Krka National Park

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National Park Krka : The empire of Krka River, the magnificent karstic beauty traveling two thirds of its way to the sea through canyons, is a complete opposite of Kornati. On its green path, it has seven falls, the last one being Skradinski buk with an average flow of 55 cubic meters of water per second. Krka National Park  is rich in flora and fauna. 222 bird species live there, making it one of the most valuable ornithological areas in Europe. You can visit it by boat, car or on foot. Make sure you visit the etno museum on one of the old mills. National Park Krka also has the only hawk training center in Croatia where you can se presentations of hunting with hawks and hawk trainers’ skills.

Each of the islands within the Šibenik archipelago, arranged across the vast area of the open sea, hides an interesting feature. Zlarin has the most famous coral divers, while Krapanja, a small town on the smallest island in the region of the same name, is known for its sea sponge divers.

The Sibenik region is one of the Mediterranean’s quieter corners where there is still the space and time to make discoveries in a fascinating and varied landscape. The Krka National Park and the town of Sibenik are symbolic of the contrasts that are found in central Dalmatia. There are the rugged limestone mountains of the mainland set against the intricate archipelagos of the Adriatic Sea. And there is the diversity and natural beauty of the various parks and reserves in combination with the rich and well-preserved cultural heritage of the ancient coastal settlements.

It is a landscape that offers much to the interested visitor and which, thankfully, remains free from the concrete development of resorts. Mediterranean summers: Sibenik and the central Dalmatian coast enjoy a pleasant Mediterranean climate with warm, dry summers coupled with cooling sea breezes and the temptations of the Adriatic. Inland, in the national park, the river and the waterfalls counteract the heat. In winter it is mild and wet, but note that much is likely to be closed.

Photos of Krka

Map of Krka National Park

• click for map of Krka National Park with indication of places of interest

Krka National Park Hotels

• Hotel Vrata Krke “Picturesquely situated at the main entrance in Lozovac to the Krka National Park, Hotel Vrata Krke has wooden and stone elements, surrounded by unspoiled nature.” Prices from €57 – Number of rooms: 40 – Check Hotel Vrata Krke, Krka National Park availability
• Vila Marija “Vila Marija is a small family-run guest house in the old town of Skradin, at the entrance to the Krka National Park in central Dalmatia, offering you nice rooms and tasty cuisine.” Prices from €38 – Number of rooms: 8 – Check Vila Marija, Skradin availability
• Pansion Skelin
  Pansion Skelin is located in the village of Drinovci, 3 km from Krka National Park. Surrounded by olive trees and vineyards, the property offers a swimming pool and tennis courts. Rooms here are spacious and have a balcony with garden furniture. Prices from €60.00 – Number of rooms: 21 – Check Pansion Skelin, Drinovci availability

Karst landscapes: Krka National Park shows the Croatian karst at its best. Karst environments are formed by the dissolving action of carbon dioxide and water on carbonate rock, which in Krka’s case is limestone. Over thousands of years, this process has resulted in the formation of a series of distinctive geomorphological features, with the Krka river fighting its way through a long gorge and plunging over rapids. Karst landscapes also feature highly developed subterranean drainage systems, making them ideal territory for those interested in exploring potholes and caves. The area is rich in the Mediterranean and sub-Mediterranean flora and fauna. The surrounding forest is mixed, with hornbeam, cypress, poplar, oak and willow represented, while over 200 bird species are found, including golden eagles, and the river is home to Visovac trout and Adriatic salmon.

The Adriatic is also the Mediterranean at its best. Elsewhere polluted and crowded, in Croatia, the sea is blue and clear and clean. It also provides the rhythm of life on the coast, with time being marked in the small fishing villages with the departure and safe return of the boats.

Krka National Park: Established in 1985, the 142 sq km Krka National Park follows the line of the Krka river, from its source in the foothills of the Dinaric mountains on its short journey through the dramatic karst landscape to its finish in the Adriatic. The river flows through a limestone gorge, dropping over 220m in 50km, with eight sets of rapids. Only two falls – Skradinski Buk and Roski slap – are in the park itself, although the former is the most impressive of all with a 46m drop over seventeen limestone steps.

Sibenik: First named in royal documents in 1066, Sibenik is the country’s oldest native town on the coast. Originally developing around St Michael’s castle, Sibenik grew haphazardly in medieval times, with a dense, interlocking web of houses and streets interspersed with resplendent ecclesiastical architecture. By the mid 17th century the original castle had been supplemented by three additional defensive fortresses, like the town, by then an autonomous region within the Venetian state, sought to defend itself from the encroaching Ottoman Empire.

The town’s most renowned feature is the Cathedral of St James. Designed in the Decorative Gothic style by Juraj Dalmatinac in the mid 15th century, and finished fifty years later by Nikola Firentinac, the building is recognised as a masterpiece of Croatian architecture with its unique skeletal stone construction.

Today, despite the effects of time and war, Sibenik has managed to preserve its character and is now a tourist and cultural centre. For the last forty years, the town has held an annual International Children’s Festival, where groups from around the world perform in the streets.

Visovac and Skradin: After the noise and rush of the falls, visitors are surprised to find the tranquillity of Visovac. This small island is the site of an old Franciscan monastery, established in the 16th century. Now home to a library of books and manuscripts, the monastery is the best place for contemplating the serenity of the park in perfect peace and quiet.

• to get to Visovac, take a ferry boat from either Stinice or Remetic piers (5 minutes boat ride)

At the mouth of the Krka, where the river mixes with the Adriatic to form a brackish estuary, is Skradin. Originally an Illyrian settlement, the Romans developed it into a fortified town and remnants of the aqueduct and other municipal buildings are well preserved as a national monument. (© National Parks Europe)

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