Velji Kosmas and Strimnja

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Velji Kosmač and Strimnja

Summary: Velji Kosmas has been described as a mountain with very nice views. It is the highest summit in the range that directly rises from the Adriatic, between Budva and Petrovac - undoubtedly one of the most beautiful coastlines in Montenegro. However, Kosmas itself doesn't allow direct views to the shores of Adriatic - for these you have to venture to Strimnja with its steep cliffs that are so beautiful when seen from Budva in the evening light. Strimnja is 30 Meters lower than Kosmas.

There is some confusion as to the designation of Strimnja. We found literature that simply replaces the whole area (and Kosmas summit) with Strimnja, and the Rother (German language) guidebook seems to position Strimnja just at the most easily accessible point on the cliffs. To us, Strimnja is the highest point along the cliffs.

Most of the path to Kosmas (except for the final summit hike) is on a good and well marked trail. From waypoint 04 to the summit is without a visible path or markings, but pretty straightforward.

There is no path from Kosmas to Strimnja, and only the intrepid hiker may want to bush-, rock-, and grass-whack from Kosmas to Strimnja summit - especially when the views are likely to be obstructed by clouds, as happened on our hike. But then, there is always the satisfaction of being where few travellers will follow - at least for the time being.... It takes more than 1 hour from Kosmas to Strimnja, and as much for the return.

The trail follows (loosely) the description of the said Rother Wanderführer of hikes in Montenegro, though we advise to allow for extra time. We needed about 7.5 hours for the return trip, all rest stops included.

Maximum altitude:	881meter
Minimum altitude:	630 meter
Cumulative height:	747 meter
Cumulative length:	14.36 kilometer roundtrip
Difficulty	moderate
Time:	7 hours hour
Date of this record	November 2013
Download GPS info:	Kosmas and Strimnja

General location and approach: Near Petrovac

Other Information: All hotels in Petrovac were closed for the season, in November.

Waypoint 01 - Fork and bench. This place is called Krstac.

View west. The trail leads along the foot of this little range, to the more distant Kosmas mountain. Unless, of course, you decide to transverse these hills, too.

Waypoint 03 - nice to look at but of little relevance

From Kosmas peak towards Strimnja mountain. The path follows - more or less - the ridgeline to the summit.

Looking towards Strimnja - the wooded parts are the most strenuous to hike

Hiking Strimnja - looking back along the ridge

Near the summit of Strimnja - the Adriartic sea more than 800 Meter below.

Crossing some of the very karstic sections

Returning to Kosmas - crossing it for the second time

Back at the fork-and-bench waypoint, just before nightfall

GPS and trailmaps: The map and trailinformation is generated by , based on GPS information collected from the actual hike. Waypoints can be downloaded to a GPS device from Wikiloc. If necessary, use GPSBabel to convert GPS data to different formats. For more hike descriptions by Palmtreetreeproduction, browse this website or visit Wikiloc and search for "Palmtreeproduction". You may also find nearby trails from other authors.

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