Istria Hidden Gems

Istria hidden gems few tourists have seen

At AndAdventure, we pride ourselves on knowing our country inside and out – on and off the beaten tourist path. Here are a few of our favorite Istria hidden gems, waiting for you:

Lim fjord

Lim fjord is situated on the western coast of Istria in the unique landscape of Lim bay, with the untouched nature on an 8 km long trail. You can also join a sea kayaking tour through this Istria hidden gems bay. The Lim Channel is actually a submerged karst canyon. Do you know why many inhabitants of Istria still mistakenly call this bay a fjord? The answer is simple – “The Vikings,” a hit film from the fifties, in which the main characters were played by the legendary Kirk Douglas and Tony Curtis, was filmed here. The plot is based on the sagas about the legendary Scandinavian hero Ragnar Lodbrok and his sons. The same sagas inspired the popular History Channel series Vikings that is enjoyed by today’s audiences.

Dinosaur Footprints

 A piece of geological heritage is found in the south of Kamenjak, the Penižžula Bay and on the island of Fenoliga. A total of about 100 dinosaur footprints were found. These Istria hidden gems witness the existence of two different dinosaurs, a three meter tall and 13 tone heavy quadruped, and the other, a significantly shorter bipod, only a meter and a half tall and 150 kg. While in Datule, near Barbariga is the first and still the only site of the remains of dinosaur bones found on the entire Mediterranean area, as well as the only submarine site. Fossilized bones of a Sauropod, a quadrupedal herbivore dinosaur were found. During the period of the Lower Cretaceous, they were one of the biggest dinosaurs which lived on the Earth.

Cape Kamenjak

Another one of the Istria Hidden Gems is the southernmost part of Istria, a peninsula of the almost 4 km long beautiful and indented coast, with as many as 30 bays and 11 uninhabited little islands comprising the archipelago. Covered in short bushes and macchia with some pine trees and fertile lands, it is an area of true Mediterranean climate. In light of its exceptional natural values as well as for the purpose of protecting it against devastation more efficiently, Cape Kamenjak was declared a protected area in 1996.

Brijuni National Park

Brijuni is in northwestern Istria, an archipelago of 14 islands and islets, the largest of which are Mali and Veliki Brijun (Small and Big Brijun). This national park is called “paradise on Earth” thanks to its rich flora and fauna, well-indented coast and impressive history dating all the way to the 3rd millennium BC. Ideal for all guests, whether we talk about family tourism, adventure tourism, gastro tourism, nautical tourism, or archeological tourism. Before being established as a national park, Brijuni was Josip Broz Tito’s presidential home, and welcomed many famous politicians, musicians, filmmakers and actors, and athletes. The national park still has that luxurious touch, so it is hard to imagine one of your wishes will not come true during your stay.

Savudrija

a small fishing village with the oldest lighthouse on the Adriatic, built in 1818. is definitely on the list of Istria Hidden Gems.

Kotli village

Due to its isolation, the village of Kotli has kept its rural 19th century look. It also managed to preserve its mills that were in use till 1964.

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