Dalmatia is Croatia's southernmost and most widely renowned historical region, a
region of sun, warm sea, verdant vegetation, olives, vineyards, fish, song, and quaintly
scenic villages with stone-built houses - in a nutshell, the true and unspoilt Mediterranean.
And this is how it is experienced by its many, many visitors, and described by any
number of world tourist guides: "Dalmatia - the Mediterranean as it once was".
Although Dalmatia's main tourist destinations are located in the northern part, its
true heart lies in the centre area around Split, Dalmatia's largest city. This is
where there are a number of rivieras with famous beaches and where rugged mountains
rise close to the shores. The islands of Central Dalmatia are scattered like pearls
in the open sea.
Along the way to the heartland, the area of Northern Dalmatia, rich in natural sights,
offers in addition to three national parks (Krka, Kornati and Paklenica) another
quite special gem - Lake Vransko Nature Park . This, the largest lake in Croatia
located at the seaside, is noted for its extreme richness of bird life and fish.
The lake’s waters are neither sweet nor particularly salty, so both freshwater and
sea fish are found there, presenting a great temptation to anglers, although their
activities are mainly forbidden as the lake enjoys a protected status.
Despite its numerous beautiful landscapes and attractive beaches the first significant
protected area in Central Dalmatia is situated on its south coast - Biokovo Nature
Park, earmarked to become a national park some time in the not too distant future.
Like hardly anywhere else in Europe, 1500 metre-high peaks with steep cliffs soaring
from so near the sea are found here. Beneath the rugged foothills of the Biokovo
Mountain is a 50 km-long belt of beaches, pine woods, olive groves and vineyards
known as the Makarska Riviera, the most important tourist resort in Dalmatia’s heartland.
As with Ubka in the north, Biokovo, to the south of the Croatian coast, provides
welcome freshness to the coastal area during the heat of summer.
Given just a smidgen of luck visitors to this mountain may meet up with what could
be described as its cachet and symbol - the chamois goat antelope. However, the chief
reasons for visiting this area are to seek refuge from extreme summer heat and the
beautiful views of the off-shore islands Brac & Hvar and the forested hinterland.
And then, a return to the tame Makarska Riviera and its beaches bordered by a crystal-clear,
azure sea, replete with sumptuous flora.
