Velebit nature Park

Velebit nature Park

Croatia's largest mountain, Velebit, is a special and important natural area, and is known as a paradise for active vacations. If you want to enjoy an active vacation with HomeRent, join us in discovering Velebit.The natural values and significance of Velebit in the preservation of biological diversity resulted in the status of protection, which makes it the largest protected area in the Republic of Croatia. The Velebit Nature Park stretches for 145 km from the Vratnik pass in the northwest to the Zrmanja canyon in the southeast. In 1978, Velebit was included in the UNESCO list of international biosphere reserves. Two national parks are located within the borders of the Velebit Nature Park, "Paklenica" National Park and "Sjeverni Velebit" National Park.

Due to its specific location, Velebit offers many opportunities for outdoor activities. On one side, it majestically rises above the Adriatic Sea, and on the other side, it descends to Gacko, Ličko and Gračačko field. The beauty of the flora, fauna and rivers will enchant you. The list of activities you can do on Velebit is really long, and some of them are hiking, climbing, cycling, canoeing, rafting, sport fishing and horse riding. Many visitors who stay on Velebit during the beautiful autumn weather compare the vivid scenes they experience with Colorado. Beautiful rivers in which autumn treetops of all colors are painted are scenes that many remember forever.

Velebit is an oasis for hiking, and it is famous as a favorite Croatian hiking destination because of the many trails it offers. Officially, Nature Park has listed 14 hiking trails for visitors, but in reality number is much higher. As for their difficulty, it ranges from easy to difficult, so everyone can find a trail according to their preferences. There are around 20 mountain lodges on the mountain. If your choice is climbing, then Velebit has a treat for you too! The climbing zone is located on the middle Velebit in Dabarski kukovi. National Park Paklenica is a climbing destination in itself with over 600 arranged climbing routes of various difficulties. Paklenica is also ideal for hiking and mountain biking. If you decide to go mountain biking then you will visit great landscapes as the routes take you through old abandoned villages. The southern part of the nature park is adorned by the Zrmanja and Krupa rivers with their waterfalls, and on the Zrmanja river you can experience all its power if you decide to go rafting!

If you don't like to plan your sightseeing yourself, you can follow one of the educational trails, and there are four in the Park. Kuda's bridge is built in stone, and it leads over the Krupa river and its travertine barriers, and it is also the first of the educational trails. The Kuda bridge is famous for being one of the most beautiful excursion spots in Croatia, and legend says that it was built by a young man named Kuda in the 19th century so that he could cross to the other side of the river to his girlfriend. Only by crossing the bridge you can experience all the beauty of the canyon and the Krupa river with its travertine barriers. Another educationl path is Zavratnica, which leads you to the bay of the same name, which many consider one of the most beautiful bays on the Adriatic. In Zavratnica there is a viewpoint and a promenade by the sea. The third educational trail leads to Donja Klada and introduces visitors to stone construction. The fourth educational trail is Tereziana, which includes the old Austro-Hungarian road from the 18th century which was built to connect the coast and the hinterlend and thus make trading easier.

The entire Park abounds in various karst formations, including caves, pits and sinkholes. The most famous are the Cerovac Caves, which are one of the most important speleological sites in Croatia. They consist of the Lower, Middle and Upper cave, and the Upper and Lower cave are open to visitors with a length of 700 m. The total length of the explored caves is 4 km. The caves are full of archaeological sites, and they are one of the largest cave bear sites in Croatia.

There are also numerous endemic flora and fauna in the Park area. The most famous is certainly the Velebit degenija. It grows mostly at an altitude of 500 - 1700 m above sea level towards the southeast in the crevices of moist rocks, and blooms in May and June. Along with it, on Velebit you can also find Prozorski Bell, Croatian Siberia and Valdštajnov Bell. Animals are more dangerous than these delicate flowers! Velebit is home to wolves, bears, wild cats, eagles, roe deer, deer, foxes, minks, and many others. The most special are certainly the butterflies, some endangered species that are on the Red List of Butterflies of Croatia and in the Red Book of Butterflies of Europe.

Due to the great length of Velebit, there are many destinations where you can stay and visit this beautiful nature park. Our agency HomeRent will take care of your accommodation and vacation in Croatia and will choose one of our beautiful villas in Croatia for you.