Kotli – the Croatian Pamukkale?

After our article on the Seven Waterfalls Trail, we still owed you one about Kotli. Why? Because Kotli lies halfway along that trail and is reachable by car. If for some reason you do not want to walk the whole Seven Waterfalls Trail, you can visit Kotli independently of it.

We have been to Kotli several times. Not only because it is interesting, but because our travels often take us that way. We love Hum, and Kotli is on the way if you are exploring the area around it.

It is often called the Croatian Pamukkale, illustrated with tightly cropped photographs, or drone shots with the colour of the water altered, that have nothing to do with reality. Let us clear this up right away: Kotli has nothing to do with Pamukkale. These are two completely different natural phenomena and both are beautiful in their own way. Pamukkale is enormous, whereas you can take in the whole of Kotli from the bridge that leads into the village.

Besides the fact that the colour of the water is nothing like what you will see in some photographs online, forget any idea that you will have the place to yourself for an Instagram shot. It is more likely to look like this:

Kotli is a favourite destination for day trippers, so as soon as the weather warms up it gets crowded here, especially at weekends and on public holidays. On a weekday, at a sensible hour, you may just manage to find a frame in which you are alone – you and the kotli around you.

Kotli takes its name from the round hollows in the stone of the river bed, carved out by the water. They look like cauldrons, and from the local word “kotal” the plural form gives the village its name. They are part of the river system of the Mirna, the longest river in Istria. Numerous streams, large and small, flow into the Mirna, and they often abound in spectacular waterfalls. That is why we warmly recommend walking the Seven Waterfalls Trail.

The village of Kotli itself is abandoned, as are the watermills on the river, one of which has only recently been restored.

When to visit Kotli?

We have never passed this way in winter. The water level is probably higher then, so the “kotli” are flooded and not as pronounced. In summer most of the water in this area dries up, or the levels are minimal. The best period for a visit would probably be from mid-spring to early summer. If you want as few crowds as possible, avoid weekends and public holidays. Early in the morning there is nobody about, but the light is ideal when the sun is closer to midday.