National Parks - Croatia

Croatia safeguards her natural treasures in eight national parks, of which Plitvice Lakes are also
protected by UNESCO. The magic of waterfalls awaits on the Krka river also, and spring-rich mountains at Risnjak. Up on Croatia's biggest mountain are the North Velebit and Paklenica national parks. Enchanting seascapes abound at the Brijuni and Kornati national parks, and an unusual lake and island combination describes the most southerly national park, Mljet.

Croatia among the droplets of eternal waterfalls

The Plitvice Lakes national park, the UNESCO-protected Croatian natural heritage, awaits from a soaring height of over 200 feet for its tallest waterfall. Springled with the spray of the Grand fall, continue your tour of the sixteen lakes which are interlinked by numerous waterfalls. Wooden walkways take you along the very surface of the lakes, the largest of which can be crossed by a boat.

The Krka national park breaks the stately silence of the forest with the noise made by the waterfalls crossing the seven travertine barriers along its eponymous river. Slender wooden bridges will bring you within a hand's breadth of the translucent falls which, at the longest barrier – Skradinski buk – cascade over as many as seventeen travertine stairs. A boat can take you to the Visovac island, cared for by the franciscan monks since the fifteenth century.

Mountains reveal an adventurous Croatia

The Risnjak national park will mesmerize you by the turquoise glow of the Kupa river's springs. The valley which originates at this place is home to as many as sixty-nine species of butterfly. Climbers' paths lead to Risnjak peak (5013 ft), and a view of countless lesser peaks surrounding it from all sides.

The North Velebit national park wins the visitor over with mountainous landscapes of green meadows, imposing stone and lush forests, which all trade places along a 10-mile-long trekking path. The most elevated botanical garden Croatia has ever planted, at 4855 feet above sea level, is home to Croatia's rarest plant – the degenia.

The Paklenica national park is the beauty queen of the south of Croatia's tallest mountain, Velebit. The Velika (Big) Paklenica canyon offers a mountaineering challenge on the world-famous cliffs. Its trails lead to eighty-thousand-year-old decorations inside the Manita peć cave.

Croatia in a rhapsody of colorful islands

The Brijuni national park with its fourteen islands will take you through a colorful patchwork of its safari park, the trademark of which is the endangered autochtonous donkey. The Brijuni archipelago surprisingly also features a journey into the distant past, as it is home to over two hundred dinosaur footprints.

The Kornati national park invites you to a cruise on its crystal waters, which find their way amongst eighty-nine denuded islands and reefs. A stunning sight of scattered islets is well complemented by a diving expedition, where a chief attraction will be the white cliffs known as crowns.

The best way to acquaint yourself with the Mljet national park is a stroll along the two saltwater lakes, surrounded by pristine Mediterranean vegetation. The Lesser lake has made a lagoon ideal for swimming, while the islet in the midst of the Greater lake hides a monastery which has become a recognizably symbol of Mljet, Croatia's most forested island.

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National parks in Croatia

Croatia has 8 national parks:

National parks are spacious, mostly untouched land or water areas of exquisite beauty. As examples of well preserved eco-systems they are given the status of a national park so their natural values would be protected from human intervention. Moreover, they are important for their scientific, cultural and educational values, and are sort of a refuge area where everyone trying to escape hustle of urban life can come to and recreate.

• Brijuni – Situated on the south-west coast of Istria, Brijuni National Park encompasses a group of 14 islands and islets of exquisite beauty, with well preserved Mediterranean vegetation and examples of ancient Roman architecture and life.
• Kornati – Most indented group of islands in the Mediterranean is a magnificent labyrinth of 89 islands, islets and sea. Famous for its high cliffs and peculiar relief structures Kornati is considered to be a true sailor's paradise.
• Krka – Krka river, one of the most beautiful rivers in Croatia, created as many as 7 waterfalls. The most popular are Skradinski Bik and Roški slap, between which nests a lake and the small island of Visovac, the site of a Franciscan monastery.
  
• Mljet – North-west part of this southern Dalmatia island was proclaimed national park due to its harmonious combination of natural and cultural heritage. Diverse and lush vegetation encloses ancient monuments and a Benedictine monastery. There are also two bays which due to their very narrow connection with the open sea look like salt lakes in the middle of the island.
  
• Paklenica – Situated at the southern slopes of the biggest mountain range in Croatia, Paklenica National Park is famous for its two impressive canyons – Big and Small Paklenica – which stretch from the sea up to a height of over 700 meters.
• Plitvice Lakes – The most famous national park in Croatia, Plitvice Lakes is part of the UNESCO World Heritage List. It encompasses 16 small lakes connected by cascades and waterfalls which are formed by succession of travertine layers. The park is surrounded by thick beech and fir forests, and partly even by a rainforest area.
  
• Risnjak – This highly forested mountain range which connects the Alps and the Dinarides encompasses very diverse flora and fauna in a relatively small area: the brown bear, lynx, chamois, red deer and short-toed snake eagle, to name only but a few. Beauty of the forest, magnificent karst relief and splendid scenery attract many mountaineers to this national park ever year.
  
• Sjeverni Velebit – North Velebit encompasses as many as four protected areas: special reservation Hajdučki and Ražanski kukovi, botanic reservation Visibaba, area of endemic sibiraea croatica and botanic reservation Zavižan-Balinovac-Zavižanska kosa, which is also the site of the monument of park architecture – Velebit botanical garden. Moreover, North Velebit National Park is part of International Biosphere Reserve.

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