Kućište/Viganj - Sveti Ilija (Pelješac)

Access to starting point:
The starting point is the cemetery (with the church of St. Luka), which is located quite high above the village Kućište. There we can with a car from the direction Orebić (look below below A). If you are staying in Viganj or Kućište, the most elegant and easy solution is access on foot (look B or C). Very rarely in life you have the opportunity to start the ascent directly from the sea level! In this case, jumping into the sea after the tour is almost mandatory ;-)

A) With a car: We go through Orebić; on its western end of at "Y" crossroad we turn right in the direction of Kućište/Viganj/Lovište. Next approx. 10 minutes (5.3 km) we continue on the main road. At the signs for camp Antony Boy or after bar Čiringita we turn right uphill (0.25 km). We park at the wall of the cemetery.

B) On foot from Viganj: We begin the ascent from the sea approximately 200 meters west from cape Sveti Liberan, on the first distinct road western of this cape (signs for Konoba Forte). On this road upwards, we cross the main road, we continue uphill to the mountain signposts. Before the signs we turn right in the direction towards the east (few meters of concrete road, then a nice path through the forest, at the end past the water reservoir) in few minutes we get to the starting point.

C) On foot from Kućište: from the church of the Holy Trinity, which is located by the sea in the western part of the village, we go steeply upwards, at first we walk on "S" turn, then we cross the main road and continue upwards to the starting point.

Distances from the nearest tourist places to the starting point: Orebić (center): 6 km; Viganj/Kućište: 0.5 to 1.5 km; Lovište: 12 km.

Path description:
On this approach with quite big altitude difference in the first part we have a continuous view towards the bay Pelješki zaliv and town Korčula. Like most of the accesses, in the middle part it leads through a beautiful pine forest (at an altitude around 600 meters). For a quick morning or evening "walk" there are also midway destination: church of St. Luncijata (around 170 meters) and first peak in the ridge (Vrh ljute, 311 meters; there is a cross on the top).
In the heat of the summer holidays it makes the most sense to start the tour in the dark (somewhere between 4 a.m. and 5 a.m.) and finish it early in the morning, or take advantage of a possible cooler day. There is no water by the path. Both mountain huts - new (just by the hunting cottage; 5 minutes on the path in the direction towards Nakovani) and better known old mountain hut - are in the summer closed (keys are at PD Orebić).
A note: Most of the signposts for Ilija has caption turned towards the east (and some are - unfortunately - also removed). If we are coming from the west, we see the back of the sign! In short, we don't see the caption Sveti Ilija.

By the right edge of the cemetery wall we go towards the north. After few steps in the forest, we are soon on wasteland (visible traces of fire in 2019), on which a comfortable mule track in few turns quickly brings us to the church of St. Luncijata. At the back of the church we go steeply uphill in the direction of north; we walk among maquis shrubland or on very rocky sections. When the steepness decreases, we are progressing on less steep, scenic rocky ridge, which is slowly turning more towards the east. Some rocks here are very sharp, therefore "slowly and carefully"; the especially applies for the descent! Past the cross it goes a gently and even a little down, and then again in a moderate ascent in the direction of northeast (on this part blazes are very rare or washed out, we are rescued by this cairns) to the triple crossroad (junction of the path from the direction Bilopolje/Orebić). This part 1:10.

The continuation of the tour is less steep. On nice traverse we cross on the western slope of the peak M. Kontija (707 meters), then over few bands we soon reach famous pine forest, and after few steps also another triple crossroad (junction of the path from the direction Nakovana). This part 0:20.

Last hour leads forward towards the east, at first through a beautiful pine forest, then again a little more on the open. Before you get to the old mountain hut, you go twice also a little steeper uphill. At the mountain hut the path from the direction Orebić/Ruskovići joins. Above the mountain hut there are few more strides of a steeper ascent through the forest (towards the northeast), and then on bare upper ridge gently to the top.

Times: starting point - first triple crossroad 1:10; first crossroad - second triple crossroad 0:20, second crossroad - the peak 1:00. Altogether 2:30.
If we start at the sea, we have to add 10-15 minutes of walking, so 2:45; and there is 60 meters of additional ascent, altogether 970 meters.
Described condition applies to August 2022.