Have you ever wished to set off on an epic journey? No need to look abroad anymore – Croatia now has its very own long distance hiking trail
Croatia has a new tourism product – a new, different, and incredibly attractive product designed to promote adventurous tourism in these parts, reports Hrturizam on April 30, 2018.
We’re talking about the Croatian Long Distance Trail (CLDT), an ambitious route spanning for a staggering 2500 kilometres from the town of Ilok at the easternmost point of Croatia all the way to Dubrovnik in the south, passing through all parts of the country along the way.
The CLDT will take passionate hikers over dozens of mountains and hills, forests, plains, and to top it off, three national parks to amp up the dazzling scenery factor. The concept was thought up by Nikola Horvat and the Association Long Distance Trail Croatia. In 2016, Horvat set off on the famous Pacific Crest Trail, going on to become the first Croat to complete the 4300 kilometres long hiking trail in the west of the US. It was this impressive undertaking that led to the idea for a Croatian version of a long distance trail.
The starting point of the CLDT is located near Ilok on the slopes of Fruška Gora mountain. On Monday, April 30, Horvat and his colleagues Branko Maretić Dečina and Matt Bisenius will set off on a new adventure, a so-called thru hike from Ilok to Dubrovnik. The trail will take them over Slavonia to Međimurje, with Sveti Martin na Muri as the northernmost point. The next leg will pass over Zagreb and through Gorski Kotar, taking the hikers all the way to Savudrija in Istria, the westernmost point of the trail. And then, down south: Rijeka, the Adriatic coast, a detour to inland Dalmatia, then back to the coast via Split and Dubrovnik to the southernmost point of Prevlaka.
The entire journey will be documented by the award-winning videographer Tin Borovčak, with a goal of promoting Croatia’s natural treasures. The resulting footage will also promote the CLDT, our very own thru-hiking trail that will make it possible for any person out there to set off on an epic journey of 2500 kilometres.
“Our goal is to make the CLDT a world-famous adventure destination, one that will have a minimal impact on the environment, but a huge impact on the individuals who will walk the trail, the community it will pass through, and the country whose name it shall proudly carry on and promote in the entire world”, stated the CLDT Association. They added they’re always looking for new members, motivated people willing to join them and help make the CLDT an even better project. “Creating a long distance trail is a tremendous work. Despite the general understanding it requires so much more than just a GPS track, name and luscious brochure. A trail is not a trail unless there are hikers, serious ones who will hike this long distance trail in its entirety thus making it alive and symbolizing the bloodstream of the long distance trail”, cites the CLDT website.
The CLDT is broken down into 15 shorter sections to make planning and organisation easier for hikers. Learn more about the impressive project here and follow the CLDT on Facebook for regular updates and photos.
