The small country of Croatia is considered one of the most beautiful countries in Europe. Due to the unique location of the country, its nature is extremely diverse: there is a seashore, plains, and mountains. Almost 10% of the country’s territory is occupied by protected natural areas. And if you are looking for a place where, after opening the borders, you can spend an unforgettable vacation in the bosom of a magnificent and very human—friendly nature, then Croatia is just what you need.
Krka National Park
Krka National Park is a real gem of Croatia’s natural treasure trove. Its vast territory (more than 100 square kilometers) contains an amazing variety of flora and fauna. There are more than 800 species of plants in the park that cannot be found anywhere else in the world.
The park is located in the valley of the Krki River, and on its territory there are seven beautiful waterfalls. The largest of them, the Skradinsky beech— has a height of as much as 46 meters. In the immediate vicinity of the famous waterfall there is an ethnographic museum, where, among other exhibits, you can look at the amazing watermills.
Another tourist attraction is the tiny island of Visovac, which is home to a Franciscan monastery founded in the XIV century.
The Lima Canal
The incredibly beautiful Lima Canal is also called the Lima Fjord. It is a narrow bay that goes far inland. The canal reaches almost to the center of the Istrian peninsula, and its length is almost 10 km. The hundred-meter-high mountains that rise on both sides of the Lima Canal give the whole landscape a special picturesqueness.
Nature in this fabulous place is especially strictly protected: it is forbidden to move around on any equipment with a gasoline engine, it is forbidden to fish and scuba dive. There are several marine farms in the Lima Canal, where oysters and mussels are bred, as well as several species of fish. There are also restaurants right on the shore of the bay, where tourists can try all these freshest and purest delicacies.
Neretva River Valley
The Neretva is one of the largest and most picturesque rivers in Croatia (although Croatia accounts for only 22 km of its length, the remaining 208 km lie on the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina). In addition, it is also one of the purest rivers in Europe — its water (especially in the upper reaches) can still be drunk without any fear, and the land in its valley is particularly fertile. At the sources of the Neretva, the water is distinguished not only by its high purity, but also by a particularly low temperature, which even in the midst of the summer heat does not exceed 7-8 degrees.
The best time to visit Neretva is considered to be the summer months, when nature is especially beautiful here. The most popular activities for tourists here are hiking and cycling, picnics and a variety of water sports.
Mljet Island
The width of this amazingly beautiful island is only 3 km, and it stretches 37 km in length. Most of its area is covered with dense, picturesque forest. Among tourists, Mljet Island is famous for its beautiful coves and wonderful beaches. A special road covers the entire perimeter of the island, allowing you to admire the beauty of the local nature.
In the middle of the protected forest there are two beautiful lakes — Veliko (Big) and Malo (Small). The big lake has its own island, which is called St. Peter’s Island. Mary. On this island there is an ancient Benedictine monastery, founded in the XII century.
The island’s climate is particularly mild — the average temperature in July is 25 degrees, and the average January temperature is 9 degrees Celsius — which makes it an ideal place for hiking all year round.
Plitvice Lakes
Plitvice Lakes National Park is a real decoration of Croatia’s richest nature. Over thousands of years, the waters of the Koran River have built real dams here, forming a cascade of incredibly beautiful waterfalls and lakes. The waterfall map changes here literally every year, as limestone dams grow here at an incredible rate.
To preserve the natural balance, numerous visitors to the park are forbidden to swim in lakes, build bonfires, arrange picnics, and even take pets for a walk. All vehicles operating in the park are powered exclusively by electricity. But such strict restrictions do not reduce the annual flow of tourists to the national park at all, because the beauty of the local landscapes is so stunning that it more than pays for the inability to sit by the campfire. The nature here is so beautiful that to anyone who has seen it, even the very idea of making a bonfire seems sacrilegious.
Paklenica National Park
The beauty of Paklenica National Park is also literally breathtaking. There are incredibly picturesque canyons of the Mala and Velika Paklenitsa rivers, as well as many karst caves. The sheer cliffs of the canyons always attract a lot of mountaineering enthusiasts. The length of Velika Paklenica Canyon is 14 km, and its width varies from 800 m to only 50 m. The height of the almost vertically rising walls exceeds 700 m. The width of the Mala Paklenica Canyon is only 10 m in places.
Paklenica Park is the largest park in Southern Europe, where you can practice mountaineering and water sports at the same time. Today, there are more than 360 well-equipped tourist routes of varying degrees of difficulty. The climbing season begins in spring and ends in late autumn.
The Kornati Archipelago
Most of this archipelago, located in the Adriatic Sea, is occupied by a national park. It includes 89 islands, and its total coastline exceeds 238 km. The islands of the archipelago are located so close to each other that the straits between them turn into a real rocky maze. There are no human settlements on these islands, but the flora and fauna, both terrestrial and underwater, is extremely rich and diverse.
The local reefs are home to many bizarre corals, fish and pearl shells. On several islands of the archipelago there are ruins of ancient Illyrian settlements, and on the island of Kornat stands the ancient fortress of Tourette, built in the VI century.
The city of Trsteno
The town of Trsteno is located near the southern border of Croatia and looks more like an extraordinarily beautiful village. There is a unique arboretum, which was founded back in 1492 by the owner of the villa Gucetich-Gozza.
Today, the arboretum belongs to the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts, and everyone is allowed here. In the park you can see a lot of huge trees, whose age is estimated for centuries, and incredibly beautiful alleys drowning in flowers lead to a picturesque cliff, from where you can enjoy a wonderful view of the sea.
Trogir
The central part of this small town, whose population is only about 10,000 people, is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. This part of the city is located on a tiny island located between the mainland and the large island of Ciovo.
The beauty of this place is so great that the city receives most of its income from the tourist business. In the old town, you can see an amazing mix of architecture from different eras, ranging from Romanesque to Baroque, the ruins of powerful medieval fortress walls and the picturesque Camerlengo fortress dating back to the XV century.
Zrmanya River
This amazingly beautiful river flows along the bottom of a deep canyon, which it has paved in soft limestone. In some places, the depth of this canyon reaches 250 m. The Zrmanya is a typically karst river, and sometimes it goes completely underground.
There are a lot of picturesque rapids and small waterfalls on the river (the height of the largest of them is 15 m), which makes it attractive not only for connoisseurs of magnificent landscapes, but also for fans of extreme sports. Rafting is practiced here from spring to autumn, and kayaking and canoeing from July to August.
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