The 9 Best Nature & Parks in Karlovac County, Central Croatia

The award winning Foginovo beach and recreational area on the River Korana has facilities for activities such as beach volleyball, table tennis, basketball, an outdoor gym & running track as well as the bathing area with it's 7m diving board, water polo and facilities for younger kids who want to get in on the fun.

A small, albeit picturesque natural lake characterized by untouched nature and its deep green color. The lake is connected with the legend about a girl who was saved from a dragon by St. George, and the print of a horse’s hoof has been preserved in stone beside the lake.

A watermill village situated where the blue-green waters of river Slunjcica flows into the Korana river. Most of the houses were built at the end of the 19th and the beginning o-f the 20th century. Because of its extraordinary natural beauties and historical tradition, in 1962 Rastoke village fell under the protection of the State Directorate for cultural and historical heritage. Many ancient civilizations, as well as contemporary urban environments whitness that the water has always attracted people to come to its banks and settle there. For thousands of years, the waters of Korana and Slunjcica, and their flora and fauna, fought the laws of nature, and as a result of this struggle in the limestone plateau, a remarkable canyon was carved in for us to take pleasure in. Seeing this natural phenomenon, this "poured off" ("rastocen") terrain, a place where the waters of river Slunjcica pour off in several backwaters, leaving behind small elevations which then form watercourses and waterfalls, people built a village and named it RASTOKE. Here, they found everything they needed and stayed here, forever bound with nature. Rastoke is a village of ambiance value and authentic heritage when it comes to architecture, and according to some records, it was built in the 17th century, possibly even earlier. Most of the houses were built at the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century. People have always lived in Rastoke. Grain from nearby villages was constantly being milled here, and since its location is by the main road - which connects southern and northern part of Croatia - it became the intersection of various buyers, dealers and live stock traders. This rich village constantly suffered war damages and other social-caused troubles that destroyed it and set its development back to the beginning. Although people were forced to move away, the nature always stayed and defied the odds with its distinctiveness. Because of its extraordinary natural beauties and historical tradition, in 1962 the Rastoke village fell under the protection of the State Directorate for cultural and historical heritage. During the Homeland War in the 1990's, the village was completely destroyed. It was renovated with the help of Croatian Ministry of Development and Reconstruction. Today, there are about 30 households in Rastoke, and their wish is to renew the water mills and start running businesses. The prerequisites to do that were met last year, when the sewage system was built in Rastoke. Most of the households started renting out rooms for tourists. The fear of the future when it comes to their businesses is increasing, because the old road Karlovac-Slunj-Plitvice is not as interesting to the tourists now that the motorway was built. This problem could be dealt with earlier, and today can be evaded by organized accomodation. This is exactly what prompted the Holjevac family, who already owned an estate in the centre of the village, to bulid a small complex of tourist facilities, and to offer those to domestic and foreign tourists. The family company Slovin Unique - Rastoke d.o.o. was founded in 1997, and is the legal bearer of all the services the company offers. With their own knowledge, hard work and strong will, and with the loan taken from Croatian Postal Bank, the family turned the old hayloft into a cosy catering facility. Today, the company has an elaborate vision of future activities.

Freshwater aquarium Aquatika presents the flora and fauna of Croatian rivers and lakes, geological history, traditional culture and history of the basin of four Karlovac rivers. Visitors can witness richness of life in rivers and lakes, and more than one hundred freshwater fish species, of which 40 are endemic. This is an EU project financed from European Development Fund. Additional services: Coffee Shop (open 8 am-9 pm), Souvenir shop, children playgrounds

This lake is a real pearl of the region. It is a reservoir created from the flow of the Zagorska Mrežnica. This is the eleventh largest lake in Croatia and is also known as "The Sea of Ogulin" (170 ha). If one gazes on it from Prelesje, above the village of Desmerice, it really looks like a huge sea bay.