table. In the smaller room there is space for 6 people on the ground. Around the hut there is also enough space for tents, there are wooden tables. Unlike other huts this one does not have a well but a pump to get the water from under. You need to be patient with it as I needed to let 20 liters go until it was not muddy and reliable to drink. All in all, like mentioned, a filter is a great thing to have. Mobile signal is south of the hut, just after a big plateau is crossed, something like 10 minutes of walking on even terrain. What’s really nice about this hut is that it lies on the southern side of the mountains meaning there is warm, Adriatic air coming in.

Links:Struge mountain hut infoStruge hut locationTatekova koliba hut info (Croatian)Tatekova koliba location

Provisions:

Make sure to get enough water for the whole day. The Veliko Rujno section offers no protection from the sun, I ran out of water before reaching Tatekova Koliba because of the great thirst.