Golubinjak – the magical forest of Gorski kotar

Gorski kotar is magical wherever you set off through it. Risnjak National Park, Bijele and Samarske stijene, the Kamačnik canyon, the source of the Kupa, Vražji prolaz, Zeleni vir, countless caves, lakes and streams, clearings that take your breath away…

Golubinjak forest park is no exception. It is one of the most incredible places in Croatia, but sadly, once again it is man who has spoiled the perfection of the place. The motorway runs right alongside it, and you really have to walk deep into the forest to get away from the background noise. We always prefer places that breathe wilderness and lie far from civilisation, yet Golubinjak is so special that we would go back to it any time.

The turn-off for Golubinjak from the D3 expressway is here 45.35603714558298, 14.76064243374336
After the turn-off just follow the road down for 200 m to the car park. Since the motorway passes over the car park, your navigation may get confused and start giving wrong directions, thinking it is on the motorway. That is why the location on the map (“by car to”) is given at the end of the mapped road, but feel free to carry on to the end of that road, through the barrier, and you will reach the car park. The park entrance fee is paid at the barrier. The price is symbolic.

The forest park

The entrance to Golubinjak has a “day-trip” feel to it. A huge meadow, a restaurant, a children’s playground, art installations… all of it framed by a beautiful fir forest. Some people will find everything they need in this entrance area alone, but the real adventure only begins here.

Several trails run through Golubinjak. One of the best known is the Cave Trail. It starts in Lokve, a village on the other side of the motorway, and, as its name suggests, it takes in all the caves of the area. This time we opted for the shorter trail that loops through the very heart of Golubinjak and takes in all the park’s greatest attractions. Our planned final point was Ledena špilja, the “Ice Cave”.

We wanted to begin the adventure with “Kraljica šume”, the “Queen of the Forest”, so from the park entrance we turned left straight away. Many people have complained to us that they could not find her, because they headed off towards the restaurant. She is on exactly the opposite side, and there are plenty of signposts leading to her. She stands literally some 30 metres inside the forest.

“Kraljica šume” is a fir over 40 m tall and more than 200 years old. Whether it really is the tallest and oldest fir, or whether it was simply chosen to stand for all the firs, we are not sure. It seemed to us that there are far taller ones in the forest, but perhaps that is a matter of perspective.

From “Kraljica šume” we took the lower trail through the forest and followed it to the far end of the meadow. Along that stretch you pass “Medvjeđi brlog” (the “Bear’s Den”), and at the far point you come to a half-cave under a cliff with cold air pouring out of it. If it is this cold here, what must it be like in Ledena špilja???

The trail forks here, left uphill and right downhill. We went right, along the far edge of the meadow. After a short walk you reach a place that is hard to describe. Firs tall as the sky climb up the slope, and the cliffs behind them form the set of the most imaginative fantasy production. Photographs cannot quite convey it, but that is always the way with places like this.

From there the climb begins that leads through Golubinja špilja. Yes, the trail really does run through the cave, and at the end you come out through an opening in the rock. This may sound frightening to some, but it is a shallow cave and an easy trail suitable for all ages.

The next stretch leads through a very dramatic landscape full of cliffs framed by enormous firs. After a short descent comes a climb that passes through “Paklena vrata”, the “Gates of Hell”, another incredible attraction. A small crowd was waiting here, as everyone wanted a photo taken right in the “gates”. We have time and patience to spare, so we took a rest break at this point.

After a short break we move on towards Ledena špilja, which is no longer far. Rather unremarkable from the outside, it makes many people sceptical, so they never even go in. Do go in, because you will not see anything like it before Vietnam. The roof of the cave is open, and the view up through the opening is something quite out of the ordinary. We have plenty of caves with open roofs, but this one is special in its own way. When someone watches you from the side, lit up like that, the impression is that they are not in Croatia at all but at one of the famous sites of the Far East.

The way back follows the same path towards “Paklena vrata”, and then continues to the right along the circular trail back towards “Kraljica šume”.

If you race through it, 2 hours may be enough for the whole loop, but to stop, enjoy it and explore the landscape a little you will need 3 hours. Add a visit to the restaurant, good company and some play on the meadow, and it is not hard to imagine a whole day out at Golubinjak, especially in the part of the year when the days are short.