Paklenica National Park gives the Municipality of Starigrad a distinctive landscape focus. It covers 95 km² on the southern slopes of Velebit and includes the Velika Paklenica and Mala Paklenica gorges. The park also includes the highest peaks of Velebit: Vaganski vrh at 1,757 m and Sveto brdo at 1,753 m. The gorges and peaks reveal different sides of this mountain landscape.
Gorges, peaks and trails
The Paklenica climbing area has around 600 established and bolted routes, graded from 3 to 8b+. The number may change as routes are added or regraded. For another way to explore the area, the “Pjeskarica” educational trail runs for 1.5 km along the eastern bank of the Velika Paklenica stream; information boards and rest areas are among its features.
An eight-kilometre cycling and walking path leads from the centre of Starigrad-Paklenica through old villages to Seline. Another circular route starts and ends at the church in the hamlet of Ljubotić. The climb from the car park in Velika Paklenica to the entrance of Manita peć, at an altitude of 570 m, takes about an hour and a half. The 1.5 and 8 km figures indicate trail lengths; the hour and a half, by contrast, refers to the climb to the cave entrance.
Mirila, mills and historic sites
The Mirila in the Municipality of Starigrad are protected cultural heritage of the Republic of Croatia. Within the national park, preserved Mirila can be found at Grabova dolina, a site connected to nearby hamlets. An educational trail from Ljubotić leads to Bristovačka Mirila, the largest preserved site, with more than 300 Mirila. The “A Short Journey through History” educational trail also links a cycling and walking path with history: five panels cover the area from prehistory to the present day.
Fifteen watermills were built along the Velika Paklenica stream in the first half of the 19th century. Paklarić Fortress stands at an altitude of 100 m, very close to the park entrance. A developed educational trail leads to it; from there, visitors can enjoy a view across the entire Velebit Channel. Večka kula, at the edge of the area known as Večko Field in Starigrad-Paklenica, is one of a series of Venetian fortifications built in the 16th century along the Velebit Channel to defend against the Turks.
The area’s history also reaches far back: present-day Starigrad-Paklenica was founded on the site of the ancient city of Argyruntum. Under Emperor Tiberius, Argyruntum was granted municipal status between 31 and 35 AD. Between Starigrad and Seline stands the medieval pre-Romanesque Church of St Peter, probably built at the turn of the 9th and 10th centuries.
Local insights and practical information
In the hamlet of Ljubotić, visitors can arrange in advance to visit an ethnographic house on the Vrata Velebita estate, with a permanent exhibition about beekeeping, and sample Velebit honey and other local specialities. The Marasović Ethno House is in the hamlet of Marasovići in Starigrad-Paklenica, near the national park entrance. It houses a traditional konoba and a permanent exhibition about the tradition of building Mirila.
Paklenica traditionally hosts an International Climbing Meeting around 1 May, with accompanying events and competitions. If you would like to plan your trip around it, check the dates for the relevant year. The main reception of the national park is at Paklenička ulica bb in Starigrad-Paklenica. The Mala Paklenica reception, Entrance 2, is at Put Jukića bb in Seline. As seasonal access may change, check the current access conditions before visiting.
Discover more destinations: Starigrad-Paklenica, Vinjerac, Tribanj Šibuljina, Tribanj, Seline, Municipality of Privlaka, Municipality of Stankovci, Municipality of Benkovac.
For the main travel overview: Zadar County.
