It takes just an hour and a half drive to reach the famous Plitvice Lakes, the oldest Croatian national park that consists of a string of 16 connected blue green lakes. Cascades and waterfalls create a system of water flow between the lakes separated by tufa barriers. They are located in the middle of beautiful mountain slopes covered in forest, and the Park's main attraction is 78 m high Veliki slap („Big waterfall“), the highest waterfall in Croatia. Besides the lakes, there are also several caves in the Park, and two of them are open for the visitors, Golubnjača and Šupljara. Due to its mountain location, this Park is worth visiting during any season, whether it is covered in snow during winter or when everything is green and vivid during summer.
Situated among the spectacular Velebit mountain slopes, Paklenica National Park is covered in woods (in otherwise rocky landscape with scarce vegetation) and includes extraordinary geomorphological forms such as the canyons of Litlle and Big Paklenica, caves and famous „kukovi“ that are popular among free climbers, with the most famous one being Anića kuk. This Park is also a hiking paradise as there are many hiking trails in Paklenica, together with the mountain hut and several mountain shelters. Besides the wonders of nature, there are also monuments of human habitation on Velebit and the most intriguing ones are so-called „mirila“, stone marks of a deceased which weren't a real grave, but were worshiped the same.
This unique island National Park consists of almost a hundred of island, islets and rocks, and it is located between Zadar and Šibenik. It is a great opportunity for one day excursion by boat. The biggest island, after which the archipelago has been named, is Kornat. Today it is not permanently inhabited, but in the previous centuries this was populated area and today we have small churches, houses and the remains of Byzantine tower Tureta as a memory of that period. The Feast of Our Lady of Tarac is a tradition that has remained until this day, when once a year people go by boats to a small church in Tarac cove and Mass is being held. There are several marinas at the archipelago with a few excellent restaurants, and due to the richness of the underwater area, scuba divers have an excellent opportunity for exploring the beauty of the sea bed. There is one more famous attraction, so-called Kornati crowns, steep cliffs that tumble down into the sea on the outer islands of Kornati.
In the vicinity of Šibenik, in its hinterland, one can find this National Park that comprises almost entire flow of Krka river. There are seven waterfalls with Skradinski Buk as the biggest and the most famous one that offers its visitors a possibility of a swim during summer, just couple of meters below it. Apart from the beautiful falls, rocky landscape, caves and rich river flora and fauna Krka National Park also has an impressive cultural and historical heritage that includes a small island of Visovac with Franciscan monastery, and upstream another monastery can be found, Krka, that belongs to the Orthodox Church. Several towers are still remaining on the cliffs above the river which were used to control the entire area, and one also must visit archaeological site of Burnum, Roman military camp site with many remains preserved, including the amphitheatre.
The biggest lake in Croatia is situated right next to the sea, by the small town of Pakoštane near Zadar and its status as a Nature park is well deserved. It is a habitat for many swamp birds, and along the numerous feather species, the lake is also rich in freshwater fish. There are several walking and cycling trails in the Park, and one should definitely visit Kamenjak lookout, with breathtaking panorama of the lake, coast and nearby islands. The Park includes Maškovića Han, a restored building, which is the most western example of Ottoman civil architecture. Be4nedictine monastery from the 9th century must also be mentioned, together with less known fact that Knights Templar once also presided over this area affairs, during quite a long time.
Another island location worth visiting is Telašćica Nature Park located on the island of Dugi Otok. It includes Telašćica bay, the biggest and the most secure natural harbour of the Adriatic, that consists of 25 smaller bays and coves and five islets, salt lake of Mir and magnificent cliffs on the outer part of the island. The cliffs are tumbling down into the sea and create a spectacular view. The harbour is well protected from the winds from all directions which makes it very popular among the yachtsmen. There is also a donkey shelter located in the Park and visitors can usually see these animals feeding around the Mir lake.
Villa Punta Skala
Punta Skala
23231 Petrčane
Croatia
+385 (0)91 450 2689
info@villaspuntaskala.com
