Velebit Nature Park

Velebit Nature Park is the largest nature park in Croatia, covering almost the entire Velebit mountain range except for the two national park sections within it, Northern Velebit and Paklenica. Protected since 1981, it is the backbone of Croatian mountaineering, a long, wild karst wall that separates the coast from the interior.

The park’s most famous feature is the Premužić trail, a stone hiking path built in the 1930s that runs along the ridge for more than fifty kilometres, engineered with gentle gradients and no steep scrambling, so that it is still one of the great day walks in the country. From the trail the view swings between the sea and the islands on one side and the green interior of Lika on the other.

Velebit is a serious mountain, home to bears, wolves and lynx, and the weather on the ridge changes fast. The Premužić trail is the accessible way in, but the wilder parts demand proper preparation.

For photographers, the ridge views of sea and stone are the prize, best in clear morning light. Carry water, a layer and a map or GPS, and check the forecast before committing to the ridge, cloud closes in quickly up here.

Every spot here is mapped and verified. Share this guide if it helped plan your trip.