One site that showcases most of the key features of the Gorski Kotar tourist offer is, without a doubt, the Risnjak National Park. The area of the Risnjak massif was declared a national park in 1953.

Thanks to its remarkably diverse climate, geological, petrographical and other factors, the area boasts an equally diverse flora and fauna. Still, the main phenomenon of the Park are its forests. With the return of the lynx to the forests of Risnjak, the three large carnivores (the wolf, the bear and the lynx) have been reunited in one place. The Risnjak massif with its white rocks looms over the greenery of the Gorski Kotar forests. Gorgeous views from an altitude of 1528 metres above sea level, overlooking the Kvarner Bay, Istria and the Julian Alps in neighbouring Slovenia, will leave every visitor speechless.

At the foot of the Veliki Risnjak peak itself sits the J. Schlosser Klekovski Mountain Lodge. The rocky Snježnik peak surrounded by mountain meadows will pleasantly surprise you with its accessible and picturesque landscape. The flora of this mountain area is adapted to the harshest weather, easily withstanding the summer heat, the intense cold and the bora wind.

When visiting the Risnjak National Park, make sure to take a walk down the Leska Educational Trail, one of the first such trails in Croatia. Leska was first opened on 4 June 1993 and it has been renovated twice. The trail is easily accessed from Crni Lug, with its starting point sitting a few minutes on foot west of the Park’s administration building. It was designed and constructed in a way that allows every visitor an unguided visit. A total of 23 information boards, scattered along this short 4.2-kilometre trail, are a great source of knowledge about the natural and cultural heritage of the National Park. You can walk the Leska Educational Trail by yourself or in the company of an expert guide, and it can also be traversed on a bicycle.