Plitvice Lakes national park
Organized day trip to Plitvice Lakes.
Only a few hours away by car, Plitvice Lakes is the oldest, largest and most beautiful Croatian national park under UNESCO protection since 1979. The soothing beauty of sixteen interconnected lakes of varying colors will surely enchant you. The beauty of Plitvice Lakes will take your breath away, so be sure you don’t miss this sight.
Plitvice Lakes are united in a harmony of all sixteen lakes and approximately about 90 waterfalls that form a special natural and cultural value not only in Croatia but worldwide.
With an area of 29,000ha and the enchanting bluish color of the lakes it attracts more than a million visitors in a year.
Extensive forest complexes, exceptional natural beauties of lakes and waterfalls, richness of flora and fauna and much more are part of a unique whole that was declared a UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site in 1949, among the first in the world.
The island of Goli otok
Goli otok is one of the most famous and notorious prisons in Europe after the Second World War. It was opened in 1948 and closed forty years later in 1988. Although Russian prisoners were briefly interned here during the First World War the most terrible history of the island took place during the Informbiro. This was the period between 1949 and 1958 when political prisoners, opponents of the then Tito’s communist regime and followers of Stalin were imprisoned and tortured. According to some statistics over 16.000 convicts passed through the hell of the island (about 400 of them lost their lives due to exhaustion and/or illness). It happened also that over 3.500 of them were kept there at the same time.
Terrible punishments were applied on Goli otok all with the aim of making the convict lose his personality. At the same time, the convicts were forced to do hard physical work in quarries, various operations… When the first convicts arrived (9th July 1949) the island was completely bare and it was forested and built by the convicts themselves. The strong bora in the winter months and the unbearable heat during the summer months only aggravated their already difficult fate. In 1950 it was built the so-called Camp R-5 in the Senjska bay where women, political convicts served their sentences. From 1958 other categories of convicts (criminals…) began to arrive on Goli otok when the regime became somewhat milder. Escape from the Goli otok was almost impossible (strict surveillance, strong sea currents, distance from the mainland…) and everything took place in the utmost secrecy so part of the real truth has only just begun to come to light.
Saint Grgur
The islet of Saint Grgur is located between Lopar, Krk, Prvić and Goli otok. It is the second greenest island in the Adriatic. Due to its rich green cover the Loparans have been taking sheep there to graze since the earliest times.
Today, the remains of a women’s penitentiary and about fifty bunkers can be seen embedded in the rocky landscape. The island is especially suitable for the development of hunting tourism. Its beautiful bays, beaches, forests and the atmosphere of untouched nature attract many boaters and excursionists. A newly renovated restaurant can also be found on St. Grgur. But the fallow deer that eat out of hand of tourists have already become a real attraction.
Paklenica National Park
Two karst river canyons – Mala and Velika Paklenica – form a national park that can only be experienced on foot, so it is important that the visitors have mountaineering equipment.
With more than 150 kilometers of trails from the easier ones intended for tourists to the very demanding ones that lead to the highest peaks of Velebit. Paklenica is definitely not a place for walking in flip-flops!
Northern Velebit National Park
The Northern Velebit National Park covers an area of 109km2 in the northern part of the Velebit massif and is a botanical reservoir with numerous endemic plant species. Regardless of its proximity and wild beauty we would not advise you to visit it if you are not accustomed to hiking.
Velebit is a mountain and it is demanding one. If you are still willing to dare prepare for breathtaking landscapes such as Premužić’s trail (designed by forestry engineer Ante Premužić, a great lover of mountains and Velebit), a beautiful hiking route that runs along the edges of steep abysses and massive cliffs. Don’t worry, you’re safe as long as you stick to the trail.
Krka National Park
If you are tired of the sea, salt and the coast why would you not refresh yourself in the fresh water of the Krka National Park?
You will fall in love with this protected area of the canyon and the Krka riverbed with seven waterfalls inhabited by many endangered species including several birds of prey and bats. Don’t worry, it won’t get tangled in your hair – it’s just superstition. Predators could bring you lunch because Krka is the only place for training falcons in this part of the world.
