A beginner’s guide to Gorski Kotar

There’s a good reason why Gorski Kotar is nicknamed the ‘green lungs of Croatia’: more than 80% of it is forested. Beginning only a few miles inland from the south-westerly Kvarner Riviera near Rijeka, this sprawling, untouched region is also a realm of mountains, canyons, rivers and lakes — and one where, according to the latest census, there are just 15 inhabitants per square kilometre.

Factor in the scarcity of tourists, too, and you’re guaranteed that most precious of holiday commodities: an authentic experience. Gorski Kotar has plenty to delight active and slow travellers alike, from mountain climbing, hiking, cycling and kayaking to gentler-paced bear-watching, birdwatching or fishing.

Foodies may wish to investigate its hearty, forest-based cuisine, while culture lovers gravitate towards castles and an ancient monastery. A final reason to visit, especially in summer, is to escape the Adriatic Sea’s heat – even if merely day-tripping.

The western half of Gorski Kotar is anchored upon rugged Risnjak National Park, named after the tallest of its snow-capped mountains. Dense forests are the norm here, supporting Europe’s three biggest carnivores in lynx, wolves and brown bears – with two remote log cabins available for overnight stays and offering a good chance of watching the latter, especially in winter.

Trekkers can ascend to Risnjak’s 1,528m summit, with some scrambling required, while another well-marked path from the same starting point in Crni Lug offers a much gentler three-mile forest loop. Also inside the national park is the Kupa River’s large spring: a brilliantly turquoise pool found on a steep downhill path near Razloge.

South of here are three winsome reservoirs with plunging, verdant flanks and the potential for canoeing and windsurfing (Lake Bajer) and fishing (Lake Lepenica and Lake Lokve). Arguably even more photogenic, however, is the Devil’s Passage.

Slightly northeast of red-roofed Delnice, Gorski Kotar’s main town, this lovely canyon connects Zeleni Vir, a wispy waterfall, with the deep, water-filled cave of Muževa Hižica where locals once hid from invading Ottomans. Enframed by sheer rock faces up to 100m high, this stunning, shady ravine is almost a kilometre long and yet barely a couple of metres wide in places; steps and planked walkways take walkers up it.

Skrad, a nearby town, is on the old Lujzijana Cesta (Louisiana Road), an early 1800s trade route between Karlovac and Rijeka built while the area was under Napoleonic rule. Mostly forming today’s D3 state route, it makes for a splendid drive past timber-accented villages and magnificent vistas.

As well as some old 19th-century milestones, look out for older manor-house-style castles built for the powerful Frankopan and Zrinski noble families, such as Severin na Kupi’s 16th-century construction with its pointy cylindrical turrets. Turn off before Severin na Kupi and head for Gomirje to find Europe’s westernmost Serbian Orthodox monastery. Once another Frankopan castle, the lemon-hued Gomirje Monastery was first established in 1600. Nearby is another fairytale canyon, the Kamačnik, with its wooden bridges
and cascades.

South of here, on Gorski Kotar’s easternmost margins, sprawls the far-flung Bijele i Samarske Stijene nature reserve, named for a collection of perpendicular, bone-white rocks which rise from ravines with permanent snow in their depths. It’s a great hiking area – as is the rather gentler Golubinjak Forest Park, back towards Delnice.

Here, along with oak sculptures by a local art colony, walking trails lead to the Queen of the Forest, a giant silver fir tree estimated to be 250 years old.

The gastronomy here is distinct in Croatia. Lamb, beef and pork proliferate, often in stews with pickled cabbage and beans, alongside mushrooms and forest berries. Be sure to sample the region’s bitoraj (blueberry strudel). Accommodation-wise, choose between good hotels in towns like Delnice and the area’s mass of more rural rental homes. Warm hospitality is a given throughout.

Winter, as snow covers Gorski Kotar’s mountains, is best for bear-spotting. Spring and autumn provide peak hiking conditions, with the latter also seeing the forests’ many beech and oak trees turn thrilling shades of red and gold as mushrooms appear. Spring, in comparison, promises wild flowers and rushing waterfalls. Summer’s the time when you might hear wolves howling, and it’s a great bet for gentle rambles or refreshing lake swims.