Via Apsyrtides (hereinafter referred to as VA) is a long hiking trail across three islands: Cres, Lošinj and Ilovik . It is divided into 11 stages , which vary in length – from 9 to 19 kilometers . VA is 150 km long and you will gain about 4,000 meters in altitude . VA leads from the north of the island of Cres (it starts at Cape Jablanac , the so-called Tramontani) to Cape Radovan on the island of Ilovik. The Cres–Lošinj archipelago was called Apsyrtides in antiquity – hence the name of the trail. Information about the trail can be found at viaapsyrtides.hr .
My mother Adrijana and I walked the route in early April 2025. Although not entirely, we successfully crossed the entire island of Cres, from north to south. We walked more than 100 km and gained about 2900 meters in altitude. We were on the road for 5 full days + one afternoon (two hours). We did not follow the stages exactly as suggested on the website, but we adapted the route.
Stage 1: Porozina – Konac (6.8 km, 351 altitude meters)
We arrived on the island of Cres on foot at 5 pm. On the first day we only had a good two hours of light. The ferry brought us to Porozina (we left the car parked in the Brestova harbor), where we started walking. Past the village of Porozina and up through the forest. Already in the village we met fallow deer. We walked mostly on a paved path through an old forest full of oaks, hornbeams and chestnuts. Cres immediately turned out to be a rather wild island.
After two hours of climbing, we arrived in the village of Ivanje , where we scared away all the sheep – they alerted the locals to our presence, as if they were guard dogs. Mom’s comments and dismay about the condition of the village (almost deserted, full of old cars, abandoned boats, trailers and vans) were overheard by a local man who was very happy to see us. The pensioner hurried to explain to us where to continue walking. He said that he was now retired and lived here with his wife, and that there were only 5-7 permanent residents in the village.
We continued walking late into the evening and passed a fence where they had fallow deer and wild boars in Tito's time. The fence has of course been destroyed and demolished over the years and the animals have scattered and settled all over the island. Today they have such big problems with wild boars and roe deer. We met a lot of roe deer - even face to face, but we only met wild boars by smell, sounds and beaten paths.
We spent the night in Konac , right next to the hunting lodge. The night was rainy and windy. We barely had anything to eat in the evening – darkness had already overtaken us.
Stage 2: Cape Jablanac – Beli – Predošćica (24 km, 1000 altitude meters)
In the morning we left Konac for the start of the VA trail – to Cape Jablanac . We hid our heavy backpacks in the bushes and headed down to the sea with our phones and a bottle of water. Half an hour of walking and we were already on a secluded cape, where there was an information board, a box with a stamp and a map. We took pictures of the view, looked at the abandoned house by the coast and went back up. With our heavy backpacks we continued our journey towards the village of Ivanje and then followed the signs for Beli.
We walked along old paved roads, through the forest, along paths, alternately in the shade and in the sun, with frequent encounters with wildlife. At Kosmačev Lokva , one of the largest on Cres, we filled up on water – it was clean because we were there after the rain, we used it for cooking. Every drop was worth its weight in gold.
The path led us past one of the many labyrinths in this part of Cres, and then we descended towards the village of Beli . There we found a spring and two puddles, refreshed ourselves and continued upwards. A long climb followed to the highest point of the island – the peak of Sis (639 m) . There we were overcome by fatigue, the wind was strong and we felt exhausted. We only found shelter at Predošćica. Worried about how we would cook in the wind and how much the tent would rattle at night, we barely found shelter in one of the enclosures and settled behind a juniper tree. The stage was really tiring and demanding: 24 km and more than 1000 meters of elevation gain.
3rd stage: Predošćica – Cres – Valun (19.5 km, 484 m)
The next day we ate breakfast in the cold and wind and only then realized that we had slept only a good 10 minutes away from the village. In the village we only met sheep and looked for electricity. We stole it from the church and were a little late, so much so that the battery sign turned green. We continued up again in the hope that this stage would be easier. Yesterday's gave us wind. "This is nothing like the Camino Krk," we thought.
From Predoščica we climbed to about 500 meters above sea level, then a long descent to the town of Cres followed. We looked at the town for a long time and walked along a wide, old paved road (in some parts better preserved, in others worse). It was built during the short French rule to connect the islands. They built roads wide enough for carriages and mail transport. The road remained unfinished, but is still in good condition (paved with stones and reinforced with curbs). We soon reached the waterfront through olive groves. We arrived in town just in time for lunch. After a day of silence, the noise of a nearby football match immediately woke us up.
Then, hungry, we looked for an open tavern . The city was empty, most restaurants were just getting ready for their first guests. After asking the townspeople, we found an open restaurant and each ordered a portion of fried calamari with potatoes and chard. Along with Ožujska and Fanta. Smelly and sweaty, we took off our shoes on the waterfront, asked for electricity, and rushed to charge our devices. The calamari was excellent and we devoured every last crumb. As if we knew that this would be the first and last chance for restaurant food on the entire island.
We went grocery shopping, refreshed. We bought additional food: bread, tuna, salami, cheese and water. The backpack was back to 15 kilograms. Relief and horror at the same time. We continued our journey in the afternoon, around 3 pm. We stayed in town for a long time because one of our chargers died and we then looked for a replacement (it's a good thing that this happened to us in the town of Cres).
Just like in '23 on the Camino Krk, here, on the VA, there is the same problem with the markings – they get lost when you get to the towns and villages. But my mother knew that we had to pass both marinas and that we would continue our journey there. It really was like that. And it was time to climb again. First along a wide paved path, and then a really interesting walk began – between the fences, through the fences, once left, once right, like in a labyrinth. Super marked, I found this part of the path wonderful.
We quickly arrived at the village of Krčina and decided to continue walking until 6 pm. At 6 pm we started looking for a suitable place to spend the night. We found an abandoned olive grove with a beautiful view of the sea. It was the most beautiful spot to sleep on our entire route. We were quite far from the village of Krčina and from Valun (where we went the next day). We enjoyed the sunset. It was so quiet at night that I could have cut it. Beautiful. We covered 19.5 km and 484 m of elevation.
Stage 4: Valun – Lubenice – Helm – Vidovići – Miholaščica (26 km, 700 altitude meters)
It was a bit difficult to leave our beautiful little corner in the olive grove. But then came the descent down towards Valun . We joined a wide path, arranged for the water supply, which brought us above Valun by the calm sea. We did not go down to Valun and continued on to the historic village of Lubenice. In Lubenice we looked for electricity, water and food again. By this time, quite a few tourists had already visited the village, but there were no offers for us. Everything was closed. So we had to cook our own lunch. Pasta with asparagus, which we picked along the way. Two Slovenian motorcyclists asked us if there was anywhere to eat here, and we said that we would also like to eat something good, but we had to cook for ourselves.
A short tour of this old stone village followed. A view of the beach of St. Ivan below and a water tap (the water tap is located next to the toilets), and we continued walking. This was followed by a climb through terrain similar to the Karst edge. Among the pine trees, along the cliffs, we even found a slope along the way – all the way to the 482 m high Helm , a viewpoint peak from which you can see Lake Vrana . Otherwise, you can barely see, because the peak is not the most panoramic.
Next came the descent down to the village of Vidovići, where we again had to look for a place to continue our journey. Right at the part where we should have turned, they were doing some work and we missed the signs. But being used to it and attentive, we quickly realized our mistake. We continued through the pastures. Then, all of a sudden, we arrived in a pine forest and there was a long and rather steep descent down to the sea. We reached the main road leading to Martinščica, found our VA signs, which led us back up. By this point, we were already quite exhausted. Then, another uphill climb. Oh!
Since we were in civilization, we had to find a suitable place to sleep. Unfortunately, we didn't find one. We made some unnecessary climbs and steps and then gave up and slept without a tent for the first time. Right under the open sky, just on mats and in sleeping bags. We were close to the village and wanted to remain as inconspicuous as possible. We fell asleep at sunset and got up early and picked up the awls and hooves as soon as possible.
Stage 5: Miholaščica – Ustrine – Loze – Jama Sredi (24.5 km, mostly flat stage)
We left Miholaščica when everyone was still asleep. The climb to Stivan followed and then on to the village of Ustrine . The village of Ustrine seemed really beautiful to us. A peaceful village with a beautiful view of the sea. A paradise on earth for those who love peace. Wonderful.
Since we left without breakfast in the morning, we made a longer stop in Ustrine. Of course, we found ourselves again and “stole” some electricity. The village also had a solar-powered bench with USB ports. We also looked for food. Supplies were dwindling. We asked three locals if we could buy a piece of bread from them, but no one wanted to sell it. For one euro, I “bought” only two bananas and some pâté .
We threw everything out of our backpacks and thoroughly checked our supplies. The nearest store was in Osor, but it closes at 12 noon. We were only in Ustrineh and it was 10 o'clock. With this additional, modest supply, we decided not to head to Osor (where the VA route leads), but to leave our VA at Jama Sredi and head all the way to the south of the island, towards Punta Križa.
Between Ustrini and the abandoned village of Loze, we came across a tap and filled all our bottles with fresh and clean water. Hallelujah! We visited the Sredi cave and continued walking until five in the afternoon. Then, a few kilometers before the village of Punta Križa, we found a hidden spot to sleep. That day, we did an easy route, mostly flat, and covered 24.5 km.
Stage 6: Punta Križa (10 km, flat stage)
The weather deteriorated considerably overnight. Gusts of wind began to blow during the night. We woke up to a cold and cloudy morning. We ate – what little was left – and headed towards Punta Križa. The locals were already coming towards us. Our follower Marija also contacted us and invited us to her home.
Since we had time, we decided to follow the marked trail to Parhavac and Sv. Anton and then along the coves of Vrč and Ul to Punta Križa. We almost got lost here. With a whistle and loud conversation, we chased away wild boars and somehow reached the coast. During the journey, we almost missed a stage that would have taken place closer to the coast. We never once dipped our smelly and tired feet in the sea. On this last day, however, it was so cold that nothing invited us closer.
We celebrated by taking photos by the sea, found our way back to civilization, and our family was already coming to meet us. We accepted Marija's invitation and thus concluded our crossing of the island of Cres in pleasant company: with homemade sausages, salami, cabbage, tea, champagne, and a well-deserved shower in Marija and Igor's house by the sea. All's well that ends well!
Technical matters and interesting facts
Just like with the Camino Krk, we wanted to continue stage by stage , so we decided to go for a tent . We only met two other hikers on the entire route – Swiss, but they had accommodation booked in a different place for each day. Yes, camping outside of campsites is prohibited in Croatia. All campsites were closed during our adventure.
Cres is a truly wild island with beautiful, untouched nature. We had a hard time finding food. We managed with water and electricity somehow.
We brought food from home and bought it only in the town of Cres. We carried heavy backpacks, each weighing about 15 kilograms. Each with 4 liters of water. For dinner we cooked soup from a bag every day.
We didn't shower or swim in the sea. Yes, our feet smelled really bad. It wasn't pleasant.
Let me also address the costs. Since the island was mostly empty during our trip, we had almost nothing to spend. So, the two of us spent less than €100 in total for these 6 days on the island.
Wild animals
On Cres we saw a lot of deer, two snakes (which ran away before Adrijana reached me), sheep, quite a few spider webs, frogs, and a lot of grasshoppers. Not a single animal approached us or tried to get into the tent.
Comparison with Camino Krk
Of course, we also compared this adventure to the Camino Krk. Cres is much less urban and developed than Krk. The villages on Cres are small, mostly deserted, and probably only lively in July and August.
As I wrote before, we had a problem with food – we ate lunch in a restaurant every day on Krk. Even the shops are only open until 12 in the off-season. Self-catering is key on Cres!
If I compare the route alone, both the Camino Krk and the Via Apsyrtides are well marked . However, the VA is more demanding because it is not as flat as the Camino Krk – we gained significantly more altitude on Cres.
As for nature itself, Cres is extremely diverse and you spend more time in the wilderness.
It was this part – untouched nature and wilderness – that gave us an unforgettable experience and lesson in human endurance and how to survive with her, Mrs. Nature, who scares so many.
TRAVEL LECTURE Crossing the island of Cres along the Via Apsyrtides route can be held at your local library, mountaineering club or other organization. The price of the lecture is €100. For an appointment, write to: nika.godina@gmail.com .