LENGTH: 24 km
SURFACE: PAVED, GRAVED ROAD
TYPE: CIRCULAR ROUTE
Recommended direction: Slunj, Gornji Popovac, Lađevačko Selište, Lađevac, Videkić Selo, Lumbardenik, Slunj
This circular, heart-shaped route takes you from Slunj, along the 24 km of roads, mostly following the banks of the two rivers, the Korana and the Slunjčica. The route comprises the winding paved and gravel roads, as well as some cycling trails. Just like all the other routes, this one also starts and ends in the picturesque village of Rastoke, where the Slunjčica, cascading over the travertine barriers, meets the Korana river. Playing with the Slunjčica waters, the nature created some magical scenes, often called the ‘Ouverture to the Plitvice Lakes’. The watermills, the traditional wood buildings surrounded by waterfalls and cascades, is a must for every tourist. Among the more attractive features are also the two bridges, the one from the Napoleonic times and the Tonković Bridge, designed by professor Kruno Tonković. The road takes us on along the Korana river, through Gornji Popovac, where it turns left, to the main gravel road in the direction of Lađevačko Selište, with a number of demanding ascents, requiring more effort. Gornji Popovac offers two caves, Matešićeva špilja and Popovićeva špilja, as great examples of the karst underground formations, with numerous natural formations, such as stalagmites, stalactites and fossil channels. Thanks to a number of secondary channels, they are interconnected and so make for one of the longest caves in Croatia. After Lađevačko Selište, Arapovac and Čamerovac, we come to Lađevac, where you’ll first see the local cemetery and the church of St. George, the parish patron-saint, established in 1770.
In the middle of the village, near a grocery store, the route turns towards that very church, while before the ascent, it turns to the right and leads, over a gravel road, to Videkić Selo, one of the many villages in the parish. Should you turn left, you’ll end up in Broćanac, where you’ll find refreshments at the local establishments, but also have some fun in the renowned adrenaline activities park and equestrian club. After exiting the village, you’ll find a gentle climb, after which you should turn right and take the gravel road, later also the paved road, too, to Lumbardenik, and back to Slunj, along the winding Slunjčica river.
