On the Top of the Peljesac Peninsula

The Peljesac Peninsula truly captivated me during a vacation there with my wife. It's home to what I value and adore most in landscape – the combination of mountains and water. The peninsula is essentially mountains jutting out from the Adiratic Sea, and the highest peak of the entire range is Sveti Ilija (St. Elijah's Mountain).

One fine day, we decided to conquer this 961-meter-above-sea-level peak. Its height doesn't seem like much, but considering that we started the ascent from practically sea level (our accommodation was right next to the sea), the vertical distance climbed is quite a lot. See what happened to us along the way and whether it was worth it.

As we gain altitude, we can admire beautiful Korcula – an island adjacent to the peninsula. We took the ferry to Korcula another day, but more on that another time.

Korcula is incredibly photogenic when viewed from above. It's a beautiful island, where the hills create a layered, wave-like effect, and it is mostly covered with forest.

The forest that accompanied us on part of the trail also looks beautiful in the photos.

The higher we go, the more expansive the scenery becomes. Slowly, more and more of the mountainous coast of Croatian Dalmatia comes into view.

The view from the top took me completely by surprise. I didn't expect the peninsula to look so beautiful from above.

I took tons of photos to capture these beautiful mountain and rock formations. There was a lot to photograph.

At one point, I was standing and staring at the lines of mountains jutting out of the sea, and they started to remind me of something. They reminded me of... the Godzilla movie. Specifically, the new series about this giant. These mountains look a bit like the legendary beast's back, jutting out of the ocean as it swims through the endless waters.

A few more looks at the peninsula.

I have very fond memories of these views, but the hike was demanding. Downright exhausting in the heat. We hiked for about five hours, with some challenging climbs. It's essential to reach the summit very early in the morning to get there before the sun's strongest rays. It's also worth bringing 2-3 liters of water per person on really hot days.