8 Days - Croatia Multi-active Mix - Adventure

Short Itinerary:
Day 1 – Arrival in Zagreb or Rijeka; taking up lodging near Plitvice Lakes National Park
Day 2 – Walking/Hiking in Plitvice Lakes National Park
Day 3 – Kayaking the Upper Mreznica Canyon
Day 4 – City Excursion to Zadar and transfer to Northern Dalmatia
Day 5 – „Winnetou Tour“ along Zrmanja river by bike
Day 6 – Sea Kayaking on the island of Rab
Day 7 – Hiking around the canyons, caves and mountains of Paklenica National Park
Day 8 – Goodbyes & transfer to Zadar Airport

Croatia is a small country with enormous diversity and natural riches. On this trip you will experience its three climate zones – continental, mountain and mediterranean. We choose the most amazing and most popular locations of the interior of Croatia and Northern Dalmatia for you and combine this with a mix of diverse and fun activities, adjusted to your experience level.
Besides the active part of the holiday, you will have time to relax in idyllic hotels and taste the best of Croatia‘s delicious traditional cuisine, as we generally arrive back from our day trips around 4pm. Got your attention? Let‘s experience the perfect mix of Croatia‘s natural beauty together!

Day 1 – Arrival in Zagreb or Rijeka; taking up lodging near Plitvice Lakes National Park
Your guide meets you at the Zagreb or Rijeka Airport in the afternoon. (Details of arrival times and pick-up places will be arranged during the booking process. Pick-up at Pula or Zadar Airport available upon request.) After a short introduction, you will be transferred to a small 3-star hotel near Plitvice Lakes, where you can settle into your room, meet the other members of the group and discuss the plans for the week with your guide. Relax, enjoy your welcome dinner, go for a walk and go for a walk around the stunning landscape of the Lika region.

Day 2 – Walking/Hiking in Plitvice Lakes National Park
The UNESCO World Heritage Site and most popular National Park of Croatia is waiting for you: Plitvice Lakes. The karst stone landscape has allowed this paradise of 16 lakes, uncountable waterfalls and little caves to be created. As we walk along wooden pathways, you will marvel at all those cascades around you. Your guide will choose a fitting route for your group, which may include some hiking up the mountain, as well as a boat tour across the biggest lake. A mixed day of walking, picture taking, lunch at a park restaurant, hiking and just tumbling around in amazement. Back at the hotel, relax and prepare for more.

Day 3 – Kayaking the Upper Mreznica Canyon
After breakfast, and taking a lunch package with us, we drive to our base camp at the amazing Mreznica River, where you will receive safety gear (and neoprene suits, if necessary) and change. Safety talk and off we go. This tour, a combination of kayaking and canyoning, will take 4-6 hours all together. Riding down waterfalls – even if you have never done it, believe us, it‘s fantastic and your guide will keep you safe! If the falls get too high, we can jump from the cliffs, go on natural water slides or walk around them, it all depends on the situation and your comfort level. This is a trip full of adrenaline and you will see a lot of Mreznica‘s beauties. On our way back to Plitvice, we may decide to visit the amazing village of Rastoke, also combed by creeks and waterfalls.

Day 4 – City Excursion to Zadar and transfer to Northern Dalmatia
If you choose the short version of this trip, „4 Day Plitvice & Kayaking Adventure“, then after breakfast we can transfer you to Zadar Airport or the city for further travel. The rest of the group will explore this ancient Roman city, have lunch at a good restaurant and take in the mediterranean harbour feeling before driving on to our idyllic hotel right close to the ocean beach. Enjoy the rest of the day swimming, trying some of the offered activities at the hotel, relaxing and tasting Dalmatian food specialties. You have arrived at the famous, clear-watered Adriatic sea of Croatia!

Day 5 – „Winnetou Tour“ along Zrmanja river by bike
On this day we will embark on a discovery tour of the Zrmanja canyon, where some of the best known scenes of the Winnetou movies from the 1960s were shot. Even if you have not seen or read the story of Old Shatterhand and his first-nation chief friend, the beauty of the turquoise river band way down in the rocky canyon will capture your heart. We choose small and easy roads for cycling with only short climbs, such as will work well for everybody. Soon we will arrive in a little village at the banks of the Zrmanja, with a beautiful swimming area right below some stunning cascade falls. After cooling down in the river, we will also have lunch at a local restaurant. These are hard-to-find places seldom seen by the crowds of tourists coming to Croatia. For cycling enthusiasts we can arrange to take the high route back to the hotel for more exercise. Otherwise, back at the hotel we will take our minivan to a small memorial museum of the Winnetou movie production, with more beaches for swimming in the sea nearby.

Day 6 – Sea Kayaking on the island of Rab
Now that we are at the sea, we simply must visit an island! Rab is not the closest available, but offers far better beaches, bays and views than its southern neighbour Pag. After breakfast, we will drive up the beautiful coastal highway, take a short ferry to the island and get to our launching spot near the city of Rab. Safety talk and instructions and off we are with our sit-in single or double kayaks. You will feel like you are one with the sea, that‘s how close you are to the water! Easy paddling around the island‘s inlets and points will get us to secluded and picturesque bays, such as you always see in the pictures. We will take time for exploring, lunch stop at a restaurant, more exploring, swimming and relaxing on the beach. Tired from amazement and sunshine, we head back to our hotel.

Day 7 – Hiking around the canyons, caves and mountains of Paklenica National Park
Our last full day together leads us into another canyon of the Winnetou movies – the Velika Paklenica. After one hour of easy uphill hiking along the gorgeous river, we arrive at the Manita Cave, where we will take in the beauties of underground formations and even fauna (52 different species of invertebrates have been identified here)! We will also enjoy the cooler cave air as a break from the Croatian summer. After this stop, we hike on, up a moderate climb to the mountain hut „Dom Paklenica“, our lunch spot. From there we can decide for the easy route back or a further climb up to one of the many mountains in the park. Back at the hotel we will enjoy the last evening together, share pictures and impressions and think back over the many exciting moments of the week.

Day 8 – Goodbyes & transfer to Zadar Airport
Time to say ‚Goodbye‘! Depending on your further travel plans, your guide will transfer you to the Zadar Airport or some other place in the area.

Description	Distance
Adriatic coast - City of Zadar	25 km
Capital of Croatia - Zagreb	120 km
Capital of Slovenia - Ljubljana	103 km
Dalmatian capital - Split	140