Croatian National Parks – North Route

After breakfast and coffee, you will depart for the NP Plitvice Lakes. On your way to the National Park, you will visit Rastoke, a small historic village known for its well-preserved mills and the picturesque little waterfalls along the Slunjčica River, which flows into the river Korana at this place. The Plitvice Lakes National Park is world famous for its 16 turquoise lakes arranged in cascades and connected with magnificent waterfalls. It also has the largest waterfall in Croatia, with a height of 78 meters. We will use the day to explore all of the lakes in their entirety and enjoy the beautiful scenery.

The area of Velika and Mala Paklenica was proclaimed a national park in 1949. It stretches on the area of 95 km2, on the littoral slope of South Velebit under the zone of highest mountain peaks Vaganski vrh (1752) and Sveto Brdo (1753). The Park area contains 150-200 km of trails and paths, from those intended for tourists, leading from Velika Paklenica Canyon to Manita peć cave, Lugarnica forest cottage, and the mountain hut, to those intended for mountaineers, leading to the highest peaks of Velebit. The relatively small area has an abundance of geomorphological phenomena and forms, diverse flora and fauna, attractive landscapes and intact nature.

Since there is a lot of hiking going on in the itinerary, you can use this day to recover your energy or go on a half day or a full day trip if you want. If you would like to do more hiking, or some kayaking and bicycling, go for a ride on a zip-line, or visit a nearby bear sanctuary – it’s all up to you. Let us know what your interests are and we will arrange everything.

If one should pinpoint a small area of Croatian mountains covering the largest number of phenomena, this would most probably be Risnjak. Various Alpine, Dinaric, Mediterranean and continental influences meet here in a unique way. The park is full of old and well-preserved woods, beautiful viewpoints and bright green shades of the river Kupa, bursting with the strength of a huge river straight from its spring under Risnjak, and many other phenomena.

In the morning hours, you will head towards Postojnska Cave – the biggest and most beautiful cave system in Slovenia. The guided tour of the cave starts in a small train which will take you through a big part of this magnificent cave system, after which you will continue your tour on foot. After the tour, you will head towards Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia, where you will have a guided tour of this charming city. The next day after exploring Ljubljana, you will head towards Bled. With its emerald-green lake, picture-postcard church on an islet, a medieval castle clinging to a rocky cliff and some of the highest peaks of the Julian Alps and the Karavanke as backdrops, Bled is Slovenia’s most popular resort. You will have the rest of the day to enjoy this romantic and fairy-tale place.

After all this hiking going we’ve put in one more free day in the itinerary which you can also use to recover your energy or go on a half day or a full day trip if you want. You can also decided if you want to spend one more night in Zagreb instead of the villa in Gorski Kotar.

Depending on the time of your departure, various activities can be organized. If you do not want any activities on this day, you can take a walk through Maksimir, an 18th-century park which houses the Zagreb city ZOO or go for a ride on the funicular and experience the traditional market in the city center.