Croatia

Participants meet at Pierre-Elliott-Trudeau airport in Montreal. Registration assistance and check-in followed by your flight to Zagreb (with connection).

Meal served on overnight flight

Arrival at Zagreb airport. Meet your local guide and transfer to your hotel in Zagreb. Free time to explore Zagreb, once a crossroads of trade routes between the continent and the sea, and a gateway from Central Europe to the Balkans. Overnight in a 3* hotel in Zagreb.

Dinner included

After breakfast, departure for Risnjak National Park, a sea of green forests and karst mountains. This park is home to extraordinary wildlife and vegetation, with over 1000 plant species and subspecies.

To start your first day’s hike, take the Leska educational trail, just under 5 km long, for an initial warm-up.

For more experienced hikers, you also have the option of doing the Veliki Risjnak summit. This hike starts at an altitude of 695m and follows the “Horvatova staza” path leading first through forest, then into a rocky mountain range to the summit culminating at 1528 m, offering fine views of the Velebit massif, the Gulf of Kvarner, the Slovenian mountains and the rest of the Gorski Kotar massif, which separates the Croatian Mediterranean context from the Pannonian plains. Drive to Lovran for your overnight in a 3* hotel.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner included

Distance: 5 km / Elevation: + 130m, – 130m / Approx. walking time: 1.5 hrs

Veliki Risnjak Summit option:
Distance: 16 km / Elevation: + 835m, – 835m / Approx. walking time: 6 hrs

Breakfast at the hotel. Drive to the Poklon Pass, 995m above sea level, then hike through the Učka nature park to the summit of Vojak mountain (1396m), offering magnificent views over the Gulf of Kvarner and Istria as far as Slovenia, then to the village of Mala Učka, famous for its cheesemakers, and back to Poklon Pass along the forest paths on the southern slopes of Učka mountain. Overnight in a 3* hotel in Lovran.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner included

Distance: 12 km / Elevation: + 400m, – 400m / Approx. walking time: 4 hrs

Transfer to the Zavizan mountain hut in the heart of the Northern Velebit National Park. Begin the walk from this hut to Alan hut for a hike of about 6 hours at 1500m above sea level, offering a breathtaking view of the islands and the Adriatic Sea. Overnight stay in Otočac in a 3* hotel.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner included

Distance: 15 km / Elevation: + 150m, – 150m / Approx. walking time: 6 hrs

After breakfast, transfer to Krka National Park. We begin our walk “off the beaten path” in the quiet area around the Cikola River. Here, on the border of the National Park with no tourists around, we enjoy the beautiful surrounding meadows, river and villages. In the afternoon, we enter the heart of the National Park, to discover the magnificent Krka River Falls. Overnight in Otočac.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner included

Distance: 8 km / Elevation: + 150m, – 150m / Approx. walking time: 3 hrs

After breakfast, drive to Starigrad, the entrance to Paklenica National Park. In the Zadar region, Paklenica National Park consists of two impressive gorges, Velika and Mala Paklenica, which criss-cross the slopes of the Velebit mountain range. Paklenica National Park also boasts original karst formations, remarkable caves and a wide variety of flora and fauna due to its contrasting climatic conditions. A lovely footpath crosses the wild Velika Paklenica gorge, where locals once traded fish, salt and olive oil from the coast for wool and cheese from the mountains. Overnight in a 3* hotel in Otočac.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner included

Distance: 10 km / Elevation: + 340m, – 340m / Approx. walking time: 4 hrs

For our last day of hiking, we discover Croatia’s most famous national park, Plitvice National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Our walk takes us through its 16 beautiful lakes cascading into one another.
Transfer to Samobor in the afternoon, where we will celebrate over dinner. This city is located 30 minutes from the Zagreb airport for the next day’s flight. Overnight stay in Samobor in a 3* hotel.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner included

Distance: 10 km / Elevation: + 150m, – 250m / Approx. walking time: 4 hrs

Transfer to Zagreb airport and return to Montreal via a connecting flight in Europe.

Breakfast included