Each nation has its own holy mount - the Greeks have Olympus, the nations of central Europe have the Alps while the Japanese have Mount Fuji. Croatia's very own holy mountain is Velebit. Its peaks are the home of the Croat's good spirit - Vila Velebita (the Fairy of Velebit). Even though it is not as high as Dinara, Kamesnica or Biokovo, this mountain occupies the central position in the collective consciousness of the Croatian people. It is an integral part of the national identity, a symbol of Croatia which distinguishes it in the world. Velebit has earned this place in the spiritual relief of Croatia owing to its geographic position, its peculiar features and the place it has in the hearts and minds of the people.
Velebit is the longest mountain of the Dinaric system. It rises along 145 km in a gentle northwest-southeast curve between Vratnik saddle and the Zrmanja valley. The saddles diagonally divide its giant belly and represent the traditional division of the mountain range into: the northern area (between Vratnik and Veliki Alan), the central area (between Veliki Alan and Baske Ostarije), the southern area (between Ostarije and Mali Alan) and the southeastern area (between Veliki Alan and the upper Zrmanja valley). Its western border is Velebit Channel of the Adriatic Sea, while to the east it borders with Lika-Gacka plateau at 425-600 m above sea level. Its width, in air line terms, varies between 30 km in the north and only 10 km in the south. Inspite of the fact that it leaves the impression of a colossal mountain, Velebit is not particularly high. Its highest peak - Vaganski vrh - is only 1757 m high.
Our agency obtained the approval of the Ministry of Culture as well as the board of the Velebit Nature Park for the organization of rambling and hiking trips within the park.
