If you want to escape the city bustle and immerse yourself in nature while avoiding the crowds typical of popular excursion destinations, Lika hides the perfect place for you. Well-connected by road to both the mainland and the coast, the town of Perušić and the municipality of the same name are about two hours from Zagreb, and a little over an hour‘s drive from Zadar.
Whether you are a fan of active vacations or want to go on a family trip, one of the first places worth visiting is the Grabovača Cave Park, which captivates with its beautiful landscape and hides a true underground treasure of 29 explored speleological objects, of which only the fascinating Samograd Cave is open to visitors. The park offers plenty of amenities, including those for the youngest, so near the souvenir shop at the main entrance there is a well-equipped children‘s playground and a Little Botanical Garden with a hobbit house and a book of plant species growing in the park area, while kids will also find the stone Pan‘s Labyrinth interesting.
Be sure to climb up to the nearby lookout house Forest Organ, which offers a view of Perušić, and along the way, study the information boards placed next to the various plants growing there. The fact that the park does not lack educational content is evidenced by five educational trails of different lengths where you can find plenty of information about the area‘s flora, fauna, geological and speleological features, as well as the history of the coexistence of man and nature here.
You will best get acquainted with the past on the trail “Man and Karst” which is 3.5 km long and leads to a viewpoint offering an unforgettable view of the Lika River and the surrounding hills and mountains. A kilometer longer, but still easy, the Blue Trail leads to a picnic area on the Lika River where there is another entrance to the park. There, visitors can relax on deckchairs, go canoeing, rent a grill, or, with prior notice, embark on a paintball adventure. In addition to educational trails, the park also has two hiking trails – the more demanding Five Peaks Trail, 30 km long, and the shorter and easier Matina Trail, 10 km long. Entry to the park is free for children under seven, and a complete price list and all necessary information can be found at pp-grabovaca.hr.
A bit further from the picnic area is the artificial lake Kruščica, which can be toured on the Lika Adventure raft (@lika_adventure), which is a special experience, and it‘s also worth heading to the impressive Kosinj Bridge, near which is the site of the oldest printing house in this part of Europe.
The rich history of this region is also witnessed by Perušić itself, above which rises a recognizable tower, the remains of a castle from the 11th century built by the Frankopan princes, while on the neighboring hill is the Church of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, whose original version was probably built in the 13th century.
Perušić is a pleasant little town where you can also find accommodation in one of the family apartments, holiday homes, or at the Albatros guesthouse-restaurant, which also offers excellent Lika lamb, while the other Lika gastronomic icon, plum brandy (šljivovica), is best tasted at the Stilanova Lika distillery. For a perfectly planned stay, visit the page tz-perusic.hr where you will find plenty of useful and interesting information as well as contacts for potential hosts.
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