The northern Velebit is an exciting rough mountain area known for its botanical wealth and exceptional views over the Adriatic sea. The area had some cycling trails, but is mostly visited by mountaineers for trekking and hiking there are some 30 trails. There are guided tours for groups up to 50 people that take 5 hours with presentations, a 1,5 hour hike through the botanical garden and a scenic drive, or the 8 hour tour that includes an additional 4 hour hike – see National Park website for more information.

There are six educational trails with information boards along the way.

To make your visit to the Northern Velebit National Park even more interesting, we have installed information boards along some of the existing mountain trails and shepherd paths to inform you about the natural and cultural heritage of the region.
1) ‘Premužićeva staza‘ with 26 information boards about geology, speleology, the living world, and the cultural heritage of the region.
2) ‘Velebit Botanical Garden‘, as part of activities to mark the 40th anniversary of the Velebit Botanical Garden, fifteen information boards have been installed in the Park with information about the local diverse plant life.
3) ‘Circular trail‘, to celebrate the Park’s 10th anniversary, two tracks were opened linking the Park entrance at Babić Siča with the Zavižan mountain hut in a circular trail. A hike along these tracks, including a visit to the weather station, the Zavižan mountain hut, and the Velebit Botanical Garden, is an excellent choice for a day trip.
4) ‘Wildlife path‘, this is the shortest route for reaching Zavižan on foot, the 1,5 hour hike on this trail will teach you many interesting facts about the animals living on Northern Velebit, some of which you may even see or find traces of.
5) ‘In the Footsteps of Man‘, this trail runs along the sea-facing side of Velebit and follows the old shepherd paths. The hike takes about three hours and is interesting in that it gives you a glimpse into the toilsome life of people who inhabited this region through centuries.
6) “The temper of Zavižan weather”, an educational trail dedicated to meteorology, it links the parking lot on Zavižan with the mountain hut and weather station, and leads on to the top of Vučjak peak. The trail has 17 information boards and the hike takes around half an hour.

The Northern Velebit National Park has its headquarters in the village of Krasno, which is also the main point of departure for visiting the Park. Please note that only public access roads to the Park, most paved, are open to traffic, while forest roads inside the Park are not accessible to the public for motor vehicles, and in spring and late autumn some roads may be closed to traffic due to snow drifts.

The Velebit Hiking trail is a 9-day, 100km tracking route through this wonderful mountain area, marked with the well known red-white mountaineer sign, here is the link to the full English description of the trail as mentioned on the website of the Croatian Mountaineering Association (Hrvatski Planinarski Savez, HPS).

How to reach Krasno?

• from the inland take the motorway, exit ‘Otočac’ and from here ascend the paved road to Krasno – about 20 km.
• from the coast you leave the main coast road at ‘Sveti Juraj’, a small town about 10 km south of Senj. A 12 km ascent on a mountain road will take you to the village and mountain pass ‘Oltari’ (1018 m above sea level) and from here a mild descent of about ten kilometres will take you to Krasno.
• If you wish to enter the Park from Oltari, take a right turn at Oltari and follow the signs to the entrance at Babić Siča, a 10 km drive by paved road.
• Babić Siča (1300 m above sea level) is located in the northern part of the Park and is the main entrance for those who wish to visit Zavižan and the Velebit Botanical Garden. From Babić Siča, Zavižan is reached by a 7 km gravel road.
• Babić Siča can be accessed from Krasno via Vukelići, driving 5 km on a gravel road.

Entrance tickets
Entrance tickets to the park can now also be purchased via the official webshop of Croatian parks, there is a reduced price for a family ticket, and for students (and children 7-18y?). The park is open from June – Oktober.

Opening hours
Headquarters Krasno
Monday – Friday 07.00 – 15.00

Address
Headquarters Krasno
Krasno 96, 53274 Krasno

Contact
telephone
Headquarters NP Northern Velebit Krasno +385 53 665 380
Info Centre Krasno +385 53 665 392
Info Centre Senj +385 53 884 552
e-mail npsv@np-sjeverni-velebit.hr
website www.np-sjeverni-velebit.hr and www.parkovihrvatske.hr