The boat trip
Into the channels and lakes, the only way to see the place properly.
Misalalic — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Katy bags — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Antimuonium — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Misalalic — CC BY-SA 4.0
One of the largest and most intact **floodplain wetlands** left in Europe, where the **Drava** empties into the **Danube**. It is not a fixed marsh but a **changing system**: when the Danube rises in spring the water floods thousands of hectares and turns forest and meadow into connected shallow lakes, then recedes in summer and the land reappears. That annual cycle is what makes the place so productive. The result is **exceptional biodiversity**: over **290 recorded bird species** — among them the **white-tailed eagle**, which nests here in Croatia''s largest concentration, along with herons, egrets, ibis and black stork. The water holds over forty fish species, and the forests hold deer, wild boar and beaver. The usual visit is **by boat** into the channels and lakes, which is the only way to see the area properly. There are also boardwalks and trails on land. Note: **the best season is spring (April-June)** for birds and floodwater together; by late summer the water can drop and some boat trips stop. Note: **mosquitoes are very heavy** — repellent is essential.
Into the channels and lakes, the only way to see the place properly.
Nesting here in the country''s largest concentration.
Trees standing in water at the height of the spring flood.
Baranja, near Beli Manastir — about 20 km north-east of Osijek
**Baranja** is the corner between the Drava and the Danube north of Osijek, a small region with a character of its own. It is worth a full day for three things taken together. First **Kopački Rit**, with the boat trip in the morning. Second **wine**: the slopes of **Banska Kosa** are the most important wine area in eastern Croatia, mainly white (Graševina) with a local red, and the growers are small family operations that receive visitors for tastings. Third **food**: the Baranja villages are known for traditional cooking and their earth-cut wine cellars (*gatori*). ⚠ **You need a car** — public transport between the villages is very poor. ⚠ The region was occupied until 1998 and peacefully reintegrated; some villages are still smaller than they were.
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