Spend one day at the most beautiful and the biggest natural harbour on the Adriatic Sea. Explore the bay with 13 islands and islets, swim in the salt lake Mir, dive in the vicinity of wild and steep cliffs and don’t miss the view from the Grpašćak viewpoint. Scent of numerous Mediterranean herbs will be your healing and therapeutic accompaniment.

www.pp-telascica.hr

Kornati archipelago is a destination not to miss during your summer holiday. We highly recommend the sight “Krune” (crowns) – vertical cliffs of Kornati islands facing the open sea. From a lookout Metlina, Otočevac, Opat, Vrujsko, Litnji vrh… it’s a paradise view.
On Kornati may be seen architectural structures from Byzantine period – Fort Tureta, from Middle Ages little church of Our Lady of Tarac, as well the remains of salt works and salt depots in the bay of Lasa. Swim and dive in the depths of the crystal clear sea.

www.np-kornati.hr

The biggest and the oldest Croatian national park of Plitvice lakes provides unforgettable sights on 16 lakes of different sizes and countless waterfalls of an exceptional beauty. Walking in forest trails and crossing the wooden bridges will convince you why the NP Plitvice lakes is a member of the UNESCO world heritage family.

www.np-plitvicka-jezera.hr

This biggest sweet water lake in Croatia, like the rest of the region, has turbulent and noble history. Once, many times a larger swamp, with heroic sacrifice and persistence of a noble family Borelli was turned into a picturesque lake. Besides many effluents, today is big Pakoško polje (field), an agricultural area that nurtured this region.

Some legends say that in the lake’s depth sleeps a scary dragon, but what isn’t a legend is an Ornithological reserve, a natural waterfowl bird habitat. During the sunny winter days about 100 000 birds sway on the lake, enjoying mild climate and plenty of food. In abundance of fish, catching big is a common thing on Vrana Lake. Seldom, a catch of up to 200 kilos colossus, mainly catfish, happens.

www.pp-vransko-jezero.hr

Another Croatian pearl available during your summer holidays.

NP Northern Velebit will please the most demanding plant and animal world lovers in strict nature reserves of Hajduči and Rožanski kukovi, botanical reserves Visibaba, Zavižan-Balinovac-Velika kosa and the most famous of all in the Velebit botanical garden. Feel how the Velebit forest breathes in forest reserve Borov vrh and in the Štirovača reserve of forest vegetation. Park abounds with mountain trails, out of which Premužićeva staza (trail) is the most famous one. This magnificent meeting point of the Lika region and the coast is the most dramatic on Alan. It is the area of spacious mountain grasslands, karst hollows where above them picturesque peaks rise.

www.np-sjeverni-velebit.hr

Velebit has always been a link between the coastline and Lika hinterland and has formed this unique economic, cultural and historical unit. For this purpose traffic connection was extremely important - from ancient times till today. Because of the development of economy, trade and transport, the Habsburg Monarchy in 18th and 19th century has built a couple of important roads over Velebit. Road constructors were characterized with exceptional expertise, so many of those roads, with some small reconstructions, are still in use today.

The historical Velebit road inscripted on a list of cultural goods of the Republic of Croatia (in 2007) is so called Majstorska cesta (road).

To shorten the travel time to Dalmatia, in 1825, started the construction of this trans-Velebit road en route Sveti Rok – Mali Alan – Obrovac. On this road started a self-career of famous mountain road constructor and border officer Josip Kajetan Knežić.

The construction of this 41 km long road was completed in 1832, when it was inaugurated and set in use with the name Majstorska cesta. In fact, the way Knežić managed to carry out the route on a steep Velebit slope with many serpentines between ravines and cliffs, made a big step forward in road constructions at the time. The maximum of inclination was 5,5 % which is still in accordance with contemporary regulations of road constructions. On a, back in a day new Velebit transversal road, besides trade, postal transport between Vienna and Zadar took place.
The road goes by geomorphological important location – Tulove grede – outstanding group of vertical limestone beams, cliffs and spires.

 www.pp-velebit.hr

Take a peek into the underground world of Velebit! Made of karst, mountain Velebit is full of caves. To your caving adventure you will be taken only by the expert guides.

In Rovanjska is a jewel of Velebit Mountain - Modrič cave. It is a natural cave which describes that even after it was discovered no human intervention took place. Instead it was left in its natural condition. The entry to this cave is possible only for speleologists and a concessionaire on excursions into the cave, an experienced speleologist Marijan from agency “Zara Adventure”. The excursion starts with a gathering of visitors in Rovanjska, where your guide will brief you and give you the equipment: protective overall, helmet with light (electrical lamp or carbide flame). Just a short walk through pine woods will bring you to the cave entrance. Adventure starts here and the next two hours you’ll spend getting through passages and walking through big chambers magically decorated with stalagmites and stalactites. Your guide is an experienced speleologist that is happy to explain all you are interested to learn about this cave. There are no handrails, neither concrete paths and no artificial pre-installed light in the cave, therefore, this excursion is not suitable for the people with any difficulty in walking nor for the children younger than 7. For the rest this is the one of the most interesting excursions in Dalmatia that will remain in your memory for a quite long time. We also recommend you to visit Manita peć cave in NP Paklenica and Cerovačke pećine near the town of Gračac. Both are protected geomorphological monuments of nature equipped for tourist visits. There are other caves available to visitors, attractive because of the variety of shapes and treasure of speleothems decorations and other cave forms.

On the wider area of Nature Park Velebit and National Park Paklenica there is a full range of attractive locations to which lead well-arranged mountain ways and paths. Starting from the touristy, easy ones, to the most demanding paths they lead you to the highest peaks of Velebit (Vaganski vrh 1758m and Sveto brdo 1753m). There are two national parks on Velebit and a couple of nature reserves. The most famous are NP Paklenica and NP Northern Velebit.

Jasenice is only 15 minutes driving distance from NP Paklenica. NP Paklenica is particularly famous for its two canyons, Big and Small Paklenica. Even outside the borders of national parks, Velebit offers beautiful nature and many marked trails, mountain shelters and huts.
Above Jasenice there is a Majstorska road between Sveti Rok and Obrovac, leading its way over the mountain pass Mali Alan on 1045 metres above sea level. Today is this 41 kilometre long road under the protection of the Ministry of culture as the historical road and cultural heritage. It attracts adventurers, nature and sport lovers, every day and any time of the year. The sight in any direction leaves you breathless but the attention magnetised by Tulove grede. Its imposing look and feeling of awe, caused once you see it, will help you understand why there are so many legends and stories connected to this area. At the bottom of this rocky ridge don’t miss to check out the little church of St. Francis, with its slightly unusual architectural design, porticos on both sides – towards the sea and towards the mountain. Those porticos are symbolic just like the Majstorska road is. One side overlooks the canyon of Zrmanja River, Karin Sea and Novigrad Sea, while the other side opens a sight on Tulove grede and Velebit. From this height Ravni Kotari can be seen like on a palm while in the other direction one can see both Maslenica bridges.

Zrmanja starts its 69 kilometre long course in the southern part of Plješevica Mountain. On its way to Novigrad Sea where it flows, it passes through the narrow valleys and magnificent 200 metres deep canyon.
She is a typical karst river with many waterfalls and strong rapids which makes her ideal river for white water sports. Rafting fans named her Beauty and Beast, because at the time of high water level her flow makes one of the best rafting locations in this part of Europe. On the other hand, Zrmanja with its tributary Kupa, during the summer is quiet and peaceful, easily carrying the visitors through the fascinating landscape.

Try the bungee jump from maximum height in Croatia – Old Maslenica Bridge!

Get a dose of adrenaline falling down to only 5 m above the sea surface, where the bungee rope will stop you. It will equally excite a bungee first timer and an old jumping fox!