National Parks
Croatia has seven national parks. The UNESCO World Heritage listed Plitvice Lakes National Park close to the border with Bosnia and Herzegovina consists of a string of 16 beautiful blue-green lakes located in a valley between high forested mountains. Tourism development has been combined with strict environmental preservation policies. There are a number of hotels, motels and campsites in the area.
The Kornati National Park is an archipelago consisting of a group of approximately 140 islands and islets scattered over an area of 300 sq km. Only two of the islands are permanently inhabited, and a number of abandoned stone-walled houses have been transformed by the Croatian Tourist Board into self-catering cottages. The nearest cities are Zadar and Sibenik.
The nearby Krka National Park, an inland area traversed by the river Krka, is noted for its Skradinski waterfall (one of two in the park) and its historical buildings, most notably the Visovac Monastery, which is located in the middle of the widest part on the Krka river. Further south towards Dubrovnik, another sparsely populated island park, the Mljet National Park, includes the Veliko and Malo lakes to form an area noted for its natural beauty and preserved forests.
The Brijuni National Park in the north, near the popular tourist resort of Pula, is separated from the mainland by the 3km (1.8 mile) wide Fazana Channel and consists of 14 islands and islets; a range of tourist facilities are available. Further inland, near Rijeka, the Risnjak National Park is located in the westernmost part of the Dinaric Mountains and rises to 1528m (510ft) above sea level; like the Paklenica National Park on the southern slopes of the Velebit massif, Risnjak is a popular destination for hiking and climbing.
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