Vela draga
Location: UčkaLength: 2,19 kmElevation gain: 137 mDifficulty: ModerateDifficulty rating: K1, T2, VR1
One of Croatia’s finest geomorphological phenomena, the Vela draga nature monument (or Vranjska draga) is a canyon-like valley at the foot of Učka. It is part of Učka Nature Park and begins near the western end of the Učka tunnel. Its glory are the spectacular rock towers, some of them up to 90 m high, which draw climbers in numbers. Somehow it is not all that well known to the general public, so when we first saw photographs of the canyon a few years ago, we could not believe that something like this existed in Croatia and that we had never even heard of it!
On top of all that, after heavy rain the torrents coming down off the top of Učka sometimes form one of the highest waterfalls in Croatia, plunging into the canyon from the eastern cliff. The waterfall appears so rarely that it does not even have a name.
Among the other attractions, the railway tunnel and line at the bottom of the canyon deserve a mention; the line has been closed to traffic since 2009.
With all of the above, it is no wonder that this was also one of the shooting locations for the famous Winnetou film.
The car park for a visit to Vela draga is by the main road near the toll booths. From there an easy path leads some 700 m to a viewpoint with a beautiful view of the canyon, the stone pillars and the railway. That is more or less it as far as the tourist visit goes.
If you want to descend into the canyon, explore the hidden passages between the rocks and get close to the stone pillars, the adventure is only just beginning – and for that you will need hiking boots.
At the start of the path down there is a sign saying that you continue at your own risk. The path is not as frightening as the sign would suggest, but care is certainly needed. There are a couple of slightly steeper drops where you have to steady yourself on rocks or branches, one section crosses scree, but there is nothing outright dangerous or impossible for an averagely fit person with a little hiking experience.
On the way to Istria or back, Vela draga should be a compulsory stop for anyone who loves striking natural phenomena. The viewpoint alone is worth the effort, and the descent and walk through the canyon will leave nobody unmoved.
Special
Although our focus is on Croatia, due to great interest in reviewing some international locations from our travels, we decided to launch the Special section. In it, we will not cover locations in the same detailed way we do with Croatian ones, but will instead provide a brief overview of multiple locations grouped into meaningful categories. The only criterion we still strictly follow is that they must be natural attractions.
