Cycling  in Slavonia

Slavonia is a delight for cyclists. The River Drava seemed to meander drunkenly into a forested warren, its flow dissipating into oxbow lakes where carp make unhurried turns, and into sandbars where sand martins squeak in surprise. Lunch was prepared by my bike-friendly hotel: spicy kulen sausage laced with paprika and a loaf of airy masna pogača bread. Even the weather was in my favour.

This is Slavonia – the eastern 20% of Croatia. The region is watered by three mighty rivers: the Drava, Sava and Danube. And while the south has beaches and resorts to shout about, Slavonia timeless appeal is its mix of culture, gastronomy, architecture and agriculture. If you want to pedal through Croatia’s heart – on beautifully maintained flat tracks – there is no better place.

It was here that I found myself following one of the country’s newest cycling routes: the Amazon of Europe trail. This zigzags through a five-nation UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, which Croatia shares with its neighbours. Across 27 stages (nine of them in Slavonia), its north and south routes tempt with kayaking, rafting, climbing and wild swimming. My bike tour climaxed at one of Europe’s largest wetlands, widely touted as the most valuable zoological reserve in Croatia.

My first stage of the Amazon of Europe trail was S9, which sprints along the River Drava. I began at Pitomača, a lost-in-time village framed by spinning windmills and undulating vineyards. It was clear that I wouldn’t go hungry in Slavonia. Orchards of cherries, walnuts and peaches greet cyclists in summer and autumn, and excess fruit is pickled or jammed to eat the following spring.

I paused at Križnica, a medieval town that is home to Restaurant Dravska Iža. This delicious spot sources ingredients directly from the adjoining river: perch, pike and catfish, each one baked into rich sauces or grilled waterside.

Lunch sent me into an early slumber. After a doze under an ancient oak tree, I continued the stage. Kingfishers flitted to my left, darting like iridescent arrows. Otter paw prints adorned the riverbanks. It was an Edenic ride.

Most stages on the Amazon of Europe trail are around 32km long. It’s just enough distance for a slow cycle interspersed with wildlife and sights. I finally arrived, slightly dishevelled, at the Kurija Janković heritage hotel. Fortunately, like every Slavonia hotel, the receptionist had welcomed mud-splattered cyclists before. The establishment has a bike repair station, 15 bikes to rent and links to 12 licensed cycle guides in the region. Slavonia is made for two wheels.

Stage S12 was my favourite. I began the day with a breakfast of štrukli (stuffed pastries) in Belišće. It seemed that everyone in this age-old town was pushing a bicycle, carrying a fishing rod or portering a kayak. My first stop was Valpovo. It’s famous for its summer festivals, craft beer and venison from the local forests. I’m a big fan of all three.

The day’s highlight was my cruise into Osijek, Croatia’s fabulous fourth city. It’s an Austro-Hungarian gem ringed by fortress walls that command the banks of the River Drava. Within sit cafés, museums and a vibrant food scene that redefines Slavonian delicacies – local bean mash, red pepper avjar, čobanac game stew – with a contemporary twist. My bike-friendly hotel, the Maksimilian, was built into the city walls in the 18th century.

At dinner, I met Ivan Smoljanac, one of Croatia’s most passionate cycling guides, who studied in Osijek. (One attraction was his university’s proximity to the Osječko brewery, the first-ever beer produced in Croatia.) Smoljanac told me about his favourite stages in Slavonia’s gently hilly west and flat east.

“But everywhere is great because you are cycling through culture, through cuisine,” he explained. He talked about Tikveš Castle in the wine region just north of Osijek, home to deer trails and waterlily boardwalks. The following day, however, my plan was to just follow the birds.

Kopački Rit is where the Drava meets the mighty River Danube, resulting in a waterworld of ancient lakes. Great white egrets swooped, white-tailed eagles soared and black storks, fresh from their migration from India, splashed down onto the backwaters. In this awe-inspiring Nature Park, I was happy to swap my bike for an electric boat for an hour, content to drift the waters in peace.

European pond turtles

Bike around Slavonia’s wetlands to see European pond turtles sunning themselves in the shallows. These freshwater reptiles are easy to spot thanks to their yellow-speckled shells. In summer, the turtles feast on the region’s hundreds of species of moths, beetles and dragonflies. In winter, when temperatures plummet, they hibernate in the mud.

White-tailed eagles

One of around 300 avian species seen in Kopački Rit, white-tailed eagles hunt on the River Drava. Europe’s largest eagles are cunning opportunists and will bag a pine marten, a pike or even a passing heron given half a chance. Pairs mate for life, building massive nests that they recycle year after year.

Dice snakes

Several types of snakes can be seen in Slavonia’s wetlands. The dice snake, in particular, is at one with the water. Look out for their skinny bottle-green bodies in oxbow lakes and shallow meanders. When threatened, dice snakes dive deep or release a foul stink to deter predators.

Graševina cycling route

The 17km ‘Graševina’ cycling route loops through Slavonia’s wine country. Bikers can begin at Kutjevo, one of Croatia’s wine capitals, where a band of booze-loving monks planted vines eight centuries ago. The same terroir that raises zinging white wines – a plain elevated 400m above sea level, cooled by daily breezes – is perfect for cycling too. Take a break at Kutjevo winery to sample white wines made from the graševina grape.

Papuk

Papuk is a UNESCO-protected geopark. This nature reserve features one of Slavonia’s highest mountains. Down below, find limestone meadows beset with orchids and clover, streams alive with otters and crabs, and a dense fairy-tale forest thrumming with woodpeckers. Visitors can try treks, geocaching, riding, canoeing and via ferrata climbs. The ultimate experience is to download the pp.papuk.hr cycling trail onto your phone, which marks a mountain bike map through the park.

Vallis Aurea

Romans called this abundant area Vallis Aurea, the ‘Golden Valley’. A 101km cycling circuit starts in the Baroque town of Požega, in Slavonia’s hillier west, then rises on asphalt roads and heads deep into the forest. The most telegenic section soars through the vineyards on the southern slopes of Mount Papuk. The final waypoint, Lake Sovsko (‘the Blue Eye of Slavonia’), popular in Croatian legend, is alive with creaking frogs and singing warblers.