Planning a vacation in Lika and not sure what to visit? You’re in the right place. In this guide, we’ll list our excursion ideas to introduce you to the best Lika has to offer.
Keep reading to find out:
Excursion ideas in Lika
Excursion ideas near Lika
To ensure your vacation in Lika is fully planned and to avoid wandering around the destination, we present to you our list of excursion ideas in Lika:
Let’s start with the most famous attraction without which the list wouldn’t be complete, and that is Plitvice Lakes National Park.
Plitvice Lakes National Park is the largest, oldest, and most visited national park in Croatia. It comprises 16 lakes that collect water from rivers and streams, interconnected by cascades and waterfalls.
The colors of the Plitvice Lakes change between blue, green, gray, and turquoise, depending on the time of day and the season. The surroundings also change, with trees ranging from green, yellow, orange, and red, providing a special experience when covered in snow. Moreover, you can see numerous plants and animals, some of which are rare or even endemic. For this reason, Plitvice Lakes are worth visiting in all seasons.
There are two entrances to Plitvice Lakes National Park – Entrance 1 and Entrance 2. To facilitate your visit, you can choose from several tour programs. Additionally, electric boats (on Lake Kozjak) and trains are available for visitor transportation within the park.
For all enthusiasts of active holidays, Plitvice Lakes offer numerous activities:
Rastoke is a settlement within the city of Slunj, shaped by two rivers: Slunjčica and Korana. They are known as the “little Plitvice” because they resemble them in appearance, and their geological composition is identical to the Plitvice Lakes National Park, which is only about 30 kilometers away. Rastoke has a special architectural heritage dating back to the 17th century, and it is believed to have existed even earlier.
There are 5 visitation zones:
Rastoke also offer active holidays, and some of the activities you can try are:
In Rakovica, there are over 150 caves, most of which are still being explored. The only caves open to the public are Barać Caves.
Barać Caves represent a significant landscape that extends through three settlements: Nova Kršlja, Stara Kršlja, and Grabovac Drežnički. The area has significant geomorphological characteristics, landscape values, and is a habitat for specific animal species. The temperature inside the cave is 9 degrees Celsius.
Throughout history to the present day, regular archaeological excavations have been conducted, resulting in numerous discoveries, particularly important being the remains of bones of various animal species: cave bear, cave lion, wolf, fox / Arctic fox, wild cat, rabbit / alpine rabbit, horse, aurochs / bison, rhinoceros, hyena, deer, roe deer, wild boar, as well as micro-mammals, birds, and frogs.
Speleon is an underground heritage center and visitor center dedicated to the underground natural beauty of the Plitvice area. It presents natural and cultural heritage through four themes: speleology, geology, archaeology, and paleontology. It includes fossil remains of animals from the Ice Age found in the Gornja Baračeva Cave.
The entrance to Speleon is in the form of a large glass rock, which mimics the entrance to a cave, while the layout of the rooms is inspired by the relationship between underground cave chambers and avenues.
Ranch Dolina Jelena is a unique open-air zoo run by the Bićanić family. It covers 15 hectares, and besides deer, you can see black Slavonian pigs and horses. Visitors can feed, pet, and take photos with the animals on the beautiful estate.
Old Town Drežnik is a defensive fortress from the 12th century. It is one of the historical attractions of the Plitvice Valleys. It offers numerous cycling, hiking, and horseback riding routes, as well as a beautiful panoramic view of the Korana River and the surrounding area.
Željava Military Airbase is located on the border between Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. It was built in the 1960s during the Cold War under the official name Object Klek 505. It served as a military base for the Yugoslav People’s Army (JNA) until 1992.
This underground airbase consisted of a series of tunnels and underground hangars, which were dug into the mountain to provide safe storage, protection, and maintenance of MIG 21 aircraft. It was one of the largest and most expensive projects of the former Yugoslavia, strictly guarded and off-limits to the public.
Today, it is abandoned but very popular as a tourist attraction.
A day trip to Lika is always a good option, and the destination offers numerous possibilities, so one day is sometimes not enough. If you want to extend your stay and need accommodation, Villa Trn is here for you. Contact us by phone, email, or send a reservation inquiry.
For those who want to explore more, we’ve prepared a list of day trip ideas near Lika:
The Japod Islands are located in the village of Račić near Bihać. Surrounded by greenery and the Una River, they are connected by five wooden bridges, forming five river islets that resemble the “heart of nature” from above. At the Japod Islands, you can relax, try local specialties, watch outdoor movies, encounter numerous domestic animals, and enjoy nature.
Štrbački Buk is the highest (24.5 m) and most significant waterfall in the Una National Park. In addition to its rich flora and fauna and cultural heritage, Štrbački Buk offers numerous activities such as:
Aquatika – the freshwater aquarium in Karlovac, is the only fully freshwater aquarium in Croatia. It is located along the right bank of the Korana River. It is built underground and surrounded by earthen embankments, inspired by the historic core of the city of Karlovac.
The aquarium showcases the flora and fauna of Croatian rivers and lakes, geological history, traditional culture, and the history of the watershed of the four rivers of Karlovac.
