Scientists have proven how stay in nature has a positive impact on the physical and mental health of a person. Forest tourism has a large number of devotees, because an increasing number of residents of urban areas are looking for peace and quiet to take a break from the fast pace of everyday life. Someone will be happy to spend their vacation relaxing on the terrace of a holiday home in untouched nature, while others will enjoy walking along landscaped walkways or educational trails. Those who are more active will still look for something else.
The Rural Development Program of the Republic of Croatia made it possible to grant EU grants to projects that enable the availability of recreational, tourist and health functions of forests for public purposes. The funds were intended for the construction of educational trails, small recreational facilities, shelters, viewpoints, for the installation of information boards and the like.
In this way, forest tourism is additionally enriched, a nature lovers they received numerous contents that they will be able to enjoy for many years. We will introduce you to some of them.
Educational trail "Truffle Road" in the interior of Istria
Vrh is a small place in the interior of Istria, known as Istrian viewpoint. From an altitude of almost 400 meters on a clear day, you can see the Alps on the border of Italy, Austria and Slovenia. There are many smaller towns and Lake Butoniga in the surrounding area. It's not far Motovun which dominates the landscape like a crown on a hill. A larger place nearby is Buzet, a small town recognized as the only Croatian town of truffles.
Near the village of Vrh, in a location known for its truffle habitats, there is a 500-meter-long educational path "The Truffle Path". You guessed it, the funds for the project came from the EU, and in the process great credit goes to LAG Northern Istria.
The trail aims to increase awareness of the importance of preserving this valuable mushroom, preserving its habitat and developing an additional tourist product. In the end, truffles are associated with the rich eno-gastronomic offer of this region.
On the path itself, there are signposts, benches and educational panels with information about flora and fauna, the biological value of truffles, the characteristics of the habitat and the way to catch the valuable mushroom. Characteristic dogs for hunting truffles and the process of "truffle hunting" were presented. And precisely hunting has been developing in recent years as a tourist product and a kind of brand of this region.
If you want to enjoy nature and feed your eyes with beautiful views, be sure to take a walk through this area! Along the way you will learn useful and interesting information and return home richer for a wonderful new experience.
Educational trails and hiking trails along the Kamačnik Canyon
For many, the Kamačnik Canyon is one of the most beautiful pearls of Gorski Kotar. It is also a place where, believe it or not, you will be able to cool off even in the hottest weather! Due to its gentle ascent, the promenade in the Kamačnik canyon is an ideal picnic spot for families, individuals of all ages and all lovers of preserved natural heritage.
///Gorski Kotar is an irresistible natural oasis for a good mood
Kamačnik is visited by many lovers of forest tourism and preserved natural beauty, recreationists, mountaineers. In a word, all those who want to escape from the hot asphalt or a busy lifestyle. In order to provide visitors with additional interesting facilities, footpaths are being arranged and refined next to the watercourse itself.
The public institution Priroda and the City of Vrbovsko applied for a tender and established a tourist-educational trail along the Kamačnik stream with a total length of about 1.600 meters. The project created a pleasant and somewhat fairy-tale environment for walkers. The themed trail is enhanced with educational panels, rest areas and a space intended for play with wicker tunnels, and it builds on the existing themed and pedestrian trails.
Through four educational units, visitors can learn interesting facts about the flora and fauna of the canyon itself and the Kamačnik stream, as well as the phenomenon of the karst spring. The watercourse of Kamačnik is over three kilometers long, decorated with numerous cascades, rapids and smaller waterfalls. At several locations along the trail, panels have been placed describing the natural features of Kamačnik. There are also benches for resting and enjoying the landscape and the sounds of nature. Directly next to the stream in the meadow, didactic elements for the game were placed.
Prior to this project, the musical and didactic Pan's trail presented to visitors was completed. Several instruments are placed on it: a gong, a bell with notes, a xylophone, a horn and a stream organ. So if you haven't already had the chance to hit the gong at the wonderful Kamačnik, it's definitely time to do it!
Risnjak National Park offers numerous walking trails
Risnjak National Park is a favorite destination for lovers of active vacations with more than 100 kilometers of marked hiking trails. This park is home to large animals such as bears, wolves and lynxes, which are really rare, but if you were born under a lucky star, it is possible for you to experience it too.
///Risnjak hides three European beasts and as many as 1148 subspecies of flora
It was declared a national park back in 1953. Risnjak National Park abounds in deep depressions, karst slopes and beautiful untouched forest because nature is its own master here. It got its name from its most famous, but also very endangered resident - the lynx. Fortunately, a few years ago, active efforts were made to increase the number of this endangered species.
By the way, Risnjak covers an area of over 6.000 hectares in the area of Gorski kotar. It includes the Risnjak massif, Snowman and a hydrogeomorphological monument of nature - the source of the Kupa River with its upper course. The Kupa spring is an extremely attractive area and a still unsolved puzzle because it is one of the deepest springs on Croatian soil.
The highest point of the park, the peak of Veliki Risnjak, rises to 1.528 meters above sea level, and the lowest is located at 290 meters above sea level in the Kupa Valley. The mountain massifs Risnjak and Snježnik offer a beautiful view of the Kvarner Bay, Istria and the Julian Alps in neighboring Slovenia. These two massifs represent a natural bridge between the Alps and the Dinaric Mountains and are therefore considered a significant ecological corridor for plants and animals.
Close to the sea, close to the forests and greenery of Gorski kotar Risnjak is ideal for this relaxation and exploring the rich flora and fauna or simply enjoyment in the greenery and the singing of birds or along the Kupa valley in observation butterfly games
Educational trails in Risnjak
Risnjak is a real forest kingdom, and it was precisely the dense forest communities that secured its ticket to enter the society of national parks. Now all lovers of forest tourism can also enjoy the educational trails there. Namely, JU NP Risnjak, which manages the park, applied for a competition from the Rural Development Program for the project Educational Trail in the Risnjak massif. The locations of the project are hiking trails from the administrative building in Bijela Vodica (Crni Lug) to the top of Risnjak and the trail from the entrance to Vilja also to the top of Risnjak.
By investing in the arrangement of trails, installing information and educational boards, installing signposts and investing in rest areas and canopies, a higher level of education and the spread of knowledge about forests, sustainable forest management and environmental protection was achieved. The trail improvement project was designed by Ivan Juretić, a mountaineer and naturalist. It was he who introduced the special appearance of the benches along the paths, which are intended to be installed in the future.
Without fear of meeting large carnivores, if you find yourself nearby, we recommend a walk through the spacious meadow Lazac, but also the Leska Educational Trail, which is considered the first such trail open in protected areas. Risnjak is a very accessible area for visitors, all attractions can be reached easily and without special preparations or equipment.
Are you already planning to leave?
Restored Ivanec pyramid with a view all the way to the Alps
In the middle of 2018, a newly renovated pyramid was opened on Ivančica, the highest mountain in northwestern Croatia. Ivančica is a beautiful destination for pleasant walks from the gentle south sides of Budinščina, Zlatar and Lobor. The northern slope that descends into the valley of the river Bednja has a distinct mountainous character, it is steep and poorly branched.
The renovation of the Ivanec and national symbol of mountaineering, which is more than 90 years old, was also carried out thanks to a grant from the Rural Development Program. Beneficiary of the grant is the Croatian Mountaineering Society Ivančica Ivanec. The implementation took place on the peak of the Ivančica mountain, at 1.061 meters above sea level, in the area of the ecological network. The importance of the project is manifested above all in the preservation of the cultural heritage of the Ivanec region, which is inextricably linked with the greatest and most beautiful natural potential - the Ivančica mountain.
///Croatia will soon get its 13th nature park - find out where it is
The mentioned cultural and natural heritage creates a unique tourist potential, which is recognized as such by the local self-government unit. This is confirmed by the capital city project for the construction of the Mountaineering Museum, the only one of its kind in the country. The implementation of the project in question completes the century-old mountaineering story of Ivanec. The forerunner of the pyramid that is the subject of restoration in the project was built back in 1893 and was wooden, and the pyramid that was restored in its metal form dates from 1929.
The project was also supported by the Croatian Mountaineering Association, whose representatives attended the grand opening of the newly renovated pyramid on the occasion of the 120th anniversary of the HPD Ivančica Ivanec. The local cultural and artistic society magnified the opening ceremony of the pyramid by dancing and singing on a 10-meter-high building, from which the view extends all the way to the Kamnik and Julian Alps. The lookout is unparalleled in terms of view due to its central position in Zagorje, and you can see for yourself. Boots, backpack and way under your feet!
Why register in the Register of Forest Owners?
According to the Law on Forests, a forest owner is defined as a legal or physical person, the owner and/or owner of the forest, who manages the area. Register of forest owners is a system that contains various information about forest owners, which are used in the implementation of forestry policy measures, but also for keeping statistics.
Most owners and owners of forest areas are not familiar with advantages of enrollment in the Register so it is not out of place to mention them. The advantages are: the possibility of using grants, the possibility of using funds from the Fund for General Useful Functions of Forests (OKFŠ), legality on the market and the possibility of providing services in tourism in the forest area.
Forest tourism - provision of services in the forest by forest owners
Travelers today are more and more interested in various special forms of tourist offer, they like to try new things and they will always be attracted by an original offer, something they haven't had the chance to try yet. Special experiences are what hosts should offer more often. Those who are more active will seek excitement in classic or adventure sports, and experienced hunters and anglers will seek services and places specific to this type of vacation and recreation. However, we are referring here to forest tourism, that is, to those who simply like to enjoy nature and learn something.
