A great crested grebe chick is able to dive and swim at birth, but it’s always nice to hitch a ride instead. The great crested grebe is one of over 260 different species of birds found in the wetlands of Kopacki Rit, eastern Croatia..

Kopacki Rit , one of the Croatian Nature Parks, situated in northeast Croatia in a corner formed by Drava and Danube rivers, has become the first visitor center for cyclotourists in Croatia.

Three years ago, the cooperation between Kopacki Rit and the Croatian office of the German Technical Cooperation Company initiated a project for development of the Danube cyclotourist route. The project consists of three phases, and its second phase has recently been completed.

The first phase of development of Danube cyclotourism included setting up of tourist signage, info desks, and general promotion of the Danube route by means of various maps, brochures and promotional materials.

A roofed parking lot has recently been set up within the parking lot of the Kopacki Rit Reception Center, and the premises of the center contain a new computer with internet access available to all cyclotourists.

Kopacki Rit has also become an internet center, and its purpose as a visitor center is to provide bikers and cyclotourists with basic information and information on additional offerings including interesting events, restaurants, inns, bike service facilities and everything provided by the tourist offer of the Baranja region. The computer will offer the possibilities of downloading photos from the trip, sending e-mail, writing blogs, seeking additional information, etc.

As the Danube route is the first international route in Croatia with a large number of cyclotourists passing through over the year, the third phase will include eco-counters – counters for bikers passing through, which will be set up at the very entrance to Kopacki Rit. A counter for pedestrians and motor vehicles will also be added.

Kopacki Rit Nature Park: www.kopacki-rit.com

Osijek-Baranja County Tourist Board: www.tzosbarzup.hr

The reconstruction, widening and adaptation of the old structure in the fortalice near the Osijek zoo was launched three years ago with Unikom, the municipal utility company, and the City of Osijek, appearing as investors, and the new ZOO-hotel was opened in late November 2007.

Over ten million kuna has been invested into the project to date, and as much remains to be spent. In selecting and installing the material, equipping and outfitting the interior, the Unikom management was led by the aim that the hotel receive a four-star rating.

With the aim of expanding and upgrading the existing hotel offer, as future projects, the investors have announced they will build an indoor swimming pool and a wellness facility. Also in the works is the expansion of the building with a further six storeys that should increase the number of rooms from the current nineteen to forty or fifty.

The spring will see the launch of work on another parking lot with 220 parking spaces, and 2008 should also see the development of the left bank of the Drava River where there is a plan to build a golf course, a dog hotel in the frame of hunting tourism, two tennis courts and one artificial turf 5-a-side soccer pitch.

Along with the hunting offer, Osijek intend to expand the sports & recreation offer to fishing and to purchase a boat on which children would be educated on environmental preservation.

A village courtyard is to be developed, a veterinary service needed for the zoo and an education area for the youngest visitors of the zoo, for whom a small train would be set up in which to tour the zoo.

More info : http://www.zoo-hotel.com/ 

In the ranking of tourist values in Croatia, along with many other qualities, the beauty and level of preservation of the natural environment holds a convincing first place along with an ecological awareness that is reflected in the relationship with nature, the organic production of food, and doing business with companies that have harmonised with environment protection standards.

There are eight national parks in Croatia and ten nature reserves: Plitvice Lakes National Park (NP), Risnjak NP, Brijuni NP, Mljet NP, Sjeverni Velebit NP, Krka NP, Kornati NP and Paklenica NP.

The nature reserves are: Kopacki rit Nature Reserve (NR), Papuk , Ucka, Vransko jezero , Telašcica , Lonjsko polje , Velebit , Medvednica , Žumberak – Samobor Highlands , Biokovo and the Lastovo and its surrounding Islands .

These are areas of exceptional beauty that are attractive as tourist destinations but also for all those that wish to study the flora and fauna of the area and natural processes.

Even outside of these protected areas there are many destinations that attract visitors with their preserved natural environment and their hiking and cycling trails, the opportunities for organised water sports such as rafting or canoeing and exceptionally beautiful and clean rivers and other natural sites.

One of the strong points of Croatian tourism is a tourist industry with an offer that is eco-friendly.

There are some 340 eco-producers currently registered in Croatia, many of which sell their products to hotel companies and in doing so offer tourists food of recognisable, full and, in other places somewhat already forgotten, flavours.

Some of them are involved in the exclusively ecological production of fruit, vegetables, cheeses and many other products, and some offer the option of an overnight stay on the estate along with the manufacture.

Fresh food designated as organic -production that is regulated by law in Croatia – is increasingly present on the Croatian market, and there are a growing number of producers that have opted to produce health food, the quality of which is attested to by the appropriate certificate.

Vegetables, fruits and grains are grown on eco-estates using entirely organic methods and are served fresh to guests or are processed into winter preserves, also manufactured following ecologically friendly methods. Fruits and vegetables picked just before they are served – frequently and by the guests themselves – is an experience that is particularly fondly remembered by visitors and that guarantees them that they are being served truly fresh and healthy food.

Eco-estates are frequently workshops of sorts and guests can join their hosts in harvests, the preparation of foods and even their preparation as winter preserves.

With the growing demand for natural, organically grown production, many Croatian hotels have opted to follow the trend and are more and more often putting eco products on their menus.

The trend is present in the entire tourism industry and in particular in many small family-operated hotels whose offer is based on the local values of the region they are located in. Organic production is a part and parcel of their culinary and overall offer and features many locally produced products.

For more info visit Croatian National Tourist Board www.croatia.hr  – the official tourist site of Croatia.

The intention is to make further investments to existing four wine roads that run along the four Slavonija and Baranja’s winegrowing hills – the area around Ðakovo, Našice, Erdut and the Baranja area that stretches to the north of the city of Osijek.

According to the announced plans, for all four wine roads designated starting points will be vcreated from which visitors could head out in the wines discovery:

• For the Baranja region the starting point will be the Palace of Prince Eugene of Savoy in Bilje where a small hunting museum is to be set up, continuing with visit to the Kopacki rit Nature Park and a trip on the existing wine road near the settlements of Suza and Zmajevac.
• The well-known Shrine in Aljmaš will be the starting point for a tour of the Erdut winegrowing hills, stopping over at the various private cellars and finishing at the IPK Erdut vineyards.
• The cathedral in Ðakovo will be the starting point for visitors heading out on a tour of the Ðakovo area wine roads, and whose route will finish at the Lipizzaner stud farm .
• The Bizovac Thermal Spa in Donji Miholjec will be the staring point for a tour of the vineyards of the Našice area.

All of the new planned tours will also include visits to variety of cultural monuments, sightseeing in the surrounding settlements, visits to local museums and galleries as well as walks to Baranja vantage points.

Links : Slavonia Travel Forum + Slavonija & Baranja Travel Blog

According to Croatian media, the fire that broke out in the Kopacki Rit – Croatia Nature Park, has been put under control.

Since last Thursday afternoon, when the fire initially broke out, it spread to a large area of The Park as efforts to put fire under control were made difficult because that particular area of Kopacki Rit is still mined. The helicopter and a fire-fighting plane took off on Friday afternoon from Zagreb to help with outrage. 

The fire destroyed around 550 hectares of grassland and foliage in the park. The material damage and cause of fire will be assessed later, however there are indications the fire was started deliberately. There were no human casualties in the fire.