National Park Paklenica
Published: May 23rd, 2014
Author: Mate I
National Park Paklenica stretches its area on the littoral slope of South Velebit directly above the village of Marasovici, up to the zone of the highest mountain peaks of Velebit – Vaganski vrh, Babin vrh and Sveto brdo.
Highest peak in Paklenica is Sveto brdo with a height of 1753 m. The park is divided divided into two separate parts, canyons Velika and Mala Paklenica who are main attractions. Mala and Velika Paklenica are two impressive canyons vertically notched into the mountain from the south seaside to the north Velebit’s highest peaks.
In this small area of the national park, there are several unusual carst forms, caves, and varied flora and fauna. There are various species of large mammals in the park. too. Two thirds of the park are densely forested and abound in the number of vegetative plant species, including endemic ones, due to a great number of springs and streams.
Paklenica National Park has more than 90 caves and pits, secreting species and unique geological formations. Throughout the park, one can see game species such as roe deer , red deer , chamois and wild boar. Large predator species include the brown bear, the wolf, lynx and and bobcats – though there are not many visitors who can confirm that they have seen them before.
Attractions in Paklenica National Park
Hiking is the only and the best way to really get to know this National Park. The area of Paklenica contains 150–200 km of trails and paths, from those intended for tourists, leading from Velika Paklenica Canyon to Manita peć cave, Lugarnica forest cottage and the mountain hut, to those intended for mountaineers, leading to the highest peaks of Velebit. All trails in the Park are marked with boards and mountaineering signs.
Paklenica National Park is the most visited climbing spot in Croatia, and the one of the largest in Southeast Europe. The proximity of the sea gives this climbing site a special charm, making this park as an ideal place to combine climbing and water sports vacation. In the present, there are over 380 well equipped and improved routes of different levels of difficulty and lengths within Paklenica’s climbing sites, so each person can find to their liking. The main season begins in May and goes on until September.
Thanks to the vicinity of Zadar City ( around 40 km) with its train station and ferry port, and Airport Zemunik (28 km), a small town of Starigrad, where the entrance to Paklenica National Park can be found, it is easy to reach.