National parks of Croatia

Not many countries can boast with natural treasures comparable to those of Croatia. Its primeval beauty can best be seen in its national parks, authentic, unchanged natural areas protected by law.

The beauty of the Brijuni archipelago, nestling along the shore of the Istrian peninsula, can best be captured by the legend of their origin. The legend has it that Brijuni are a salvaged part of the heaven on Earth, secluded and protected from the rest of the world. They consist of 14 islands and islets characterized by mild Mediterranean climate which they owe their lush flora and fauna to.

Just like Brijuni, National park Kornati is an enchanting archipelago situated in the northern Adriatic. The combination of almost desert-like islands and sea teeming with life is a rare natural phenomenon. Apart from the exceptional indentedness of its shore, the archipelago is also characterized by unique ecosystems, vertical cliffs known as "crowns", which have defied the open seas for thousands of years.

National park Krka, named after the river bearing the same name, which is its part, is situated at a point in which the sea cuts deep into the continent. It is characterized by 7 calcareous waterfalls, the largest of which is the seventh calcareous barrier, the impressive Skradinski buk.

National park Mljet takes up one third of the island of the same name. From Crna klada to cape Goli, Mljet consists of well-indented shore, cliffs, rocks and islets and the system of salt-water lakes Veliko and Malo jezero is an exceptional phenomenon on a global scale.

The abundance of the forests is preserved in park Paklenica, recognizable by the canyons of Mala and Velika Paklenica. Nature in its primeval form is plainly seen everywhere from the underground, the deep, secluded caves and elongated caverns, to water sources and permanent streams, to canyons and the highest peaks of the park.

The oldest and most visited Croatian natural park is Plitvica lakes, situated in the mountainous region of Lika. Their beauty and value was also recognized by UNESCO, which included it in the list of cultural and natural heritage of the world. Plitvice are replete with springs, with water forming 16 idyllic larger and smaller lakes interconnected with waterfalls.

Risnjak is the most forested protected area in Croatia, separating coastal and inland part of the country. Abundant with karst formations and their typical vegetation, Risnjak is a valuable wildlife habitat and home to lush beech, fir and spruce forests.