Discover Croatia - Nature | Croatia Full of Life
Hello everyone, today I am going to show you Croatian Nature. More information you can find on this website: https://croatia.hr/en-GB/trip-ideas/Full-life
Let's begin!
The island of Vis and its surrounding islands of Biševo, Sveti Andrija, Brusnik, Jabuka and Palagruža form a single geographical area with various sites and landscapes, and are the second UNESCO geopark in Croatia, along with Papuk.
The Vis Archipelago holds a very particular geological allure with its rock formations of interesting geological origin. Unlike other Adriatic islands with a sedimentary structure, the Archipelago, especially the area surrounding the Adriatic’s black pyramids Jabuka and Brusnik, as well as the inland of the island of Vis, was formed 220 million years ago from volcanic rocks, which are the oldest of their kind in the Adriatic.
Other geomorphological monuments of nature of the Vis Archipelago include the volcanic islets of Jabuka and Brusnik, the Stiniva Bay and the Green Cave on the island of Ravnik. Jabuka lies only 30 nautical miles from Komiža and is composed of magmatic rock. It is fairly unsafe to sail in these waters because of the magnetite in rocks that interferes with compasses, and the deep sea and the lack of bays make it difficult to moor. Nevertheless, this island is home to an endemic black karst lizard species and numerous endemic plants.
A little closer to Komiža lies the island of Brusnik, also a magmatic formation known for its slightly alien appearance. The beaches of Brusnik are covered with grey pebbles of different sizes, and in the middle of the island there is a ravine filled with seawater that the fishermen of Komiža turned into a pool in which they keep caught lobster. The farthest island of the Archipelago, Palagruža, is especially intriguing as it is the place where a unique mineral - pelagosite - was discovered for the first time.
The largest part of this amazing river’s course is the national park, which in addition to its natural phenomena abounds with cultural and historical monuments. The most outstanding of these is the Franciscan monastery on the tiny island of Visovac, set in the middle of the lake widening in the river like a precious stone. Within the monastery there is a picture gallery and a church, origins of which are traced back to the 14th century. In the middle of the canyon, upstream of the river, is an interesting Krka Orthodox monastery; while on the high ground above the river several old ruins sit. The old mills, which have been transformed into small ethnographic museums where one can see how wheat was ground in the olden days, are a popular attraction for visitors. Heritage interpreters are dressed in traditional folk costumes, which is particularly interesting and entertaining for children, who are frequent visitors of the park. However, the main attraction of Krka National Park lies in its seven waterfalls. The widest of these is Roški slap, although Skradinski buk is the biggest and most well known.
There are 10 localities in Croatia that are part of UNESCO List of World Heritage sites. Plitvice Lakes is Croatia's best known national park and the only Croatian natural jewel that is on the UNESCO List of World Heritage sites. The main attractions of this park, unique in the world, are the 16 small lakes joined by waterfalls created by the sedimentation of travertine, a special type of limestone. This national park encompasses the source of the river Korana, located in the area surrounded by dense forests of beech, fir and spruce. There are also several caves in the park, as well as springs and flowering meadows. The brown bear stands out as one of many protected animal species. The popularity of this park is also boosted by the special means of transport used to ferry visitors around: the panoramic electric trains and the noiseless electro-powered boats.
It is impossible to say whether the park is more beautiful in the spring, when the flowers in its meadows are in full bloom and when the trees have turned green again, or when the riot of autumn colours is reflected in the waters of the lakes, or indeed during the winter calm, when ice petrifies the waterfalls and when the surrounding trees are heavily laden with snow. By a network of paths, visitors can get around and access the numerous waterfalls and the rocky lake shores easily.
The Zlatni Rat (Golden Cape) is unique in the world. Like a tongue it stretches almost half a kilometre perpendicularly out into the sea. The tip of this famous beach is constantly changing under the influence of the waves and the sea’s currents. Measurements have shown that the beach is getting longer every year. The total surface area of the beach is 19,900 m2, whilst the forested part is 8,600 m2. The beach is 2 kilometres away from the centre of the village. The path the beach is paved and you can also reach Zlatni Rat by small boat or the little tourist train.
Stiniva Beach
Due to an inlet of the sea, surrounded by high cliffs that hide the beach, Stiniva on the island of Vis is hardly visible from the open sea. However, access from the sea is ideal for reaching Stiniva beach. There is also a demanding 20 minutes access by foot which literally follows the goat track. Stiniva beach is surrounded by steep cliffs so that half of the beach is always in the shade. Stiniva is a pebble beach for lovers of the beautiful clean sea and of the wild landscape.
More information: https://www.croatia.hr/en-GB