With great mushroom finds and heartfelt hospitality, our 2019 adventure to Croatia was such a delight, that we are planning another mycology and cultural tour to Croatia in the autumn of 2024.
We plan to travel at a relaxed pace with 3 nights in 4 different cities. We’ll visit the spectacular Plitvice Lakes on this adventure. You’ll have a chance to indulge in the traditional culinary specialties of different regions, including a cooking demonstration with a local celebrity expert in Croatian culture and cuisine .
This is a 2-week program to explore and collect mushrooms in different forests and nature parks in this geographically diverse country, which has been at the crossroads of empires for centuries. The rich heritage of the Ottoman and Hapsburg empires and the spectacular natural beauty of coastlines and mountains provide great opportunities for mushroom exploration and gastronomic discoveries. We will travel with Croatian guides, who are experts in forestry and mycology and fluent in English.
October, 2024.
Make your travel plans to arrive in Zagreb and we will meet you at the airport before a welcoming feast and an afternoon to relax and get acquainted with Croatia’s capital city. We’ll spend 3 nights here for exploring the markets, museums and day trips to nearby forests. During a guided visit to the old city, you’ll get a taste and perspective on the history and culinary wealth of the Balkan region.
Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb
We will start our mushroom forays as day-hikes from Zagreb before heading to Slavonia, the most easterly region of Croatia. It is an area of rivers, deep soils and extensive woodlands, many of which are centuries old. We’ll hike and collect in beech, hornbeam, oak and fir forests, and visit the geologically outstanding Papuk Mountain Nature Park.
The oak and beech forests offer a rich diversity of fungi.
We’ll depart Slavonia for a visit to the famous Plitvice Lakes. The spectacular waterfalls here have been created as the rivers have eroded deep limestone foundations.
A bird’s-eye view of Plitvice lakes.
The moss-covered karst landscape supports the giant spruce and beech trees near Plitvice lakes.
After departing the Plitice Lakes we’ll journey south to the Lika Region, an area that is marked by the Dinaric Alps, a rough calcareous range whose western slopes are rich with oak and beech and spruce forests. In addition to mycological forays here, we will visit the city of Gospic, and the birthplace and memorial site of Nikola Tesla.
Our adventures will lead us westward to the Adriatic coast and to Istria, the most western region of Croatia. Here we will meet local truffle collectors and participate in the hunt for the White Truffle, Tuber magnatum. Prized for its unique aromas and its limited natural habitat, this species commands the highest prices in the world of fresh truffles.
The White Truffle season is a great attraction every autumn with visits to the Karlić family truffle company in Paladini.
Ivan Karlić with his favorite truffle dogs brings his youthful enthusiasm to the 3 generations of the Karlić family truffle projects.
WE TAKE CARE OF:
All transportation starting from and returning to Zagreb for 14 days.
Hotel accommodations with breakfast for 13 nights.
Guided mushroom forays to explore oak, beech, hornbeam, fir, spruce and pine forest habitats.
Daily luncheons with regional specialties.
Guided visit to Zagreb and to the Nikola Tesla Memorial Centre in Smiljan.
Hosted visit to a private White Truffle forest in Istria.
Please send me a note with any questions regarding this tour for 2024.
Forest scientist and expert mycologist Željko Zgrablić will join us for this adventure.
Plan on finding some big surprises in Croatian forests.
Feasting on traditional cuisine is a highlight for visitors to Croatia.
Local wines are a specialty throughout Croatia.
A true highlight of this adventure is meeting local mycologists and foresters along the way, with opportunities to learn new local names for mushrooms you may already know and love as we explore distinct forested regions. We have chosen hikes that will give us time to appreciate the magnificent forest canopies of old forests and the diverse plant communities along the forest paths.
Come explore the diverse and extensive forests of Croatia.