Date(s) Sep, 2024 Oct, 2024
Number of people
After arriving in Zagreb, make your way to the Jägerhorn Hotel, where you’ll spend your first night. Meet your guides, get settled and head out for a walking tour of Zagreb. Take a ride on the funicular to the old city center, then walk along the Strossmayer Promenade to reach the Gradec Plateau. After enjoying the gorgeous views there, you’ll have the evening to yourself—use it to explore the city and try out some local restaurants. If you’d like to see something different, join an evening tour with the “coprnice”—costumed guides who will take you through Zagreb’s mysterious history of medieval witch hunting.
Walking: 2 hours Meals: No meals included Accommodation: Hotel
In the morning, you’ll transfer to Mrežnica for an exciting paddle in the river’s upper course. Dynamic rapids will alternate with calmer sections where you’ll be able to enjoy a refreshing swim. If you’d like to take it easy instead, go for a scenic hike around the rapids. However, if it’s epic memories you’re looking for, try diving off a nearby 26-foot cliff! As you journey on, the lush vegetation and white cliffs will lead you to a serene freshwater source. After a picnic-style lunch, head to the Željava Air Base to see underground tunnels left over from the Cold War and an abandoned Douglas C-47 plane located at the entrance. Afterwards, proceed to the Plitvice Lakes, where you’ll spend the night.
Kayaking: 3 hours Walking: 3 hours Meals: Breakfast and a picnic-style lunch Accommodation: Guesthouse
Start the day with a visit to Mount Plješivica. Your jeep will drop you off at the trailhead for a hike to another abandoned military base, where you’ll be treated to spectacular views of the rugged Lika region on one side and Bosnia and Herzegovina on the other. In the afternoon, explore the Plitvice Lakes, a splendid UNESCO World Heritage site. Blessed with a gorgeous chain of lakes and caves connected by waterfalls, this national park is a unique natural wonder full of amazing photo-ops. This is an easy trek that can be supplemented with a boat ride over Lake Kozjak. Additionally, there are plenty of other interesting sites in the area, such as the source of the Black River. You’ll spend the night in the same guesthouse as the day before.
Walking: 5-6 hours Elevation: +550m / -450m Meals: Breakfast Accommodation: Guesthouse
This will be the most active day of the trip. After a traditional Croatian breakfast, you’ll head to the strict nature reserve of Bijele and Samarske Stijene. Have fun trekking the area’s well-maintained trails punctuated by the occasional scramble. If the group prefers to take it easy, there’s plenty of less strenuous options to choose from. On your way back, stop by the Matić Poljana, the site of the fascinating “26 Frozen Partisans” monument. In the afternoon, get settled in a lovely guesthouse in the Gorski Kotar region, where you’ll spend the next two nights. Your hosts will welcome you with a traditional dinner prepared with delicious local produce.
Walking: 5-6 hours Distance: 4.5-5 miles / 7-8 km, depending on the chosen trail Meals: Breakfast and a picnic-style lunch Accommodation: Guesthouse
Today you’ll explore another wonderful national park. Your local guide and his trusted wolfdog will take you on an authentic adventure in the Croatian wilderness. Keep an eye out for tracks belonging to Risnjak’s rich wildlife: wolves, bears, and even lynx—one of the most elusive carnivores in Europe. Afterwards, your guide will host a short workshop on edible plants and herbs that can be found in the area. Following the lunch break, you can choose to rest your legs or explore the park some more. Weather and time permitting, your guide can organize a short trip to the source of the Kupa River in the evening.
Walking: 5-6 hours Distance: 9.5 miles / 15 km Meals: Breakfast and picnic-style lunch Accommodation: Guesthouse
Head to Istria for a biking journey on the beautiful Parenzana Trail! Winding along a historic railway through the heart of the Istrian peninsula, this biking trail connects all the top attractions in the region. 123 kilometers (76 miles) long, it links 33 towns from Poreč to Trieste. Today you’ll cross around 60 km (37 miles). Follow old tunnels and viaducts to Grožnjan, visit the truffle mecca of Livade, and enter the medieval fortress of Motovun. You’ll meet a family of truffle hunters who will tell you about the history and culture of the region before taking you on a short hike in search of these “fragrant diamonds”. In the evening, explore Rovinj, one of the most picturesque cities in Istria. You’ll spend the next two nights in an apartment on the coast.
Driving: 2 hours Biking: 7 hours Truffle-hunting: 2 hours Meals: Breakfast and lunch Accommodation: Apartment with twin and double beds
Today you’ll visit Pula and its world-renowned Roman amphitheater. After a short tour, head to the Lim Channel, a delightful Adriatic inlet and one of Istria’s most recognizable features. Try out the local oysters and clams prepared by your host, whose delicacies wowed Anthony Bourdain himself. In the afternoon, you’ll go kayaking across the channel with several swim-stops along the way and a visit to a pirate cave. Head back to Rovinj for the night.
Kayaking: 3 hours Distance: 11 miles / 17.5 km Meals: Breakfast Accommodation: Tourist apartments with twin and double beds
Full of vivid impressions and memories, you’ll head to the airport in the morning. Transfers are not included, but your guide can help you with arrangements. Say farewell to Croatia and start planning your next adventure!
What you get in this adventure:
What’s not included:
This tour is for beginner to intermediate hikers and bikers with good fitness and riding abilities. You need to be able to hike for several hours per day, carrying a light daypack. Each day you will hike and bike for between four and six hours. The mountainous karst terrain can be challenging and the weather unforgiving. On occasion, you might have to do some scrambling but there are always easier ways of getting around the difficult parts of the trail! That said, if you are looking for adventure and up to the task, you’ll be rewarded immensely.
Prior to the start of the route, your guide together with each traveler will review the material to ensure that everything necessary is available. Here’s a general list of the equipment you need to bring:
Dress comfortably and for the weather in clothes you can move in. We suggest bringing clothing appropriate for the season. Layers are best and don’t wear jeans.
During your stay in Zagreb, you will stay in the Jagerhorn Hotel*** in the city center. You will share double bedrooms with en suite bathrooms. In Gorski Kotar, you will stay in local guesthouses and sleep in double bedrooms with shared bathrooms. Each house has a local host, a kitchen, and a common area. The guest houses provide mostly queen-sized beds with few twin beds. In Rovinj, you will stay in tourist apartments close to the sea.
All breakfasts during the trip are included and consist of traditional Croatian breakfast foods (bread, cold cuts, coffee/tea, etc.). Lunch is included on days 2, 4, 5, and 6. The gourmet highlight of the trip is lunch on Day 6 when you’ll get a chance to try several dishes with Istrian truffles. The rest of the lunches and dinners are not included. Your guides will give you recommendations for the best local restaurants and bistros for the rest of the meals.
Snacks and beverages are not included. Bring a water bottle and fill it up anytime! In case of special dietary needs, please contact us and we can make arrangements.
Croatia is home to mostly steady weather, but you should be prepared with the right gear nonetheless. It’s pretty mild and sunny this time of year, but the same white cloud shielding you from sunbeams can easily turn into a stormcloud within minutes. Rest assured, your guide will know the correct course of action if the weather throws a curveball!
You will be joining a group that usually consists of 6-12 people. Pricing is per person.
The group gets confirmed at the moment that at least 6 people pay the 30% deposit. At that time, the group will be informed that the trip has been confirmed, and therefore that you can start booking your flights to Croatia.
If you are an individual traveler, you can join the group. The guide will be adding travelers until the minimum group size to confirm the trip can be guaranteed. There are no supplements to individual travelers, as they will share a room. However, if you want to stay solo or if there is an odd pair of travelers, you can have your own room for an additional fee. Contact us prior to booking to make arrangements.
Min. age requirement:
If your group has hikers under the age of 18, contact us prior to booking to make arrangements.
Once you book, either by paying in full or by a deposit, you’ll be connected to our guide, Kristijan. You’ll be able to talk with him about the details of this trip.
The trip date will be confirmed when the minimum group size (6) is reached. If the group minimum size is not reached, the guide can cancel the trip the latest 2 months before the trip departure. Please note that the likelihood of trip not happening is very low.
As stated above, once the trip is confirmed by the guide, and you paid the deposit, the cancellation policy stated below applies. The remaining amount is paid the latest 2 months before the trip.
In the event that the minimum number of people to confirm the trip is not reached, your guide can cancel the departure at most 2 months before the start of the trip. Please note the trips are expected to reach the minimum number of people soon, and the likelihood of trip not happening is very low.
In case you need to cancel the trip, the following cancellation costs would be incurred:
We highly recommended that you cover all your bases with both emergency medical and travel insurance. With medical insurance, if you have an accident or medical emergency on or off the mountain, you’ll avoid paying out of pocket for costly expenses. This covers everything from hospital treatments to emergency air transportation and more.
As we’ve recently seen, travel plans can be abruptly halted, so it’s a good idea to purchase travel insurance that covers canceled flights, natural disasters, and other scenarios that may interrupt your travel plans. For peace of mind, we suggest you consider both options of insurance.
If you need assistance selecting the right insurance for your group, let us know and we will be happy to help!
To get to Zagreb, most people fly into Franjo Tuđman Airport in Zagreb. There are two options of reaching your accommodation in Zagreb from the airport, by public transport or taxi:
Other options include flying into Venice, Italy, or Beograd, Serbia, both 4 hours away from Zagreb. If you opt for a bus ride to Zagreb, there are two easy ways to reach the hotel from the main station, by tram and by taxi.
Once you and your guide agree on the details of your itinerary, your guide will suggest the best place to meet, most likely at the Jagerhorn Hotel.
57hours is committed to providing safe outdoor adventure experiences. We require all guides using our platform to have a COVID-19 safety plan and to make the details of that plan accessible to travelers. In most cases, group sizes will be reduced, guides will avoid overcrowded locations, and other safety measures will be met depending on the location and activity.
We also expect clients to respect local regulations and take measures to protect themselves, their guides, and the communities they’re traveling to. For more information on COVID-19 measures in Croatia, please refer to Croatia’s official COVID-19 travel guidelines.
Please contact us if you have any questions or require further information. We are happy to provide you with the most up-to-date information!
