This park is named after the highest mountain on the Istrian peninsula with scenic vistas and a unique nature due to its location between the Adriatic sea and the mainland. Several walking trails are marked and on appointment guided walking trails are offered, there are 8 mountain bike routes and various possibilities for mountain climbing and paragliding.

Učka Nature Park encompasses the Mountain Učka and a part of the Ćićarija mountain range. It is located along the northern Adriatic coast at the point where the peninsula Istria meets the continental part of Croatia.

Due to its relief and proximity to the sea, the area is characterised by a particular climate and lush forest vegetation. Also important are its rich meadows and other anthropogenic habitats that are home to numerous endemic, threatened and protected plant and animal species.

Educational and hiking trails

Educational trail “Plas” is only 2km in length at 1.300 m above sea level and starts only 300 meters below the peak of Vojak. The trail runs through a thick forest of typical littoral beech trees. It has several resting places  and panoramic viewpoints over the hills of Istria and the Cicarija mountain range.

The Trebišća-Perun history and mythology trail on the eastern slopes of Mount Učka, above the wonderful beach of Mošćenička Draga, runs along a deep, mysterious gorge, whose shade hides a story older than thousand years. It has long been supposed that these slopes of Mount Učka had very special significance for the first Slavic settlers to reach the Kvarner area. Today we know that this area was chosen as the site for their most sacred beliefs, the stage for ancient mythical events on which the cycle of life and natural changes, crucial to human existence, were based. The trail leads you through pristine nature and preserved hamlets in the canyon of Potoška vala up to the peak of Perun (880 meters above sea level). In addition to the mythic dimension of this area, you will also learn more about this area’s extraordinarily beautiful natural landscape and the history of the hard yet quaint way in which people used to live here. The Trebišća-Perun history and mythology trail is an all-day hiking trip. Before starting, we recommend you assess your physical condition and make sure to wear appropriate shoes and clothes and take enough water and food. The only reliable source of drinking water is in the hamlet of Trebišća. The trail is about 15 km takes 7 hours and has an elevation range of 10-880m.

The Slap “waterfall'” hiking trail, is a very short trail of just 800m, runs through the Lovranska draga area, one of the most beautiful and most impressive torrential valleys on the eastern slopes of Mount Učka. The trail leads to a waterfall in a stream that runs through the canyon and flows into the sea at Medveja. The trail continues to the rest area next to this attractive waterfall, past some sweet chestnut plantations, an oak and horn-beam forest, and over old terraces that were once used for agriculture.

The Vela draga educational trail is just 2 km in length and is without question one of the most attractive sites within Učka Nature Park in the canyon of Vela draga. This natural phenomenon, which the forces of nature – earthquakes, wind, sun and water – first began shaping as early as the Tertiary period (140 million years ago), has been protected since 1963 as a natural reserve, and since 1998 as a geomorphological nature monument. Above the canyon is a panoramic viewpoint where you can rest and admire the magnificent view of the limestone towers. The more demanding part of the trail descends from this vantage point to the feet of the stone towers and the bottom of the canyon. Apart from geological phenomena, this trail also informs visitors about alpinism and free climbing – sports that have been pursued in Vela draga since 1931, when the legendary Alpinist Emilio Comici first climbed the Large Tower in the canyon. Over time, Vela draga became a famous climbing area where many Croatian and European Alpinists and free-climbers gained valuable experience.

Address
Ucka nature park public institution
Liganj 42, 51415 Lovran

Contact
telephone +285 51 293 753
e-mail  park.prirode.ucka@inet.hr
website www.pp-ucka.hr and www.parkovihrvatske.hr