Biokovo is the bigger, northwestern, part of the Biokovo - Rilic mountain range extending for about 70 km from the River Cetina to River Neretva. Biokovo is the highest mountatin on the Croatian coast. With 1762 m Sv. Jure is highest peak. Assembled in a small expanse of the sea. Three strips are distinguishable in the mountain. The first belt, to a hieght od 300 m, is fertile and green. Most impressive is a rock belt about 1000 m high, beautiful and dredful at the same time. Along the of steep rock faces extends the third strip, wavy plateau 3-4 km wide with freely developed karst relief. On the plateau, there is a strange system of sinks resembling Moon's surface (so-callde netlike karst) with many speleological object. To date they are known to number about 400, with some more than 500 m deep. On their bottoms, some pits branch out into labyrinth of caverns.

For its natural sights, in 1981 the Biokovo Mountain was declared a protected national park (19,550 ha).

Traditional mountaineers' tracks set out from the direction of Makarska toward the Biokovo Mountain over the Vosac alpine hut, the other from the village Veliko Brdo through Lokve. Because these tracks are long, tiring and sunny, one had better start climbing early in the morning.

A 31-km Makarska - Tucepi selo - Staza - Sv. Jure road (the highest in Croatia) also leads to alpine hut below the Vosac, as well as to the highest peak of the mountain. At the exit from Makarska in the direction of Dubrovnik, in front of filling station trunk road Jadranska magistrala should be abandoned turning left uphil biy the Radic road to reach the village of Tucepi. About 1 km beyond the village the Biokovo road takes takes a sharp left turn to spiral up to the Staza pass on the ridge (16.5 km). At the crossing, one should upwards (15 km still to go the mountain top. At its 4th kilometer the roads bypasses a forester's small house at Ladjena, followed at 9th kilometer (at Stipkovac) by the left lane of the road descending to the alpine hut below Vosac. The last 5 km to the top the narrow road goes up rather steeply and windingly, but it is also unique for its vistas and landscapes. There is a toll to pay for vehicle entry here

BIOKOVO'S FLORA AND FAUNA

A typically Mediterranean flora has developed in the Mount Biokovo's foothils that has found its way to its hinterland through the valley of River Neretva and Cetina's canyon. The higher we mount the greater the change we feel. Between the sea, hinterland valleys and mountain summits several degrees in vegetation distribution are readily observable: the Mediterranean, submediterranean, foothill, mountainous, subalpine and alpine. Biokovo's high belt affords much botanic interest. Professionals (among whom Saxony's king Friedrich Augustus II who, in 1838, climbed to the peak of Biokovo) have since early times been attracted by its rich flora, especially the Tertiary relicts. In terms of landscapes and botany, especially valuable are the small forests of black Dalmatian pine on the coastal side and the remnants of once spacious silver fir woods on the hinterland side.

Meriting special attention is the mount's coastal side, and particularly so the rock faces with steep ascents between Topic and Kotisina as well as between Podgora and Dracinca. It is almost exclusively there that all Biokovian endemic plants are found, is Biokovian bellflower (Edraianthus pumilio), cuspidated centaurea (Centaurea cuspidata), and its subvarities Biokovian centaurea (Centaurea biokovensis), "slava klisura" (Centaurea gloriosa), Biokovian honeywort (Cerinthe tristis), coastal honeywort (Cerinthe undamaris), Biokovian onosma (Onosma biokovense), Biokovian hawkweed (Hieracium biokovense), "burina zukica" (Cytisus alavents), and wall bellflower (Capanula portenschlagiana). Rare plants, such as winter carline thistle, red flowering rush, flattened blysmus, "polegla tresnjica", "velika kositernica" and "hrvatska trpkovina" also grow here.

Biokovo's animal kingdom is also specific and diverse. Some very rare birds are nesting on it, such are gray eagle and snake eagle. Biokovian partridge is an attractive bird for hunters. Wolf and boar have a permanent habitat here. As faunal curiosities living on Biokovo are chamois (Rupicapra rupicapra) and mouflons (Ovisaries unusimon). The chamois was reintroduced in this area in 1964 and the rate at which it multiplied and the breed value it reached confirm its primordial beloging to this habitat.