Zeleni Vir Waterfall

Zeleni Vir — 'the Green Whirlpool' — is the signature natural landmark of Gorski Kotar, a 70-metre waterfall dropping straight out of a limestone cliff into a startling emerald pool below the village of Skrad. The falls emerge directly from a cave in the cliff face (the source itself lies over a kilometre inside the mountain) and their volume varies dramatically with the seasons, from a thunderous spring cascade to a delicate late-summer veil. A 45-minute loop trail from the small car park descends through mossy beech forest to a wooden viewing platform at the base of the falls, then swings back via the neighbouring Vražji Prolaz gorge — a spectacular 100-metre-deep, three-metre-wide slot canyon with wooden walkways bolted to the vertical rock walls. The two sights together form Croatia's finest half-day mountain hike outside of the national parks. Zeleni Vir was Croatia's first small hydroelectric power plant in 1921 and the original stone powerhouse still stands at the base of the falls, now a small museum. Come after heavy rain for maximum drama, but expect slippery rock; the trail has iron handrails and wooden bridges throughout. The trail through Vražji Prolaz is closed December–March.