July 31, 2024 - The first and only cycle route to connect the entire Western Balkans Region has launched — its application is ready for international travelers to download.
The Trans Dinarica, the first cycle route connecting all eight countries of the Western Balkans, has been released. The route covers approximately 5,480 kilometers over 95 stages as it rolls across Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Albania, North Macedonia, Kosovo, and Serbia. The Trans Dinarica was created by GoodTrail, a Slovenia-based adventure-travel development firm, over the span of two years.
The extended Trans Dinarica navigational packs, provided through the Ride with GPS application (also launched today with individual countries available for download), can be found on the route’s website, which provides cyclists with suggested itineraries and regional travel advice.
The created app experience supplies travelers with detailed country information, turn-by-turn trail navigaton, information about cities and towns, weather updates, points of interest for each day, restaurants, tourism operators, services, and accommodations.
“We’ve tried to make it as easy as possible for people to choose to be on a bicycle while exploring the Western Balkans,” says Matija Klanjšček, one of GoodTrail’s founders, its lead cartographer and application content architect.
The Trans Dinarica, a trademarked cycle route, facilitates bicycle travel in the Western Balkans while prioritizing towns and villages. The route, and its countless combination of adventure itineraries across eight countries, spotlights responsible travel, culture, national parks, and UNESCO sites. Its ultimate purpose is to provide a sustainable economic engine to communities while celebrating the diverse traditions across one of the most beautiful regions in Europe.
“From the beginning of the Trans Dinarica’s development until today, the idea is to give travelers a way to enjoy the region while moving safely and at their own speed,” says Jan Klavora, the Trans Dinarica project’s coordinator and another GoodTrail founder. “We’re confident visitors will be amazed by their time here and will come back year after year.”
The route averages 50 kilometers per stage (day) and follows quiet asphalt roads (approximately 80% of the route), forest trails, and bike paths. Supported by RECONOMY, USAID’s Economic Development, Governance and Enterprise Growth (EDGE) Project, and GIZ’s Sustainable Rural Development in Albania, the Trans Dinarica makes it easy for cyclists of all abilities to discover the region on two wheels. To that end, visitors to the route’s website will receive basic information about the trail for free and then pay a nominal fee for GPX tracks and information about services across the Trans Dinarica.
“This region is perfect for discovery because of its hospitality and richness of heritage, and we hope travelers take advantage of the Trans Dinarica because it is one of the most respectful methods to see the region,” says Alex Crevar, the third of GoodTrail’s three founders. “More than anything though, we hope people feel the magic we have felt while traveling in this intimate way across the Western Balkans.”
Dear cyclists, now it’s your turn. We will be happy if we can follow your adventures and share them on social channels. Use #transdinarica and @transdinarica.
Thanks and enjoy – visit our website here – and view helpful videos below.
