SUPREME MOTIVES
Velebit Karst: The Queen and Princess Rivers
When the summer sun scorches grey stones of Dalmatian inland, a random traveller frequently thinks if at least there was some refreshing water in the area.
Not even the view from Dalmatina (popular name for Zagreb-Split motorway) curving among the slopes of Velebit reveals all the charms hidden in the canyons squeezed amidst karst plains since they are thriving with life. A life that the Zrmanja river brings into the bosom of the porous limestone and its sprightly tributary - the Krupa with Krnjez. Where Velebit turns into Bukovica, on the northern unmarked boundaries of Dalmatia, challenging destinations are hiding, still away from mass tourism where one can search for an ideal refuge in the summer, far from packed town promenades and beaches overcrowded with deck chairs.
Late Spring Adventures in the Zrmanja and Krupa
Whatever season you choose to visit the area between Obrovac and Knin, late spring when rivers and their springs flood after the snow melts from the mentioned mythical mountain and when underground rivers rush towards the Adriatic Sea, or the middle of too hot summer or even autumn, the scenes to be seen will be the best prize for your fatigue. Freshness, green oases at the heart of karst and, unfortunately, rare flocks of sheep and tribes of goats will surely make you come back.
The lifeblood of Bukovica is whimsical Zrmanja, a river with six canyons which in summer, escapes underground ten kilometres after its spring in the southeast part of Lika in order to give a part of its water to the Krka, returning to its bed in this time of year only twenty kilometres towards west, before opening Žegarsko field from where it snakes through an impressive canyon towards Obrovac and its mouth in the Novigradsko sea. This particular "gate" among rocky shores are the most challenging part of the entire area and rafting fans from all over the world flock here to go down tiny waterfalls, around tufa barriers, those river necklaces, and then go downstream to Muškovci.
This is an area belonging to municipality of Ervenik and the town of Obrovac, between Šibensko-kninska and Zadarska county, one of the least inhabited in Croatia. But the people who still haven't said goodbye to the karst of Bukovica cherish the tradition of cattle breeding, milk production, even mills, for instance the Mill of Ušljebrka in Žegarsko field, built at the end of 19th century. It's worth stopping at the Žegar village of Nadvoda where the Zrmanja is arched with a beautiful, renewed stone bridge, regarded a true monument of building culture.
Hidden Gems of the Velebit Karst
However, the real pearl of karst is hidden even deeper in the bosom of Velebit. It's the Krupa river, only seven kilometres long before its mouth at the Zrmanja, and a part of its story is the Krnjeza,too, a clear creek drawn into the canyon by every metre of its short flow. These zones still haven't been included into mass tourism maps nor can be reached by vast roads what makes them even more enjoyable for the inhabitants of the greater Zadar area, and thus are more frequently visited by guests from Šibenik, Split and foreign tourists.
The Krupa has 19 supreme waterfalls, the most famous one being Deveterac, named after nine tufa cascades, ending with a 13-metre high waterfall. After a playful springing part, where water is partly used for commercial purposes, the river shortly calms down at the small field called Manastirska luka, named after the nearby
Christian orthodox monastery, a place with rich culture. It's an ideal place for hikers since it provides deep shade and vast space to enjoy nature or even barbecue in provided areas.
Only a kilometre and a half downstream there is a unique monument to a love story - Kude bridge. The legend says a young man from Veselinović family, nicknamed Kude, built a bridge with 12 arches made of tufa at the end of 18th and the beginning of 19th century in order to reach his sweetheart on the left shore of the Krupa. This protected cultural monument can be reached by paths leading from the monastery itself or by going down a path from the village of Ravni Golubić where one can take a break at the local inn, knock on the door of local farmers to buy some excellent goat cheese or simply admire the view of Velebit cliffs.
We believe these are reasons enough to visit this part of Dalmatia which at first seems distant from the main roads, but in reality is so close to nature lovers' hearts offering sights to make you relax, far away from the red-hot city asphalt.
| 1. The Zrmanja River/ Aleksandar Gospić | 2. The Zrmanja Canyon/ Ivo Biočina | 3. The Krupa River/ Zoran Jelača
Cetina River: Adrenaline Oasis
We asked experts to recommend an itinerary for an extended weekend in Cetinska krajina, an area rich in cultural and historical offer, natural beauty, adventurous sports and gastronomy. Given the offer, it didn't take them long to respond.
It is best to start with Nutjak fortress, which was built by Žarko Dražojević, the prince of Poljica, whose grave is in the cathedral of St. Duje, and whose epitaph was written by Marko Marulić (a famous Croatian writer from the 15thcentury)
Then we go to the church of St. Peter in Gardun, from where there is a view of the entire Trilj region, the river Cetina and a large part of Sinjsko polje. On Gardun-Tiluri we will see the remains of the soldiers' dormitory of the 7th Roman Legion from the 1st century.
In the Trilj Regional Museum we will see the findings of archeological excavations of Tiluria, and then we will go to the tower on Čačvnina, a medieval guardian of roads leading from Dalmatia to Bosnia and vice versa. From Čačvina we descend to Grab and a beautiful, pearl spring of the river with the same name. A few hundred meters downstream are 600-year-old mills, where grain is still ground today.
Otok Boat Tradition on the Cetina River
Two more beautiful springs should be visited, those of the Ruda river and the Ovrlje river, located along the Path to Our Lady of Sinj, which leads from Rama to Sinj. On the banks of the Cetina we will see the Otok boats. The art of building Otok boats is enlisted in the Register of protected Croatian cultural goods. Going upstream we reach the
Kosinac spring, which has supplied Sinj with drinking water since 1912. Another few hundred meters upstream there is the bridge on Han, the oldest in the region, and the unique mill on Mostina.
The tour of Sinj starts at the hippodrome and a visit to the Alkar Stables. From the sports airport we will go on a panoramic flight over the Cetina region. The old town of Sinj is an open-air museum. In Vrlička Street is the house of the most successful Alkar, Nikola Cerinić, who won 12 Alka races. There is also the twothousand-year-old stela of the boy Gaius Laberius with a ball in his hand, which testifies to the Cetina region as the cradle of football.
In the main square there is the church of Our Lady of Sinj, with the doors which depict migration from Rama to Sinj in 1687., the work of a sculptor Stipe Sikirica.