PLITVICE LAKES NATIONAL PARK
Plitvicka Jezera is listed in UNESCO's Register of World Natural Heritage and is one of the most well known national parks. Plitvice Lakes is a group of sixteen small lakes -Proscansko Jezero, Labudanovac Lake, Ciganovac Lake, Galovac Lake, and Kozjak Lake. These lakes are mutually connected with large and smaller waterfalls. The national park is surrounded by dense forests of beech, fir and spruce, watered by various springs of the Korana River. The Park has several caves and flower meadows. Brown bear is found here among other animal species. The Lake areas are lovely and cool in summer, icy and calm in winter, yellow and ochre in autumn, green and fresh in spring. Plitvice Park is conveniently located near the main road that connects Zagreb and Croatia Adriatic Coast. It is easily accessible by public transport as well as by bicycle, from Karlovac, Zagreb or Split.
RISNJAK NATIONAL PARK
The Risnjak National Park is at the northern end of a Gorski Kotar, a Karst plateau and covers over 30 sq km rising from the tableland at 620m to the main peak, Risnjak, at 1, 528m. Easily accessible, owing to its proximity of the Zagreb-Rijeka road, the area is a popular destination with Croats for walking, climbing and mountaineering.
The park's varied climatic influences - the sea from the south-west, the Dinaric mountains from the south-east, the continent from the north-east and the Alps from the north-west - have enabled over 4, 000 plant species to prosper. In addition to this there are hundred brown bears, lynx, wolves, wild cats, boar, deer and chamois and 500 species of butterfly.
Outside the park there is more to see. Lokvarska is one of several caves open to visitors in summers. The cave is full of stalactites, stalagmites and calcified columns. Don't miss the Vrazji Prolaz or the Devil's Passage at Skrad. It is a narrow gorge with a steep path winding its way through it to the 90m Zeleni Vir waterfalls at the far end.
The Cicarija Mountains are just to the west of Gorski Kotar. A 40km long barrier that blocks Istria off from the rest of Croatia, the chain peaks at Platnik (1, 273m). Being nearer to the sea the climate is considerably milder than at Risnjak. |
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For the serious walkers there are four major routes: One of them, the Rijeka mountain traverse, is a six to seven day walk through the important peaks. Starting from near the Cicarija Mountains in the west, the route passes through Risnjak and then turns south over Velika Kapela to finish at Crikvenica on the coast. Paths are well marked and mountain huts provide overnight accommodation.
SJEVERNI (NORTH) VELEBIT
Velebit is an untamed mountainous ridge located adjacent to the Adriatic. It occupies over 2, 000 sq km - 145km in length and 30km in width. It is a designated UNESCO biosphere reserve. Velebit is perfect for those who want to explore a fascinating area in solitude. It is possible to hike the whole length of the ridge following Premuzic's path and staying in mountain huts, while the more compact Paklenica National Park also offers excellent walking opportunities.
Despite its proximity to the coast and the pleasant climate of nearby island archipelagos, Velebit's size ensures that only on the coastal slopes is it typically Mediterranean. On the top of the ridge the climate is consistently continental, with intense summers exacerbated by the scarcity of surface water and then followed by cold, harsh winters
Other destinations in the region include: Karlovac, Slunj, Samobor, Ivanic Grad, Bjelovar, Sisak, Cakovec, Koprivnica, Krapina, Krapinske Toplice, Stubicke Toplice, Marija Bistrica, Varazdin, Varazdinske Toplice, Ludbreg, Trakoscan, Delnice, Gospic, Vrbovsko , Otocac and Slunj.
How to get to Lika Gorski Kotar and Hrvatsko Zagorje
PLANE: Rijeka and Zagreb are airports that serve Central Croatia.
BUS: Various and frequent bus services run from Zagreb bus station as well as from Rijeka, Split and Zadar to the various Croatian cities and towns in the region.
TRAIN: Rail services run from Zagreb to Rijeka and some other places.
BOAT: Take a ferry from Italy to Rijeka or Dalmatia and then a bus towards Rijeka and Zagreb.
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