December the 14th, 2025 – Zadar County is expansive and far-reaching, with plenty to discover. Hidden away in the Zadar hinterland is a place many refer to as the “Croatian Grand Canyon” – and it’s quite the sight.
As Putni kofer writes, hidden away in the wider Zadar vicinity, there’s a white water trail which traverses typical rugged Dalmatian, sometimes orange and sometimes deep red rocks. It is more or less entirely undiscovered by the wider tourist masses. It is grandiose and constant even in its characteristic instability. Karst rivers write the most beautiful proverbial river novels here, and one prominent “author” is a beautiful Dalmatian river named Bijela (English: White). It writes its chapters, year after year, in the rugged, hostile-looking area of Gornji Karin. For many, it, like the entire canyon of the Bijela River, is an absolute and unexpected wonder of nature in a region that we think we know everything about. Though very many times smaller, this hidden part of the wider Zadar region is often referred to as the Croatian Grand Canyon.
the croatian grand canyon – the home of a seasonal river
Croatia really does surprise people with its sheer level of biodiversity and vastly different landscapes. From rugged mountains diving down into the depths of the crystal clear Adriatic, to endless, flat fertile plains in the east, it is a nation of contrasts. Though small and wildly popular among tourists from all over the planet, there are still quiet, hidden corners that somehow pass under the tourist radar, leaving places like the Bijela River and its striking canyon to those who know it well because they grew up near it, or to random individuals who happen to stumble upon it. Those who do happen upon this hidden natural wonder, however, don’t forget it in a rush. The Bijela River Canyon is one of those landscapes that is hard to put into words, and the fact it is never on anyone’s radar makes it that bit more special.
This unique and hidden pearl of Dalmatia, as it is sometimes described, or more appropriately the Croatian Grand Canyon, the canyon of the Bijela River, can be found in the area of Gornji Karin in Zadar County. It’s right there that the karst Bijela River writes its lines, surrounded by imposing cliffs, left to the mercy of the intolerable summer sun which beats down mercilessly for months.
The Bijela is a seasonal river. This means that during the hottest times of the year, from May to September, it practically disappears or is reduced to just a few stubborn, lifeless pools. In the colder and rainier rest of the year when the groundwater at its source breathes life into it again, the Bijela bursts back to life.
a cave is the source of it all…
The Bijela River itself springs from a cave, about 250 metres long, consisting of several connected chambers, which is located about 300 metres above sea level. This waterway is only about three kilometres long and boasts a multitude of pretty waterfalls and rapids, the highest of which is 15 metres tall. It’s precisely thanks to them that the water forms that white thread that breaks through the rocks, the very phenomenon that gave this river its name – Bijela. The canyon itself is 300 metres deep in some places, while above the Bijela source itself is the 351-metre-high Pržun peak, which offers an excellent view of this entire rather wild-looking area.
The Bijela River does not owe its lack of popularity solely to its inaccessibility. It can be easily reached from the direction of Karin, and at the signpost for the settlement of Karin Slana, continue on the old narrow road that leads to the bridge where, in a nearby meadow, you can also leave your car. At this point, the trail begins that leads to the very rocks of the canyon, famous among climbers, and then to the river and its source, or rather the cave in which it springs. The trail partly runs through grassy clearings, and partly along the very rocks of the cliff, above the precipice.
a protected area
The Bijela River is a protected area together with its neighbour, the Karišnica River. The 600-metre shorter Karišnica also springs from a cave, but that cave is 120 metres long and is located 20 metres above sea level. Like the Bijela, the Karišnica is also adorned with a series of rapids, while its canyon is up to 100 metres deep in certain places. It’s also a victim of harsh summer droughts, and its additional special feature is the remains of old, long-abandoned mills located on it. There are a total of five old stone buildings to which a macadam road leads, among which the Paulića Mill stands out, on top of which is the source of the river itself and the largest waterfall on it. The mill dates back to the 18th century.
The Karišnica and the Bijela form the wider Karišnica and Bijela ecological network, which is home to at least 350 species of plants, as well as a number of animals, among which around 100 different species of birds stand out. All of these plants and animals have found their home in the habitats that can be found in this area – forests, grasslands, olive groves, rocks and cliffs, swamps, and deep underground.
