Croatia Hiking National Parks and Multisport Adventure Tour

You ready to get Cray-Cray in the Cro-Cro? Welcome to the home of 4 million(ish) generous, nature-loving people who want you to have at least three food helpings. Beyond the mainland there are over 1,200 islands (48 are inhabited) – all with stunning Adriatic Sea views and gorgeous Gothic architecture – bring your own raven. And download the Duolingo app to work up to Croatia’s longest word: prijestolonasljednikovičičinima, which means “little heiress apparent to the throne.”

All that jet lag will kindly slip away the second you peep Zagreb’s Austro-Hungarian architecture. After a quick pits and bits refresher at your hotel, we’ll gather for an afternoon guided walk through Croatia’s capital city. We’ll wrap up our walking tour with a spirited welcome dinner in the old town – živjeli!

Accommodation: 4-Star Hotel within 5-10 minutes walking distance of popular sites, Shared Doubles
Meals: Welcome Dinner

After breakfast, we’ll drive three hours to explore the storybook scenery of the Istrian countryside, Croatia’s culinary darling!

Agenda: booty up on our E-bikes to take in the sights, smells, and tastes up close.

We’ll glide along the famous Parenzana Trail, a former railroad between Trieste and Parenzo (Porec). Now the only toots you’ll hear are caused by your Explorer Chicks’ fiber bars. We’ll cruise the hilltop towns of Grožnjan, Oprtalj, and Motovun, pedaling through farmland and olive groves, buoyed by the aroma of trailside herbs and flowers. That ain’t Aveda, girl. That’s Croatia batting her eyelashes!

A stop in the charming Grožnjan will introduce you to the town of artists and music. Since 1965, artists from all over the world snatched up the houses abandoned by Italians after WWII. As many as twenty galleries and art studios can be found all over the city! It’s perfectly okay to pull a Rose Dawson and ask someone to “paint you like one of their French girls.”

We’ll continue riding the trails through the forest and old train tunnels. Prepare to visit one of Croatia’s best olive oil producers and enjoy a tasting of oil along with a spectacular local lunch. We’ll then head straight to Motovun, one of many spectacular, medieval fortified villages perched high on the Istrian hilltops.

As for your luggage, it’ll be waiting for you that evening in Motovun. Just carry what you’ll need for the day.

E-Biking Distance: 10 miles. Moderate+
Drive Time: 3 hours

Accommodation: 3-star charming B&B atop Motovun with panoramic views from the terrace. Shared Doubles.
Meals: B-L-D

Today is for all the times your farmer’s market ran out of truffles by frikkin’ 6am. We’re diving headfirst into Istria’s truffle-rich forests with a local expert who’ll talk fungi to us, before we set off on a curated truffle hunt (yes, there will be dogs!).

After the hunt, we’ll hop back on our E-bikes and ride a scenic stretch of the Parenzana trail, making our way through lush landscapes. Then it’s time to roll up our sleeves for a casual, hands-on truffle pasta-making lunch, because yes, you are the main character today.

After lunch, we’ll trade our bikes for the van and drive onward to Plitvice.

E-Biking Distance: 16 miles. Moderate.
Drive Time: 3.5 hours

Accommodation: 4-star Hotel near the Entrance of Plitvice. Shared Doubles.
Meals: B-L-D

You know when cartoon characters’ eyeballs fly out of their head because they are in mad love? That’s what’s gonna happen when we enter the world-famous Plitvice Lakes National Park – the oldest and largest National Park in the Republic of Croatia.

The lakes system here, to put it scientifically, is bananas. A shimmering water orgy of 16 named lakes and several smaller unnamed lakes was formed by tufa or travertine. Fancy fact: The Plitvice Lakes were internationally recognized on the UNESCO World Heritage List on October 29, 1979.

Today we’ll beat the crowds, entering the park early to explore the wooden boardwalks just by the lakes and the countless waterfalls. We’ll learn all about the local flora and fauna, as well as the fascinating geography and geology of the region.

Then it’s onward to the coastal town of Starigrad Paklenica where we’ll check in to our hotel on the shores of the Adriatic Sea. Afternoon dip, anyone? We can arrange an optional afternoon hike out to a stunning viewpoint and enjoy the sunset high above the sea.

Hiking: 4-6 hours, 5 miles. Easy.
Drive Time: 1.5 hours

Accommodation: Local Guest House in Starigrad Palenica on the shores of the Adriatic. Shared Doubles.
Meals: B-L-D

After we fill our bellies and hopefully enjoy some AM BMs, we’ll drive in off-road vehicles on the rustic route to Velebit, a fantastic mountain range that follows the coastline of central Croatia. It is wild and pristine, offering bum-puckeringly-beautiful views up to 1,700 meters above the Adriatic Islands.

It’s also home to Paklenica National Park with interesting rocky formations, extensive forests and grassy peaks where we’ll hike, scramble, and climb a Via-Ferrata to summit Bojin Kuk. Challenging your fear of heights, the path snakes up the peak using a built-in cable system that will turn you into an instant badass at your next high school reunion. Fear not, all safety equipment is provided and mountain guides will lead the way. We’ve got you, and you’ve got this!

We leave plenty of time in Zadar where you’ll be free to roam. Be sure to catch what Alfred Hitchcock claimed to be the most beautiful sunset in the world with the otherworldly music from the Sea Organ humming behind you. Enjoy dinner on your own.

Hiking: 6-8 hours, 4.2 miles, 1,640′ Gain. Moderate+
Drive Time: 2 hours

Accommodation: 4 star Hotel in Zadar inside the historical core. Shared Doubles.
Meals: B-L

Put on your *fancy* Lycra as we hop aboard our bougie private boats in Zadar. Next stop: Kornati National Park, a smattering of more than 80 islands that cannot wait for us to flash our ta-tas. We’ll swim, snorkel, gorge ourselves on seafood and scramble up a peak for a bird’s eye view of the islands.

Today is a super chill day to vibe with the labyrinth of islands and untouched nature. Underwater you’ll see schools of fish, impressive coral, and stunning undersea landscapes.

We’ll wrap up the day with a coffee (or cocktail) before transferring to the gorgeous renaissance city of Split. Enjoy an evening stroll and dinner on your own.

Activities: Boat ride, short hike, swimming, snorkeling. Easy.
Drive Time: 1 Hour

Accommodation: 4 star Hotel in Split minutes walking from Diocletian’s Palace. Shared Doubles.
Meals: B-L

Our last full day in Croatia packs in some truly special city and sea exploration. We’ll explore the quieter side of Split more slowly today, enjoying some truly stunning kayaking, more swimming, and wolfing down lunch on a secluded beach accessed only by sea. Oh, and all the cliff jumping!

We’ll return late afternoon to Split leaving you plenty of time to swoop up all the last minute souvenirs, get lost in the maze of the palace, or to simply enjoy a glass of wine on the promenade. In the evening, we reconvene for our farewell dinner. WE’RE NOT CRYING, YOU’RE CRYING.

Sea Kayaking: 6 hours, 7.5 miles. Easy+

Accommodation: 4-star Hotel in Split minutes walking from Diocletian’s Palace. Shared Doubles.
Meals: B-L-D

After an easy morning and final breakfast, you’ll board a transfer to Split airport. Wanting to travel onward? Please reach out. We would love to help!

Meals: B

*Explorer Chick reserves the option to modify trip itineraries at the discretion of your tour director as necessary due to weather, conditions, illness, injury, group dynamics, or other unforeseen incidents.