The Via Dinarica is a mega-trail that extends through the entire Dinaric Alps from Slovenia to Albania up to North of Macedonia, eager to join the community. Avery Stonich from National Geographic has named it as one of the best new destinations in the world for 2017. Avery simply described the product as follow: That’s almost 2,000 km route along the spine of the Dinaric Alps throughout the Balkan peninsula. Combining a network of old shepherd paths, strategic war routes, established trails, and new connections, it weaves through dramatic limestone karst fields, high mountains, steep valleys, dense beech forest, shimmering Alpine lakes, and the Tara River Canyon, Europe’s deepest, which plunges over 1,300 meters.
Open Street photo
Strategically wedged between Asia and Western Europe, the Balkans are a historical crossroads. Along the Via Dinarica, shepherd houses share hillsides with war memorials, medieval gravestones, stone fortresses, and crumbling foundations—remnants of Illyrians, Romans, Slavs, Ottomans, Austro-Hungarians, and Serb kingdoms. In their wake, Orthodox monasteries, Muslim mosques, and Catholic churches now stand as a testament to the multicultural influences in the region.
For travelers, the Via Dinarica offers off-the-beaten track adventure. For this complicated region, the trail offers hope.
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