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Croatia has much more to offer than Game of Thrones scenes—it’s a natural wonderland full of ancient landscapes and customs
If you’re looking to explore the great outdoors in Croatia, chances are you’ve heard about its most famous natural landmark: the Plitvice Lakes National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. But there’s more than meets the eye in this ecologically diverse country—from the bounty of the Mediterranean to its distinctive karst environments, some of which are submerged, in caves and canyons, or deep underground. There’s something for everyone.
If it’s islands you’re after, Croatia has a wealth of beautiful little spots like Vis, Korčula, and Biševo. The latter is the noted home of the Blue Cave or Blue Grotto—an incredibly striking sight which was only made accessible to boats in 1884. There’s also the peaceful island of Mljet, where lush forest greenery meets mud and saltwater lakes (slatine). Mljet is also the centre of many ancient fables and myths, and is allegedly where the legendary Odysseus was kept prisoner by Calypso.
Of course, there’s also plenty to do in the mountains, such as Risnjak National Park, where one can glimpse Croatian wilderness at its best. A favourite for hikers is Sjevereni Velebit National Park, or Paklenica National Park, both of which offer a scenic challenge for adventurous travellers. We spoke to Irena Šaran, the manager of Paklenica Mountain Hut, for an inside look at day-to-day life in Croatia’s outdoor culture.
Can you tell us about your role at the Mountain Hut Paklenica?
The mountain hut belongs to the mountaineering club of Paklenica, and the board of directors of the club chose me to manage the hut. My job is really diverse; from fixing broken stuff in the hut, to serve guests that come to hut. Sometimes I have to clean the chimney, sometimes repair power generator. Every day I have to cook and serve guests, clean the house and yard. Also, I have to give information about hiking routes to the hikers. Small things I can do by myself, for bigger things (like exchanging wooden beams in the house) I have to organize a working team. Managing the mountain hut is really interesting job.
What is the history behind the Mountain Hut?
The mountain hut was open in 1963. Before, it was a forester lodge. Its location is in the centre of the national park Paklenica, which makes the hut one of the most important houses on this part of the Velebit mountain. The hut is open through the whole year, 24/7. In the busy season (April-October) there are lots of tourists, and out of season there are lots of hikers.
Is hiking a big part of outdoor culture in Croatia?
Hiking in Croatia is a big, but not the biggest part of outdoor culture. Our mountaineering club Paklenica is 120 years old, and when it was founded its name was Liburnija. In the club there are lots of sections, and caving—the speleology (the study of caves) section—is the oldest in Croatia, 119 years old. Because Croatia has lots of different areas—it's flat at the northeast, mountains in the south at the coast area, and of course sea with thousands of islands and lots of clean rivers—there are so many different outdoor activities you can try: bicycling, sailing, rafting, climbing, caving, sea kayaking, and so on.
Do you have recommendations or favourite places to hike, or enjoy the outdoors?
Paklenica has lots of places with different terrain with different vegetation. Anywhere you go, you will have nice views, nice places to sit and enjoy the environment. There are interesting canyons, stunning views from different peaks, big highlands with huge meadows. Of course, you can see lots of wild animals: chamois, roe deers, wolves, bears, wild boars, snakes, different kind of birds and insects. But, Paklenica isn't the only nice place to visit. In a radius of 200 km, there are four national parks: Krka waterfalls, Plitvice lakes, Kornati (more than a thousand islands), and Paklenica. Also, there are other mountains to hike: Dinara (with the highest peak in Croatia: 1831 m), Biokovo, Mosor, Kamešnica—anywhere you go, you'll enjoy!
Can you share any surprising or unknown facts about Paklenica?
There are lots of them. First of all, people lived here for more than 3000 years, and the route through the canyon of Velika Paklenica—behind the mountain hut, over the Buljma saddle—is one of three Salt Paths on the Velebit mountain.
Salt was the currency in the Bronze Ages and through history, people were transporting it from the salt factory on the island of Pag. Also, there is a specific funeral custom, called mirila (measurement) which is specific only to this mountain, where ancestors didn't bury dead people but measured bodies in specific places [as stone monuments], because they believed that the soul of dead person stayed on that place. When Christianity came, they started burying dead ones. And one more interesting fact: the movies based on Winnetou, the Indian chief, were filmed in the area in 1963.
