Besides all the beauties, Croatia contains some
breathtaking national parks. There are eight
national parks in Croatia, all unique in their
natural beauty and tranquility.
BRIJUNI
The Brijuni archipelago comprises a group of two
larger and twelve smaller islands lying along
the west coast of Istria, not far from Pula, and
which have a total land area of 7 km2. The
islands of Brijuni are famed for their well
preserved Mediterranean flora like holm-oak
trees, lofty dense underbushes, pines and
cypresses, partly shaped like a landscape park.
On Brijuni you will also find a safari park with
mostly exotic herbivores as well as the valuable
cultural heritage dating from Roman and
Byzantine times.
Because of their extraordinary beauty the
Brijuni have been a popular tourist destination
for world statesmen and members of the
international aristocracy for over a hundred
years.
THE KORNATI ARCHIPELAGO
The Kornati archipelago, the most intented
island group in the Mediterranean, is situated
in northern Dalmatia, not far from Šibenik. This
real labyrinth of sea and rocks comprises 140
uninhabited islands, islets and reefs and has an
area of altogether 70km2. In the immediate
vicinity of the Kornati National Park, which
includes the biggest part of the archipelago and
the surrounding sea, is yet another jewel of
Croatia 's protected nature – the Telascica
Nature Park. It contains the spacious and deep
Telašcica Bay on the neighbouring island of Dugi
otok in which are situated several beautiful
small islands and a small salina. The Kornati
archipelago is noted for its varied and unusual
forms and extraordinary relief structure,
especially the high cliffs. However, the highest
cliff with about 180 meters is found on Dugi
Otok in the Telašcica Nature Park. As the
Kornati islands are one of the most popular
destinations for navigations on the Adriatic, it
is not unusual that you can find in the park 's
vicinity ten marinas.
KRKA
Among the rivers in the Croatian karst Krka is
for sure the most strange one. This river is
known for its numerous waterfalls which, like
those at Plitvice Lakes, were created through
the sedimentation of a special form of
limestone. The park includes the larger part of
the course of the River Krka, together with the
coastal area, from the historical town of Knin,
near the river 's source, to Skradin, another
historical town. Here after some magnificent
waterfalls the river gradually wends its way
into Lake Prukljansko and thereafter into the
deep sea bay where the historical town of
Šibenik is situated. The river partly flows
through a deep canyon carved into a limestone
plateau and partly forms lakes. Among the
numerous waterfalls of particular beauty are the
Skradinski buk and the Roški slap between which
the rivers forms a lake where is situated the
Island of Visovac with its remarkable Fransiscan
monastery.
MLJET
The island of Mljet is situated in the
southernmost part of Croatia, west of Dubrovnik,
unarguably Croatia 's best-known summer
destination. The Mljet National Park includes
the western part of the island, which a lot of
people consider to be the most beautiful in the
whole Adriatic. The park is characterised by two
deep bays, which are referred to as lakes due to
their extremely narrow passages to the open sea
(Veliko and Malo jezero -Great Lake and Small
Lake), as well as by lush and diverse
Mediterranean flora. Mljet is also noted for its
wealth of cultural heritage the most impressive
example of which is a Benedictine cloister
complex dating from the 12th century situated on
a small island in the centre of the Great Lake.
PAKLENICA
Paklenica includes the most attractive sections
of Southern Velebit, including its loftiest
peaks. The two impressive canyons of Velika and
Mala Paklenica are the main attractions of the
park. In the relatively small area that
comprises the national park there are several
remarkable karstic forms, a number of caves and
also well preserved and extremely rich and
varied flora and fauna. Between the steep rocks
one of the key attractions is Anin kuk, the most
popular alpinist venue in Croatia. Despite its
wilderness and preserved nature the Paklenica
National Park is easily accessible to visitors,
as it is close to the Adriatic tourist road and
the City of Zadar.
PLITVICE LAKES
The Plitvice National Park, the most widely
renowned of Croatia ’s national parks, is
entered in the UNESCO Register of World Natural
Heritage. Sixteen lakes interconnected by
waterfalls created through the deposition of
travertine, a light-coloured calcareous rock,
constitute the chief attraction of this unique
park. The wellspring of the River Korana issues
from an area within the park, surrounded by
dense forests of beech, fir and spruce, partly
in the form of primeval virgin forest. Apart
from the lakes and forests the park also
contains several caves, springs and flowering
meadows, and is inhabited by many rare but
(here) still preserved species, one of these
being the brown bear. It is a moot point as to
when the park is at its most beautiful. Is it in
spring, when the meadows are covered with
flowers, in the autumn, with its numerous
seasonal hues mirrored in the lakes, or perhaps
in winter, when the waterfalls and surrounding
trees are hushed and shrouded in ice in the
snowbound landscape? The popularity of this park
is augmented by the forms of transport used for
conveying visitors around its various parts
(panoramic trains and electric-powered boats),
as well as the convenient geografical position.
RISNJAK
Risnjak is a forested mountain massif situated
not far from the City of Rijeka and which takes
its name from the lynx (Croatian:ris), the
mountain ’s best-known resident. The Risnjak
National Park extends across and up an area
rising from 300 to 1500 meter above sea level.
Within this relatively small area are found all
types of forest, as well as many plant and
animal species, featuring the brown bear, lynx,
marten, dormouse, deer and eagle. The beauty of
the forest, the karst phenomena, attractive
springs and magnificent views attract countless
hikers and other nature lovers to Risnjak.
NORTHERN VELEBIT
Northern Velebit is the youngest of Croatia ’s
national parks, having been declared a national
park in 1999. The park comprises the most
attractive and, with regard to nature, the most
valuable areas of the northern part of the
Velebit range. A large number of attractive
sights are concentrated in this distinctly
mountainous park -the magnificent karst forms of
Hajducki and Rožanski kukovi, a unique botanical
garden, and Luka ’s cave (one of the deepest in
the world). Croatian mountaineers consider this
area to be the greatest jewel of Croatia ’s
mountains. Due to its remoteness from main roads
this area is somewhat less well visited, but
this serves only to enhance and preserve its
mystic and primeval natural ambience.
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