Vaganski Vrh — Highest Peak of Velebit

At 1,757 metres, Vaganski Vrh is the highest point of the Velebit range and the second-highest peak in Croatia (only Dinara pips it). The classic ascent starts from the Paklenica visitor centre on the coast at sea level, meaning you climb the full altitude range in a single day — 15 hours round-trip for a fit hiker, or split with an overnight in the mountain hut Struge (1,620 m). The trail rises through Mediterranean maquis, then black pine forest, then dwarf mountain pine, before emerging onto bare karst pasture where snow lingers into June. The summit is a modest cross above a 360-degree panorama that on clear days reaches the Italian coast, the Kornati archipelago, Bosnia's Dinaric peaks and the entire Velebit ridge. Vaganski marked the historical border between Habsburg Croatia and Ottoman Bosnia — old boundary stones can still be found along the ridge. The area was heavily mined during the 1991–95 war and one trail from the eastern (Lika) side is still restricted; always stick to the marked path from Paklenica. Bring layers: the summit is often 15 °C colder than the coast.