Nature parks are protected natural areas. These areas are due to its significance and extraordinary beauty protected by law.

On Croatian territory, there are 11 nature parks where they allowed a variety of human activities, provided that these activities do not violate the harmony, beauty and importance of these natural wonders.

Nature Parks on Croatian Territory are:

Nature Park Biokovo, Nature Park Kopački rit, Nature Park Lastovsko otočje, Nature Park Lonjsko polje, Nature Park Medvednica, Nature Park Papuk, Nature Park Telašćica, Nature Park Učka, Nature Park Velebit, Nature Park Vransko jezero, Nature Park Žumberak, Samoborsko gorje

Among 11 nature parks oldest one is Nature Park Kopacki Rit, which was declared as a nature park in 1967. On the other hand, in 2006. Lastovo Islands were declared as a nature park and this makes them the youngest nature park on the Croatian territory.

Forests are not just beautiful gift of the Earth, they are conservationists and lungs of the Earth, which play an important role in preserving and maintaining the quality of the environment.

Forests and forest lands in Croatia spread to less than 2.7 million hectares, thus covering about 47% of the land area of the state. Due to the fact that the forests are covering a considerable area, Croatia belongs to the top of European countries by forests coverage.

The majority of Croatian forests are deciduous forests, about 80%, conifers make up about 13%, while the smallest parts are mixed forests, about 7% of all forests. Natural forests make about 95% of Croatian forests and forest lands and aside from the natural beauty they offer a wide range of interesting and entertaining content, such as hiking, nature school, organizing hunting, skiing and other forms of fun in the snow.

Have Fun and Relax

People visit forests to enjoy in walks, camping, picnics and in things that provide fun, relieves stress and offer a real experience of the forest. If you are interested in such activity, in Croatia you will find forests with unspoiled parts of nature, such as rivers, caves and beautiful valleys where you can enjoy the company of friends or family.

Recreation

If you are looking for recreation and prefer to walk or to ride a bike, you certainly won’t miss trails for that. With any of the marked trails, you will always find those wild, a little more extreme trails. Some of the most ideal places for this type of recreation are Medvednica, Risnjak, oak forests in Turopolje area, many trails in Istria and Kvarner, but also those on the islands, such as trails on the islands like Brac and Rab. It should be noted that nature parks abounds with such trails and besides the useful recreation will offer a pleasant time in the beautiful countryside.

Hunting and Schools

From other forest activities we should mention hunting, hiking schools and nature schools.

Croatia is an attractive destination for hiking and it is not surprising that across the country, with expert supervision and adequate equipment you can learn everything you need to know about hiking. Besides hiking schools there are nature schools that will teach you all about the orientation in forests and the recognition of forest plant and animal species.

Croatia has a rich hunting tradition and due to its geographical location and natural features has attractive grounds across the country. From deer and wild boar hunting in Slavonia and central Croatia, over hunting in Lika and Gorski Kotar, to chamois and mouflon hunting in Dalmatia, you will find a variety of wildlife and the different ways of hunting and hunting traditions. Modern organized hunting in Croatia started in 1881 and to this day is considered as one of the ways for obtaining food, but also as a form of entertainment.