National Parks of Croatia Tour

Arrival in Zagreb, airport pick up, accommodation in Zagreb hotel. Walking tour of the Croatian capital.

Overnight Zagreb.

Breakfast in your hotel.

Plitvice Lakes national park – declared as a national park in 1949, the area was recognized as a national park a lot sooner. This geological phenomena is consisted of 16 gorgeous lakes and acres of forest and untouched nature. The walking tour inside the park will last approximately 5 to 6 hours and you will walk, use the electric boat and you will be able to see the most beautiful parts of the park.

Overnight Plitvice Lakes

Breakfast in your hotel.

Risnjak national park – This day is dedicated to Risnjak national park. It was protected as a national park in 1953 and it has over 6000 acres of surface. It includes a river Kupa spring and Risnjak mountain. It is not that popular as other parks because it’s beauty is not that obvious as in the other parks. Mostly scientists visit the park because they know the exact value of this park. Explore the hidden beauties with us and walk the unbeaten tracks. The park is less than 2 hours from Zagreb.

Overnight in Istria.

Breakfast at your hotel.

Brijuni national park – Just a perfect day. This is how the clients usually describe their day on the Brijuni islands. The park was formed in 1983. With the separation from the Istrian mainland, the Brijuni islands are an example how man cultivated a beautiful environment to his enjoyment. On the tour you will explore the Big Brijun island, ride a tourist train all over the island and besides enjoying the scenery, you will hear all about the famous figures that visited the island. It was and it is a favorite summer residence of Yugoslav and Croatian politicians. Let’s mention that Tito, former Yugoslav president, had a villa on the island and spent the summers there.

Overnight in Istria.

Breakfast at your hotel.

Northern Velebit NP – This national park has exceptional natural beauty and biodiversity. Northern Velebit is the youngest NP in Croatia. It is a patchwork of many diverse habitats. This tour will show you the true mountain as is, beautiful, strong, without mercy but just perfect. A guided tour will be provided with hiking included.

Overnight in Zadar.

Breakfast at your hotel.

Paklenica NP – the park was formed in 1949 and it was done to protect the most preserved and the biggest forestall system in Dalmatia. The surface of the park is 95 square km. On a relatively small area you will be able to see the unimaginable natural diversity of flora and fauna of the area.

You will spend the day inside the park.

Overnight in Zadar.

Breakfast at your hotel.

Kornati NP – A boat tour will take you in this national park. It was registered in 1980 with the surface of approximately 220 km². The park has 89 islands. Only 1/4th of the park is land and the rest is the marine ecosystem. It has unmeasurable natural and cultural richness. The cliffs of the islands facing the open sea are the most popular phenomena inside the park and it’s a habitat of rare species.

Overnight in Zadar.

Breakfast at your hotel.

Krka river NP – The day will be dedicated to this gorgeous river. Krka river national park was named a NP in 1985 and it’s known for it’s lakes and waterfalls. The park follows the river Krka on 109 square km. The park has 7 waterfalls which represent the karst phenomena typical for our area.

Overnight in Dubrovnik.

Breakfast at your hotel.

Mljet island is the greenest island in Croatia (mind you, we have over 1000 islands). It was named a national park as an effort to preserve an original Adriatic ecosystem. The park is located on the northwestern part of the island. It has over 5000 acres of land and sea.

Overnight in Dubrovnik.

Airport transfers to regional airports.

The city of Zagreb is located in northwestern Croatia. It stretches from the southern slopes of Mount Medvednica right across the river Sava. For some Zagreb is a vibrant capital and for other is a city built on a human scale – just right. It’s streets never stop buzzing, no matter the season. Even in winter time you can see people having coffee outside on bar terraces. The legend said it got it’s name in the time of a big drought when a Croatian duke put his sword into the earth and the water started flowing so he said to his soldiers ”Zagrebite! – Scoop the water!”. Even though the area has been inhabited ever since the prehistoric times, the first written mention of the city dates back to 1094. This is when the Diocese of Zagreb was founded. Zagreb began as two settlements (Kaptol & Gradec), divided by a stream. In the 13th century it becomes a free royal city and starts to develop, but not until 1850. the 2 settlements were join in what we call Zagreb today. In 1991. it became the capital of Croatia.

The outstanding park, the most visited one in Croatia, is the only natural value listed on the UNESCO world heritage list. It was declared in 1979, one of the first in the world. The Park is a part of the Dinara karst area which is characterized by carbonate bedrock, numerous karst forms and the rare occurrence of surface flows. The vast amount of water and lake creation in such areas is unique and a precious appearance.

Risnjak national park is named after ris, in English bobcat. It has the surface of 64 square kilometres and it’s location on the crossroads of different regions makes it have a significant variety of animal and plant life on such a small area. The different seasons give the park different look – from the all white in winter to the colorful springtime. The park is well known for it’s viewpoints where you can see the Kvarner bay or all the way to Slovenia and the Alps. River Kupa has it’s spring in the park and people say that it’s one of the most beautiful ones in Croatia. The architecture in the park and the surrounding is also typical for the area – steep wooden roof houses.

The legend said that the God himself formed these islands, similar to the paradise itself. In 1983. it was declared as a Croatian national park. The surface of the whole park is 3395 acres. It covers the archipelago of 14 islands. Morphological, these islands are a part of Istria. The Veliki Brijun (Big Brijun) is the most beautiful and the most visited of all the islands. The islands were inhabited through the history by the tribe Histri, then the Romans and the Byzantium empire. The part of the island had residential villa from the former Yugoslav president Tito. Later on it was used by all Croatian presidents as the summer residence. An interesting thing is that dinosaur footprints were found on he island dating 130 million years back in history. OUR TIP: Explore the cultural and natural history of the park

The surface of Northern Velebit national park is over 100 square kilometres. The park has attractions like: Hajdučki I Rožanski kukovi, Luka’s pit and a botanical garden. Hajdučki and Rožanski kukovi are a group of rocks as high as up to 200 meters, located in the heart of the park. This part is also a strict nature reserve. Luka’s pit is 1392 meters deep which puts it in the 8th place in the world. Inside the park there is Premužić trail, a trail that can be done by amateurs. Usually in that height and conditions it would be impossible to hike and walk around. From the trail there is a spectacular view on the islands of Kvarner bay.

Paklenica is a natural gem of Zadar area with a surface of 96 square kilometres. The biggest attraction are the two gorges: Big and Small Paklenica, tearing into the mountain from the sea. In the past, it was actually a walking track on which the highlander women carried salt from the sea to the inland and wheat from the inland to the seaside. The trails in the park are marked and easy for all visitors. It is great because there are info boards throughout the park. Rich in animal and plant life the animals that stand out are butterflies. Since the landscapes look a lot like the American wild west, many of the European filmmakers shot their European westerns in the park. The central attraction in the park is a rock Anića kuk, a name well known to all the European rock climbers (the best thing is that it’s accessible and you are able to climb it all year round).

This national park is actually a labyrinth of islands declared a national park in 1980. The surface of the park is 220 square km. Only a quarter are the islands, the rest is the sea. The most famous part of the park are the cliffs on the islands, habitat of many animals and plants. The islands now have no vegetation it back in the history they had very full vegetation before the Ilir tribes made more cultivated surfaces.

OUR TIP: Take a boat tour around the islands and just enjoy the scenery.

Krka river national park is one of Croatia’s most beautiful national parks. It was declared a national park in 1985. The river forms 7 beautiful waterfalls. Interesting fact about this river that the oldest water power plant was built on it. Not that it’s the oldest in Europe, it is the second built in the world history, just after the one on Niagra. Due to it’s position the park has a rich variety of flora and fauna. One of the most beautiful part of the park is Skradinski buk is one of the most attractive parts of the park, one of the most beautiful calcium carbonate waterfalls in Europe – a natural pool with high waterfalls at one end and cascades at the other. It is the lowest waterfall formed by the river. In an area 400 m in length and 100 m in width there are 17 waterfalls. OUR TIP: If you can visit the park in summer and have a swim in the natural pool.

This national park is a part of Mljet island, located in the South Dalmatia. Mljet National Park is a large area that borders two saltwater lakes – Veliko and Malo Jezero (Large and Small Lake). 4 kilometres is the range of both the lakes. Right in the middle of the Large Lake, there is a small island Melita (Sveta Marija) with a large building of the former Benedictine monastery, erected there in the 12th century. Interesting thing about Mljet island is that it’s connected with the Oddisey, the famous travel of the Greek hero. The legend says that Calypso chose the island because it was the only place that matched her beauty. Homer described it as a ”magical island of green forests”. The witness to the legend is a cave named after the hero. OUR TIP: Find out is the legend true and if it is the most beautiful place in the world.