NP. KORNATI - Organized excurzions from Novalja - organized tours

In the central part of croatian Adriatic Sea, about 15 Nm to the west from Sibenik town, 7 Nm to the southwest from Murter, or 15 Nm to the south from Zadar town, there is amazing group of islands named Kornati archipelago.

Beauty and singularity of the archipelago moved authorities in 1980 to proclaim a bigger part of that area national park. Since then certain modifications of its borders were made, so that nowadays Kornati National Park occupies the area of about 220 km2 (54.000 acres). There are 89 islands, islets and reefs within the area of Kornati National Park (238 km of the coastline), what makes it the most indented group of islands in the Mediterranean.

The land part of Kornati National Park covers less than 1/4 of its total area, but the values of its landscapes, the "crowns" (cliffs) on the islands facing the open sea, and interesting relief structures, make this part of Kornati National Park unique. Besides, the Kornati submarine area, whose biocenosis are considered to be the richest in the Adriatic Sea, and also the magnificent geomorphology of the sea bed attracts divers from all over Europe to come and enjoy in unforgettable submarine adventures.

Within the Kornati National Park diving visits are allowed only if organized by one of the legal and/or physical entities which are registered as providers of such services and which have been granted permission by the Kornati National Park Public Institution to organize and execute diving visits within the Kornati National Park.

Individual diving (outside the approved organized groups) is not allowed!

The Kornati islands are a real heaven for yachtsmen, divers and all those who enjoy the solitude of untouched and the magnificence of nature. There are 20 restaurants on the Kornati islands which serve fish specialities. You can get to the Kornati islands by boat (if you own or you rent), or by organised boat excursions offered by tourist agencies.

NATIONAL PARK PLITVICE LAKES - Stop by on your way to island of Pag -

The natural attributes of the Plitvice Lakes National Park, uniqueness and sensibiliry of that phenomenon, deserve a full attention of our visitors. Recreational aspect of stay and the amazement with beauty of the area that conquers by its natural diversity and harmony of shapes and colours in any of the seasons, is based on many mutually conditioned natural characteristics. That is a specific geological and hydrogeological phenomenon of karst. The series of 16 bigger and a few smaller lakes, gradually lined up, separated by travertine barriers for which the period of the last ten thousand years was crucial, and which were ruled by ecological relations similar to those of today - suitable for travertine depositing and for the origin of the lakes - are the basic phenomenon of the National Park. Travertine forming plants, algae and mosses have been and still are playing an important role in their creation, thus making a very sensitive biodynamic system. Transitive type of climate between coastal and continental with microclimatic diversities makes summer pleasant and sunny, while on the other side winter is relatively long, harsh and snowrich. There are large forestry complexes in the Park area, of which some sections are protected as a special reserve of forestry vegetation due to its primeval characteristics (Corkova uvala virgin forest). Diversity of places and living conditions makes possible for numerous species of plants and animals in watery and terrestrial areas of the Park to develop with no disturbancy. It should be stressed that all fundamental things that do determine the Park, make a very fragile structural and functional complex, sensitive to natural changes and to incautious human actions. UNESCO has declared it with all rights as the World's natural inheritance. All that was mentioned in this short introduction shows a big importance and the reason why this Natural History Guide of The Plitvice Lakes National Park is being published. It should come into hands of every single visitor and draw his attention to numerous attractions of the first Croatian National Park.

The Northern Velebit National Park was designated on 09th June 1999., while the Public Institution was founded on 16th September 2001, according to the Parliament's firman. The area was designated a national park due to its richness of carst phenomena, outstanding biodiversity and exquisitly beautiful nature on a relatively small area.

The Park covers the surface of 109 km2, and inside there is the Hajdučki & Rožanski Ledges Strict Reserve, famous for its geomorphological phenomena - the pits. Until now, there are more than 150 pits discovered, out of which the most famous is Luke's pit, discovered in 1992.

It is forbidden to thread through the reserve (except passing the Premužić's trail), and only scientific researches and educational visits are allowed, according to the decission of the eligible ministry or some other institution in charge. As parts of the park, there are the Visibaba botanical reserve, with a rich founding of the endemic Croatian Sibirrhaea (Sibiraea altaiensis ssp. croatica), and the Zavižan-Balinovac-Velika kosa botanical reserve, famous for its outstanding collection of species of the mountain flora. Inside the reserve there is a widely known Velebit Botany Garden, founded by the pharmacology professor Fran Kušan in 1967.

The Park is criss-crossed with numerous mountaineering trails. The most famous and widely known is the Premužić's trail, named after its constructor, the BSc forestry Ante Premužić who built it in the late 1933. The path runs through the most beautiful and the most interesting parts of the park. From the numerous peaks in the surroundings you can have a magnificent view on the Adriatic Sea and its islands Pag, Rab, Goli, Prvić i Krk, and on the continental side as well. The Park's cultural value is present in a form of numerous ruins of the so-called "summer lodges", which witness of the ages passed and long forgotten, when Velebit was inhabited by the numerous population of shepherds and cattlers. On its coastal banks you can find many ruined houses, lodges and stonewalls which once marked the specific lifestyle of the local population who scattered all around the globe in the days to come, leaving nothing but traces of their presence on this remarquably beautiful and exquisit land.

NP. BRIJUNI

Along the western Istrian coast there are several island groups among which the most interesting, the largest and most indented is the Brijuni island group with its 14 islands and islets covering and area of 7.42km2.

The present day boundaries of the National Park were set in 1999 and comprise the land, the surrounding sea with the seabed and cover an area of 33.9km2. The length of the coastline of all the islands is 46.8 km. The most indented islands are Veliki Brijun (25.9km) and Mali Brijun (8.3km). The shores are mostly low and rocky but easily accessible due to the horizontal stratification of the rocks, and in some bays pebbles and sand can be found.

The National Park of Brijuni includes the following islands: Veliki Brijun, Mali Brijun, St. Mark, Gaz, Okrugljak, Supin, Supinić, Galija, Grunj, Vanga (Krasnica), Pusti (Madona), Vrsar, St. Jerome and Kozada. (Krasnica), Pusti (Madona), Vrsar, Sv.Jerolim i Kozada. Geologically and geo-morphologically Brijuni are the continuation of western Istria, the so-called "Red Istria". Since the depth of the channel of Fažana is just 12m, Brijuni were until some 10,000 years ago an integral part of Istria.

The islands are made of horizontal or slightly inclined layers of limestone from the Cretaceous, on which in places there are layers of carbonated brown or red soil. The stone that belongs to that formation is white in colour, easily breakable, of marble structure and is abundant in clay and flint. Therefore it is very solid and is an excellent building material. Roman builders appreciated the listed qualities of these stones and it was used to build many towns on the Adriatic.

Climatically Brijuni are part of the northern Mediterranean type of climate and have all the qualities of the western Istrian coast with a relatively high value of dampness in the air (76%). The average yearly temperature is 13.9C, the precipitation average is 817mm, while the level of insolation is 2350 hours per year.

The main characteristic of the Brijuni archipelago is the extraordinary biological diversity given thanks to its geographical location, its geological base and geomorphology, its diversity of the habitat and its island isolation.

The natural biological diversity was enriched by men’s traditional husbandry. Veliki Brijun, as the largest island of the archipelago, which was cultivated into a harmonious landscape of meadows and parks, has along with the rich remnants of architectural heritage also the preserved vegetation types typical for the western Istrian climate. It is important to underline that the sea forms 80% of the protected area of the National Park and has almost all the elements of the marine eco-system of the Adriatic.

NP. KRKA organized tours

The Krka National Park is a spacious, largely unchanged region of exceptional and multifaceted natural value, and includes one or more preserved or insignificantly altered ecosystems.

It is intended primarily for scientific, cultural, educational, recreational,
and tourism activities such as visiting and sightseeing.
It was proclaimed a national park in 1985 and is the seventh national
park in Croatia.

The Krka National Park is located entirely within the territory of Šibnik-
Knin County and encompasses an area of 109 square kilometers along
the Krka River: two kilometers downriver from Knin to Skradin and the lower part of the Čikola River.
From the flooded part of the mouth, it is 72.5 kilometers in length,
making the Krka the 22nd longest river in Croatia.

The source of the Krka River is at the base of the Dinaric Mountains, 3.5 kilometers northeast of the base of Knin and 22 meters below Topoljski Slap, Veliki Buk and Krčić Slap, which are noisy cascades in the winter but run dry during the summer.

The length of the freshwater section of the river is 49 kilometers and that
of the brackish section is 23.5 kilometers.
Significant tributaries of the Krka River include Krčić, Kosovčica,
Orašnica, Butišnica and Čikola with Vrb.
With its seven travertine waterfalls and a total drop of 242 meters,
the Krka River is a natural and karstic phenomenon.

NP. MLJET

For most people, Mljet is an island lost in the open sea, and the island is indeed hard to reach. But do not let this landscape - mentioned in the stories about Odyssey and St. Paul, as well as Benedictine monks and the Mediterranean Seal - remain a secret for you.
Mljet is an elongated island, with an average width of 3 km, 37 km long. It is an Island of great diversity and contrast, and "Mljet" National Park covers his northwestern part with an area of 5.375 ha of protected land and surrounding sea. This area was proclaimed as national park 11 November 1960 and represents the first institutionalized attempt to protect an original ecosystem in the Adriatic.
Mljet National Park has been proclaimed as an area of special interest for the following reasons:
• Its unique panoramic landscape of well intended coastline, cliffs, reefs and numerous islands, as well as the rich topography of the nearby hills, which rise steeply above the sea and hide numerous ancient stone villages. Mljet's outer coastline is exposed to the south sea and is therefore steep and full of "garmas" collapsed caves. The inner coastline faces the mainland and is exposed to the "bura", a strong northeasterly wind, but is less elevated with easier access.
• The salt lakes are a unique geological and oceanographic phenomenon of worldwide importance. They originated approximately 10,000 years ago and, until the Christian era, they were freshwater lakes. Some endemic Dalmatian plants can only be found on the rocky coast of the island. A beautiful endemic plant, named Dubrovačka Zečina is the best representative of them all.
• The Mediterranean karst landscape hides two natural specialties. The first are typical karst underground habitats: half-caves, caves and pits. The other specialty is Mljet's "blatine", which are rare occurrences of brackish lakes, which vanish from time to time. There is life in the lakes, but we know very little about it today apart from the fact that people have caught eels and marsh birds in them for centuries.
• Beautiful, rich forests once covered large areas of the Mediterranean Coast, but they are rarely preserved today as beautifully as they are on Mljet. The woods on Mljet gently descend all the way to thesurface of the lakes, thus creating animage of unspoiled nature.
• The little isle of St. Mary in the Great lake, with an ancient Benedictine monastery and a church dating from 12th century. The small island is the symbol of the entire island, because of its exceptional aesthetic image and strong cultural and spiritual dimension.
• Polače site, a cultural and historic complex consisting of the remains of a Roman Palace with fortifications and ancient Christian basilica nesting in a sheltered bay.
• An exceptional cultural and historical heritage dating back to the eras of the Illirian tribes, the Roman Empire and the Republic of Dubrovnik. Today, Mljet island is characterized by stable human settlement living in complete harmony with nature.

NP. PAKLENICA

With its surface area of 96 km2, from the eastern coast of the Adriatic Sea to the highest peaks of the Velebit Mountains, Vaganski Vrh (1757 m) and Sveto Brdo (1753 m), Paklenica abounds with numerous natural wonders and phenomena, which is why the entire area was proclaimed a national park in 1949. And rightfully so, as this region is simple and unusual in its connection between the sea and the mountains, rich in beech and black pine forests, its deep canyons cut vertically into the Velebit ridge, its karst formations and numerous caves and pits. The park boasts some 70 caves, among which the most spectacular are the Manita Peć cave and the Vodarica pit. in research in the Vaganski Cave and other caves nearby, where ceramics from the Neolithic period have been found, including various ceramic artefacts and lithic materials of the Danila culture, as well as much material from the Bronze and Iron Ages.

The entry to the canyons of Mala and Velika Paklenica (Small and Large Paklenica) are truly a phenomenon due to their geological and hydrological particularities, the abundant karst, and the wealth of flora and fauna.

The creeks Mala and Velika Paklenica give great value to the entire region, enriching it, and in the spring and autumn, the sheer power of the creeks erodes the limestone walls of the canyons, thus deepening them further every year.
Both the Velika Paklenica Canyon, 14 km long, and Mala Paklenica Canyon, 12 km long, are deeply cut into the massive south face of the Velebit mountains.

Throughout the entire Paklenica National Park, 212 species of birds have been recorded. This accounts for 52% of all the recorded bird species in the Republic of Croatia. The most interesting bird fauna are found in the Velika and Mala Paklenica Canyons, the petrophilous bird communities of some 20 species, in particular the colony of Griffon vultures.
Within its visitor’s program, the park administration has paid particular attention to guided bird watching tours, led by a qualified ornithologist. The basic size of the group is between 5 and 10 persons, and both half-day and full-day bird watching tours are available.

Paklenica National Park is the most visited Croatian climbing center, well known throughout the country as well as outside its borders, and both in terms of organization and quality, and is included among the top European climbing areas. This climbing center is particularly charming due to its proximity to the seacoast, and as such, the Paklenica Riviera is an ideal place to combine climbing and water sports.