10 natural wonders of Croatia

A small country, Croatia is one of the most beautiful countries in Europe. Due to the unique location of the country, its nature is extremely diverse: there are, and sea, plains and mountains. Almost 10% of the country is protected natural areas. And if you are looking for a place where, after the opening of the borders you can spend an unforgettable vacation on the beautiful and very friendly to human nature, Croatia is just what you need.

Krka national Park is a true gem of the natural treasures of Croatia. It has a huge territory (more than 100 sq. km.) collected an amazing variety of flora and fauna. In the Park there are more than 800 species of plants, which nowhere else in the world can not be found.

The Park is located in the valley of the river Krka, and it has seven beautiful waterfalls. The largest of these — Skradinski Buk – has a height of as much as 46 meters. Close to the famous waterfall is an ethnographic Museum, where among other exhibits you can see at the amazing water mills.

Another extraordinary among tourists attraction is the tiny island of Visovac, which is a Franciscan monastery founded in the XIV century.

Incredibly beautiful lim called the Lim fjord. It is a narrow Bay, far-reaching inland. The channel comes almost to the center of the Istrian Peninsula, and its length is almost 10 km away. the hundred-meter mountains that loom on both sides of the limski canal, gives the landscape a special charm.

The nature this magical place is guarded by a particularly strict: here are prohibited to travel by any vehicle with a gasoline engine, it is impossible to fish and scuba dive. In the Lim channel, there are several marine farms, where the breeding of oysters and mussels, as well as several species of fish. Right on the Bay and there are restaurants where all these freshest and purest delicacies tourists can try.

Neretva is one of the largest and most picturesque rivers of Croatia (however, Croatia has only 22 km of its length, the remaining 208 km are in Bosnia and Herzegovina). Moreover, it is also one of the cleanest rivers in Europe: its water (especially in the upper reaches) still can drink it without any fear, and the land in its valley has a distinctive fertility. The origins of the Neretva water is not only a high purity, but also very low temperature, which even in the midst of the summer heat does not exceed 7-8 degrees.

The best time to visit the Neretva are considered the summer months, when nature is especially beautiful. The most popular attractions for tourists are Hiking, Cycling, picnicking and a variety of water sports.

The width of this amazingly beautiful island is only 3 km away, and at length he stretches to 37 km. a Large part of its area is covered by dense, beautiful forest. Among tourists, the island of Mljet is famous for its beautiful coves and beaches. The entire perimeter of the island contains a special way, allowing you to enjoy the beauty of local nature.

In the middle of a protected forest are two beautiful lakes – large (Large) and Little (Small). Big lake has its own island called the island of St. Mary. On this island is an old Benedictine monastery, founded in the XII century.

The climate of the island is particularly soft – the average temperature in July is 25 degrees and the average January 9 degrees – making it an ideal place for Hiking all year round.

National Park Plitvice lakes – a real decoration of the richest nature of Croatia. For thousands of years, the river water of the Qur'an has built a real dam, formed in a cascade incredibly beautiful waterfalls and lakes. Map of waterfalls is changing here every year as limestone dams are growing at an incredible rate.

To preserve the natural balance, many Park visitors are prohibited to swim in the lakes, campfires, picnics, and even to take with you on a walk Pets. All vehicles operating in the Park, runs exclusively on electricity. But such rigid restrictions did not reduce the annual flow of tourists in the national Park, because the beauty of the local scenery is so stunning that more than pays for the inability to sit around the campfire. The scenery here is so beautiful that everyone who saw her to even think about how to make fire, it seems a sacrilege.

The beauty of the national Park Paklenica is also literally take your breath away. Here are most beautiful river canyons and a Large Mala Paklenica, and many karst caves. Cliff canyons always attract a lot of fans of mountaineering. The length of the Large Paklenica canyon is 14 km and its width varies from 800 m to just 50. Height almost sheer walls rising higher than 700 m. the Width of the canyon of Mala Paklenica in some places is only 10 m.

Park Paklenica is the biggest Park in southern Europe, where you can go climbing at the same time and water sports. Today there are more than 360 well-equipped tourist routes of varying difficulty. Climbing season begins in spring and ends in late autumn.

Most of this archipelago, located in the Adriatic sea, is a national Park. It includes 89 Islands, and its total coastline exceeds 238 km of the Island archipelago is located so close to each other that the passages between them turned into a real rock maze. Human settlements on these Islands there, but flora and fauna, both terrestrial and underwater, is extremely rich and varied. The local reefs are home to many bizarre corals, fish, and pearl shells. On several Islands of the archipelago are the ruins of the ancient Illyrian settlement, and the island of Kornat stands the ancient fortress of Tourrettes, built in the VI century.

Trsteno city is located near the southern border of Croatia and is more similar to an extraordinarily beautiful village. Here is a unique arboretum, which was founded in 1492 by the owner of Gucetic GOCCE. Today the arboretum is owned by the Croatian Academy of Sciences and arts, and this allowed all comers. In the Park you can see a lot of huge trees, whose age is estimated over the centuries, and incredibly beautiful, flowery alleys lead to the picturesque cliff, offering beautiful views of the sea.

The Central part of this small town, whose population is only about 10,000 people, is listed as a world heritage site by UNESCO. This part of the city is located on a tiny island located between the mainland and the larger island of Ciovo. The beauty of this place is so big that more than half of their revenues the city receives it from the tourist business. In the old town you can see an amazing mix of architecture from different eras, ranging from the Romanesque to the Baroque, the ruins of the powerful mediaeval walls and picturesque fortress Kamerlengo related to the XV century.

This remarkably beautiful river flowing along the bottom of a deep canyon, which she laid in the soft limestone. In some places the depth of this canyon reaches 250 meters Zrmanja is a typical karst river, and sometimes she goes completely under.

On the river there are many picturesque rapids and small waterfalls (the height of the largest of them is 15 m), making it attractive not only for lovers of beautiful landscapes, but fans of extreme sports. Rafting has been here since spring to autumn, and kayaking trips and canoe from July to August.