Where the Mura meets the Drava – the Croatian Amazon

You have probably already heard the name the Croatian Amazon? At first it was used for the area where the river Mura flows into the Drava, but later it spread to cover the entire course of the Mura through Croatia, its confluence with the Drava, and then the Drava itself all the way down to where it joins the Danube.

It is an enormous area covering over 630 thousand hectares, across five counties, and it is one of the last natural ecosystems in Europe. Impressive as its size is, it is miniature compared to the Amazon. So where does the comparison with the Amazon come from?

The things this area shares with the Amazon are the natural dynamics of a river untouched by human intervention, the continuous natural creation of new habitats (as many as 75 habitat types), the eroded banks at the mouth of the Mura, the sandbanks, the abandoned channels and meanders, the “gallery” forests leaning out over the river, the dense riverside woods grown into jungle, and an exceptional biodiversity.

As for the biodiversity, it says enough that over 200 bird species live in this area. According to some research the Drava is the Croatian river richest in fish.

The area is protected by five levels of legal protection: a special reserve (Veliki Pažut), a regional park, a transboundary biosphere reserve, the ecological network and NATURA 2000.

When we decided to take a look at the Croatian Amazon, the question was where to start at all. After a little research, the confluence of the Mura and the Drava seemed the logical choice.

The approach to the area alone is captivatingly beautiful. The whole landscape hints that a great river is close.

The plain, criss-crossed by embankments and small woods, finally ends in a large meadow and the approach to a single-storey building with a painted facade.

It turned out the building is abandoned and in rather poor condition. It is the former inn Halaš Čarda. The name comes from Hungarian and means roughly “the fisherman’s inn”. We found online that this was once a favourite gathering place for people from both sides of the river, Croatian and Hungarian. There was even a boat line running from Hungary right up to the front of the building.

We left the building to wait for better times and set off to explore the surroundings a little. There are information boards at every turn. Trails lead in both directions along the river.

Everything you see from this spot are side channels and the main course of the Drava. The point where the Mura joins the Drava is about a kilometre upstream. The boards also advertise rafting tours, so that may well be the best way to explore and experience this location.

The confluence of the Mura and the Drava is also known for one phenomenon that is not all that common. During the summer months the confluence turns two-coloured, with a strongly marked line separating the two rivers. The Mura, coming from the direction of Međimurje, runs through soft, earthy ground and so is brown. The Drava, by contrast, has a gravel bed, so it is far clearer and blue. Where the two rivers meet, the line dividing the two colours stretches for several hundred metres.

Walking along the river we meet the odd angler here and there. The atmosphere by the water is relaxing, but without a concrete plan and purpose we could hardly spend more than an hour here. With good company, a rafting trip and a barbecue afterwards, this location would take on a completely new dimension. We will probably organise it that way next time!