Ljubotić (Sv. Ante) - Debeli Kuk (čez Zagon)

Access to starting point:
We leave the Adriatic Highway in the village of Tribanj, where shortly before the church we continue left towards Ljubotić; if coming from the direction of Zadar, we turn right after the church. The sign is not immediately noticeable. The steep, narrow and winding ascending road leads us up through a barren slope. Soon the bends end and we ascend past several insignificant junctions to a marked intersection, where we continue left, straight ahead to Mirila and the start of the path to Stap via Zagon. We park at the larger gravel parking lot by the church of Sv. Ante.

Route description:
From the parking lot we return to the road and continue towards Ljubotić. At the first intersection we continue slightly left, then after a short ascent the markings direct us right onto a barely visible path to the enclosure. We follow the enclosure back to the road into the village of Ljubotić. Even if we continued along the road, we would reach the mentioned village. After the village the markings lead us onto a rather rocky path. At first we walk along a stone wall on the right side, then it begins to ascend a rocky slope with low shrubs. The path here is somewhat ambiguous, so we carefully follow the markings. Slowly the path turns slightly left and ascends even more steeply. After about 45 minutes of walking we reach a road, which we follow to the right. After 15 minutes of walking along the ascending gravel road we reach an intersection, and here we leave the road and turn left onto a rocky path. Through a short stretch of forest we again reach an area with low shrubs. The path is mostly rocky, with some grassy sections without stones in between. After a longer transverse ascent we reach the abandoned hamlet of Zagon, where several dilapidated huts stand. After Zagon follows another abandoned hamlet Jamina, then the path for a short time becomes very rocky and we must be careful not to step into any of the holes between the rocks. After this section the path crosses a small grassy field and at the end of the field the path becomes rocky again. After about 15 minutes of such path along the slope of Klekova glavica (760 m) we reach an unmarked junction, where a rather overgrown path joins from the left, leading from the road Ljubotić - Bristovac. We recognize the junction by the cairn on a nearby rock. The path becomes somewhat less rocky. We cross the edge and descend into a small doline, from where we then ascend through the first denser forest. The path ascends slightly and also descends on the eastern slope of the nearby peak Splovak (705 m) and also crosses several passages between larger rocks. When the forest begins to thin, we are close to a junction, which we reach after a short ascent. Here a path from the village of Bristovac joins from the left, but we continue straight and soon reach dense forest. The path is laid between rocks and over smooth slabs. Later we walk through less rocky terrain through the forest, in between we have numerous short descents into dolines and some undemanding rocky sections. After 45 minutes of such path we reach the marked junction for Vratarica and Stapina via Vratarica. The path becomes rocky again, soon we cross the edge and reach a large grassy field called Stap. After 15 minutes we reach a belt of low shrubs and a junction, next to which stands the bivouac Tatekova koliba.
For Debeli Kuk and Panos we continue left. Right Stapina and Visočica.
The path leads us through a short stretch of forest to a larger clearing.
Then we cross another stretch of forest to a larger gravel area. Next we ascend along a rocky path to the junction for the chapel, which is located a few minutes from the path. The path winds along the edge of a small valley and turns left over a small saddle and descends into another small valley, where an abandoned path over Čučavac branches off imperceptibly to the left. The mentioned path is abandoned. Along a gentle path through the forest with a short steep rocky section we reach a junction at Donje Njivice, where we turn right in the direction of Debeli Kuk and Jelova Ruja, straight ahead Panos. The steep path leads us through the forest and in 15 minutes we are again at a junction. Straight ahead the path continues towards Jelova Ruja, but we turn left in the direction of Debeli Kuk. At first we walk a few more minutes through the forest, then we step onto the grassy slopes of Debeli Kuk, where in front of us we see the wall of the nearby Kuk Čučul. Somewhere here an imperceptible path branches off towards them, from where it is also possible to reach Debeli Kuk. We follow the well-trodden path that crosses the meadow, then for a short time returns to a belt of low shrubs, then finally leaves the forest and we steeply ascend across the grassy slope to the foot of the wall. Here the previously mentioned path over Kuk Čučul joins from the left. We continue right around the wall to the technically more demanding part of the path just below the summit. In 3 minutes of easy scrambling we reach the stamp and the registration box. The summit is to the left, from where views open in all directions.
The described path in the summer months is more demanding due to the open terrain and lack of shade, mainly because of great exposure to the sun. At higher temperatures it is therefore necessary to carry a sufficient amount of liquid.
The description and photos refer to the situation in June 2026.

Along the route: Zagon (550m), Jamina (575m), Sjauševac (750m), Planinsko zavetišče Tatekova koliba (860m), Donje Njivice (972m), Gornje Njivice (1077m)

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