The source of the Kupa
The river emerges directly from the ground in a blue pool.
Perun — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Michal Klajban — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Michal Klajban — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Michal Klajban — CC BY-SA 4.0
A mountain national park in the Gorski Kotar region between Zagreb and Rijeka, declared in 1953 and covering some sixty-three square kilometres. Its position is what makes it ecologically interesting: it stands where three climates meet — the Mediterranean from the south, the Alpine from the north and the continental steppe from the east. The result is a plant diversity unusual for an area of this size: beech and Alpine fir forest, with Mediterranean vegetation on the southern slopes. Its name comes from ris, the Croatian for lynx. The Balkan lynx lives in the region, along with brown bear and wolf — the park is among the few places in Europe where all three large predators are present together. Seeing them is unlikely, but their presence is real. It also holds the source of the Kupa river, where the river emerges directly from the ground in a blue pool. The trails are numbered, the best known being the climb to the summit of Veliki Risnjak.
The river emerges directly from the ground in a blue pool.
Ris is Croatian for lynx, and it is genuinely present in the region.
The park's best-known route, several hours there and back.
Gorski Kotar, between Zagreb and Rijeka
A forested mountain region in western Croatia between the capital and the coast, sometimes called Green Croatia to distinguish it from the stony coastline. It is densely wooded, sparsely populated and relatively cool even in summer. The Zagreb-Rijeka motorway crosses it, so most people heading for the coast pass through without stopping — which is why it is quiet.
Unlikely, and that is normal. Brown bears in Croatia avoid people and are active at night, and the park is large and forested. Anyone who genuinely wants to see bears will find sanctuaries for orphaned bears in the region that can be visited by arrangement — a more ethical and reliable approach than tracking them in the wild. Never attempt to attract them with food.
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