NATIONAL PARKS OF CROATIA TOUR
Visit and explore ALL the Croatian national parks in 9 days.
Croatian national parks you will visit: Plitvice lakes, Risnjak, Northern Velebit, Brijuni islands, Paklenica, Kornati islands, Krka river, Mljet island
National Parks of Croatia Tour
Croatian national parks multi-day tour covers ALL the national parks. The tour can be totally customized to your wishes (regarding the number of days) and also it can start from any city in Croatia (Zagreb, Dubrovnik, Split…)
HIGHLIGHTS:
fully private tour
flexibile departure
Plitvice lakes National park
Risnjak national park
Bijuni islands national park
Krka river national park
Northern Velebit national park
Paklenica national park
Kornati islands national park tour
Mljet island national park
Croatia national parks private tour includes
- Free Pick-up and drop off at your accommodation
- Private Air conditioned transportation by car or minivan
- Private English speaking licensed tour guide
- Wi-Fi during the tour
- Itinerary as stated above
- Easy cancellation
- Every day departure
- Duration – flexible
Optional:
- Accommodation
- Meals
- Local food tastings
- Entrance fees
- Local guides
- Gratuities
Croatia national parks tour itinerary
Day 1 – Zagreb
Arrival in Zagreb, airport pick up, accommodation in Zagreb hotel. Walking tour of the Croatian capital. Overnight Zagreb. Even though pure natural pearls are the highlights of this tour, we would definitely make it possible for you to get to know the cities in Croatia. Zagreb, the Croatian capital is a mixture of central Europe and the Mediterranean.
Day 2 – Plitvice Lakes national park
Breakfast in your hotel.
Drive to Plitvice NP with a stop at rRsoke millers village called ”Little Plitvice”. Excellent preview before the park. Georges waterfalls done by river Slunjčica will show you in a small scale what to expect at the national park.
Plitvice Lakes national park is a protected area from the mid 19th century. The significance to protect the unique natural habitat was obvious. In 1949 it was proclaimed as a national park with strict prohibitions regarding the park management. Plitvice are a geological phenomena, 16 turquoise and green lakes that are connected with beautiful waterfalls. There are many different tracks inside the park and we will choose the best one for you to see the park in all it’s glory.
Overnight Plitvice Lakes
Day 3 – Risnjak national park
Breakfast in your hotel.
Risnjak national park is one of the less visited croatian national parks which is rather unfair because the richness of the flora and fauna is stunning. But, on the other hand, it gives you the perfect oportunity to enjoy the untouched nature without hastelling with the crowds. It was declared as a national park in 1953 and covers over 6000 hacers. Maybe it’s not that popular with the tourists, but it is a gem for the scientists that visit the park all the time.
Overnight Istria.
Day 4 – Brijuni national park
Breakfast at your hotel.
Brijuni national park.
The beautiful Istria is just breathtaking. After a scenic drive around the peninsula this day will be dedicated to Brijuni national park which is famous in many ways, not just by it’s stunning preserved nature. The islands are world famous because on the island Tito, the former Yugoslav president, had his summer residence there. It is also a vacation destination for the actual Croatian president and politicians. The exploration of the island is done by a train that will take you all over the island. In 1983 it was declared a national park.
Overnight Istria.
Day 5 – Northern Velebit national park
Breakfast at your hotel.
Northern Velebit NP
Nortern velebit national park is the youngest national park in Croatia and it’s natural beuties and the biodiversity can not be described. A hike throught the park, the landscape and the views will just take your breath away. It trully is a tribute to Velebit, the biggest mountain in Croatia and it shows it at it’s best.
Overnight Zadar
Day 6 – Paklenica national park
Breakfast at your hotel.
Paklenica NP
Paklenica national park is one of the most popular national parks for the European hiking comunity. It’s location so close to the sea gives it the perfect climate for the hikers to visit it throught the year. It was formed in 1949 with the surface of 95 square km. You will spend the day in the park according to your wishes and physicall possibilities – you can just walk arround or you can hike.
Overnight Zadar
Day 7 – Kornati national park
Breakfast at your hotel.
Kornati NP
This will be a laid back day because we are taking you on a boat tour to explore the Kornati archipelago national park. The park has 89 islands and the boat ride is just perfect. Most of the park is a marine ecosystem. The most popular destination inside the park are the Kornati cliffs where the islands are facing the open sea. It is also a habitat for rare species of animals.
Overnight Zadar
Day 8 – Krka river national park
Breakfast at your hotel.
Krka river NP
Another water beauty will leave you speechless. The Krka river was named a national park 35 years ago with more than 109 square kilometres. The park has 7 waterfalls and it is known as a magnificent example of the karst phenomena in our region. You can choose if you want to take a boat tour or you would like to visit it by car.
Overnight Dubrovnik
Day 9 – Mljet island NP
Mljet is the last of the national parks on our tour. It is known as the greenest island in Croatia (min you, we have over 1000 islands). The park is located at the northwestern part of island and it is a permanent effort to protect the original, pure, untouched Adriatic ecosystem.
Places you will visit on the Croatian national parks tour
PLITVICE LAKES
This national park is one of the gems of Croatia. It is the biggest, the oldest and the most visited Croatian national park. It was listed on the UNESCO heritage list 1979, 30 years after it was protected as a national park. Consisted of 16 lakes interconnected with beautiful waterfalls. The surface of the park is almost 30 acres. It got the name from the shallow basins of water (plitko = shallow). The biggest lake in the park is lake Kozjak. There is an electric boat that you can take and enjoy the scenery from the water. The park has registered over 1200 plants and 50 of them are from the orchid family.
OUR TIP: Don’t forget to take a break from all the photos you are taking and just enjoy the surrounding.
BRIJUNI ISLANDS
The legend said that the God himself formed these islands, similar to the paradise itself. In 1983. it was declared as a Croatian national park. The surface of the whole park is 3395 acres. It covers the archipelago of 14 islands. Morphological, these islands are a part of Istria. The Veliki Brijun (Big Brijun) is the most beautiful and the most visited of all the islands. The islands were inhabited through the history by the tribe Histri, then the Romans and the Byzantium empire. The part of the island had residential villa from the former Yugoslav president Tito. Later on it was used by all Croatian presidents as the summer residence. An interesting thing is that dinosaur footprints were found on he island dating 130 million years back in history.
OUR TIP: Explore the cultural and natural history of the park
KORNATI ISLANDS
This national park is actually a labyrinth of islands declared a national park in 1980. The surface of the park is 220 km2. Only a quarter are the islands, the rest is the sea. The most famous part of the park are the cliffs on the islands, habitat of many animals and plants. The islands now have no vegetation it back in the history they had very full vegetation before the Ilir tribes made more cultivated surfaces.
OUR TIP: Take a boat tour around the islands and just enjoy the scenery.
KRKA RIVER
Krka river national park is one of Croatia’s most beautiful national parks. It was declared a national park in 1985. The river forms 7 beautiful waterfalls. Interesting fact about this river that the oldest water power plant was built on it. Not that it’s the oldest in Europe, it is the second built in the world history, just after the one on Niagra. Due to it’s position the park has a rich variety of flora and fauna. One of the most beautiful part of the park is Skradinski buk is one of the most attractive parts of the park, one of the most beautiful calcium carbonate waterfalls in Europe – a natural pool with high waterfalls at one end and cascades at the other. It is the lowest waterfall formed by the river. In an area 400 m in length and 100 m in width there are 17 waterfalls.
OUR TIP: If you can visit the park in summer and have a swim in the natural pool.
PAKLENICA
Paklenica is a natural gem of Zadar area with a surface of 96 square kilometres. The biggest attraction are the two gorges: Big and Small Paklenica, tearing into the mountain from the sea. In the past, it was actually a walking track on which the highlander women carried salt from the sea to the inland and wheat from the inland to the seaside. The trails in the park are marked and easy for all visitors. It is great because there are info boards throughout the park. Rich in animal and plant life the animals that stand out are butterflies. Since the landscapes look a lot like the American wild west, many of the European filmmakers shot their European westerns in the park. The central attraction in the park is a rock Anića kuk, a name well known to all the European rock climbers (the best thing is that it’s accessible and you are able to climb it all year round).
RISNJAK
Risnjak national park is named after ris, in English bobcat. It has the surface of 64 square kilometres and it’s location on the crossroads of different regions makes it have a significant variety of animal and plant life on such a small area. The different seasons give the park different look – from the all white in winter to the colorful springtime. The park is well known for it’s viewpoints where you can see the Kvarner bay or all the way to Slovenia and the Alps. River Kupa has it’s spring in the park and people say that it’s one of the most beautiful ones in Croatia. The architecture in the park and the surrounding is also typical for the area – steep wooden roof houses.
MLJET ISLAND
This national park is a part of Mljet island, located in the South Dalmatia. Mljet National Park is a large area that borders two saltwater lakes – Veliko and Malo Jezero (Large and Small Lake). 4 kilometres is the range of both the lakes. Right in the middle of the Large Lake, there is a small island Melita (Sveta Marija) with a large building of the former Benedictine monastery, erected there in the 12th century. Interesting thing about Mljet island is that it’s connected with the Oddisey, the famous travel of the Greek hero. The legend says that Calypso chose the island because it was the only place that matched her beauty. Homer described it as a ”magical island of green forests”. The witness to the legend is a cave named after the hero.
OUR TIP: Find out is the legend true and if it is the most beautiful place in the world.
NORTHERN VELEBIT
The surface of Northern Velebit national park is over 100 square kilometres. The park has attractions like: Hajdučki I Rožanski kukovi, Luka’s pit and a botanical garden. Hajdučki and Rožanski kukovi are a group of rocks as high as up to 200 meters, located in the heart of the park. This part is also a strict nature reserve. Luka’s pit is 1392 meters deep which puts it in the 8th place in the world. Inside the park there is Premužić trail, a trail that can be done by amateurs. Usually in that height and conditions it would be impossible to hike and walk around. From the trail there is a spectacular view on the islands of Kvarner bay.
Croatia National Parks Tour map
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