French author Jules Renard once said: "On earth there is no heaven, but there are pieces of it.“ Once you have visited Ucka Mountain and taken a walk through its beautiful, wild nature, there will be no doubts about this quote since Ucka really is a small piece of heaven on earth.
Stunning Ucka and Cicarija mountains have always attracted many visitors that wanted to get away from the hustle and bustle of a typical city life. After mountain Ucka and a part of the Cicarija mountain range were proclaimed a Nature park, more and more nature lovers started coming here to enjoy the peace and serenity this place offers. In total, the
Ucka nature park covers an area of approximately 150 km2 and visually dominates Istria, due to its high peaks and rocks.
In order to make the mountain more approachable for visitors, there was a lot to do. For example, many signs and signposts were set up to mark hiking paths as well as to explain the basic rules of behavior while spending time surrounded by untouched nature such as this one. Ucka mountain has numerous hiking trails, making it easy to explore this area from the inside and to take an up-close look at its steep slopes, stunning waterfalls, woods and plants. Not to forget, from the mountain you can feast your eyes on breathtaking views of the surroundings – on sunny days you can even see Venice in the distance!
As already mentioned, there are a couple of hiking trails you can choose from, depending on how fit you are and how often you go hiking.
Maybe our selection on hiking trails will help you decide:
The Plas educational trail: starting only 300 meters below the peak of Vojak, the highest peak of Ucka mountain, the Plas educational trail is approximately 2 km long and it shouldn´t take you more than 1.5 – 2 hours to finish it. This educational trail passes over the top ridge of Mount Ucka and as such, offers amazing views of Istrian hills. All along the trail you can learn about endemic plants and endangered species typical for this area.
Apart from the Plas educational trail, there is also the
Vela Draga educational trail. The trail passes along the Vela Draga Canyon, which was shaped by forces such as earthquakes, wind and rain a very long time ago. This is without a doubt one of most beautiful sights you will ever see so don´t miss it. The Vela Draga trail and canyon are special for their tall pointy rocks, better known as towers that are true geomorphological gems. Along the trail you will also learn about alpine and free climbing, sports which exist here since 1931, when alpine climber Emilio Comici climbed his first alpine route.
The Trebisca-Perun trail, also known as the history and mythology trail. This trail is 15 km long so make sure you are prepared in every way – bring enough water and food as well as comfortable shoes and clothes because it will take about 7 hours until you reach the finish point. The trail goes through stunning nature and preserved hamlets and explains the history step by step, the beliefs and the way of life of the first Slavic settlers that reached the Kvarner area.
The Slap hiking trail – as the name says, this short trail (only 800m) was shaped by the force of water (slap – waterfall). The trail runs through the Lovranska draga area, located high above the sea level, goes through an ancient sweet chestnut forest and leads to a magnificent waterfall. The waterfall is a part of a stream that flows into the beautiful Adria, not far from Medveja.
These are not the only hiking trails on Ucka mountain, there are many you can choose from. So if you are staying in one of our
villas in Istria or
Kvarner area, and you love to explore your surroundings, do not miss this opportunity and enjoy the stunning views from the Ucka Mountain.
Marija Kancir
22.11.2018
MY ISTRIA GUIDE
