National Parks - Paklenica

by Natasa Lujic
(Dubrovnik)

The Paklenica karst river canyon is a national park in Croatia. It is located at 44°22′N 15°26′E / 44.367°N 15.433°E / 44.367; 15.433 in Starigrad, northern Dalmatia, at the southern slopes of Velebit mountain, not far from Zadar.

It has two canyons: Mala (Small) and Velika (Big) Paklenica. Today there is no water flowing throughout Mala Paklenica. Near the entrance into the Velika Paklenica there is an artificial basement/cave complex that had been built for Josip Broz Tito during the tension between Yugoslavia and the USSR in the late 1940s and early 1950s.

Hiking is the only way to really get to know Paklenica. The Park area 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.

The trails in the Park are marked with boards and mountaineering signs. Paklenica National Park is the most visited climbing site in Croatia, and the largest in Southeast Europe. The close proximity of seawater gives this climbing site a special charm, making Paklenica Riviera an ideal place to combine climbing and water sports.

Today, there are over 360 equipped and improved routes of various difficulty levels and lengths within Paklenica’s climbing sites, so each climber can find to their liking. The main climbing season begins in spring and goes on until late autumn.