Kopački Rit Nature Park

Kopački Rit Nature Park is located in eastern Croatia, in the geographical region of Baranja. This area is mostly lowland, and the park lies in the embrace of the rivers Danube and Drava. The eastern side of the park borders the Republic of Serbia, and a little to the north of the park is the border with the Republic of Hungary. It was declared a nature park in 1976, and on several occasions there have been initiatives to declare it a national park, but without success. The area of Kopački Rit extends over 17,700 ha, and it is a habitat for a wide variety of plant and animal species. The park is visited by around 40,000 tourists a year.

Kopački Rit Nature Park is adorned with the greenery of water surfaces and rich forests, and we can safely say that in this respect it is a true gem of Slavonia.

The park, in terms of its area, covers the marshland around the mouth of the Drava into the Danube (an area of 238 hectares). It has remained in a completely natural state since ancient times. Kopački Rit is one of the largest natural marshes in Europe.

A kind of trademark of Kopački Rit are the herds of wild deer, and besides them, a large number of wild boar also live in this area. Other mammals live here too, but bird species are nevertheless more numerous. Among the large flocks of birds, as many as 300 different species have been recorded in Kopački Rit, among which we should especially mention the very rare and protected species: the white-tailed eagle and the black stork.

Kopački Rit Nature Park can easily be reached by car from the direction of Osijek, but the best experience is when you tour it by excursion boat. When you tour the marsh by excursion boat, you will have an unforgettable experience, especially when the boat ventures into even the shallowest, most isolated little branches. It is also possible to enjoy the beauty of the park while sailing on larger river cruisers, along the Danube.

Kopački Rit got its name from the village of the same name on the edge of the Nature Park. The name comes from the Hungarian words kopacs and ret, which means marsh meadow.

The nature park is rich in diverse marsh vegetation and animal life that accompanies such a natural environment. Among the trees, the white willow stands out the most in the park, as it is immune to high and long-lasting floods.

The significance of Kopački Rit Nature Park

The significance and importance of this park can best be seen in the fact that Croatia is one of 169 countries in the world that is a signatory to the Ramsar Convention. Through this convention, Croatia, and other co-signatory countries, commit to the preservation of marshes.

A natural habitat for many species

Besides the large number of birds that live here all year round, Kopački Rit is visited by many migratory birds. Among them, the Siberian goose is of particular interest, which inhabits the park every winter. In Kopački Rit, 295 different bird species have been recorded. Of that number, as many as 144 species nest permanently or temporarily in the park. The largest number of birds can be seen in the park during the spring and autumn migrations. In the area of this Nature Park, tens of thousands of geese and ducks from western Siberia spend the winter.

An interesting bird adoption in Kopački Rit

In Kopački Rit, you can adopt a bird, which will be given a name of your choosing, and which will receive a special identification number that goes along with its name. This is an offer for numerous tourists, where for 100 kuna you can adopt a grey heron, and for 200 kuna a bittern. It is also possible to adopt a great white egret, but for 500 HRK.

A white stork can be given a name of your choosing for 1,000 HRK, and a white-tailed eagle for 5,000 kuna. The most expensive bird in the park that you can adopt is the black stork, whose adoption costs 10,000 kuna.

A connection – Kopački Rit and the Habsburgs

An interesting building in the Nature Park is Tikveš Castle, which dates back to the 19th century.

The castle was built by members of the Teschen line of the Habsburg family, who hunted in this area. Even today, this old building is visited by many famous people.

Come to Kopački Rit yourself, and enjoy the natural atmosphere of this marshland. Enjoy watching the various bird species, or the sight of herds of deer or perhaps wild boar.

Besides its natural beauty, in Kopački Rit you can also enjoy a rich gastronomic offer, you can rent overnight accommodation and stay on to enjoy it for several more days.

Kopački Rit boat trip

The tour programme of Kopački Rit Nature Park is available in as many as 13 different packages, so everyone can find something for themselves. Package number 3 includes a boat trip, priced at 120 kn per person.

Kopački Rit tourist train ride

One of the packages of the nature park's tour programme includes an excursion by train through the marsh. The price ranges from 40 to 80 kuna per person, depending on the time of year. The excursion includes a basic park entrance ticket, a video presentation, a multimedia exhibition, an independent walk along the wooden boardwalk across Lake Mali Sakadaš, and a ride on the tourist mini-train at a selected location in the park (depending on conditions on the ground), with expert guidance.

Kopački Rit mini-train

Kopački Rit is mostly a marsh and floodplain area, and is part of the floodplain areas that extend across the Osijek-Baranja County and the Drava river. The relief of the area is the result of the long-term influence of water, chiefly rivers that flooded and shaped Kopački Rit. Through their influence, these rivers created side branches, pools, deposited silt and created bends and small islands (ade). Because of this, Kopački Rit has a characteristic, undulating appearance specific to this area, which is not found along other European rivers. There are two significant lakes in the park, Lake Kopačko and Lake Sakadaš, which are also the only permanent water surfaces. The lakes are relatively shallow, with depths of 2 to 7 metres, which is not surprising given that this is, after all, a marsh area.

The flora and fauna of Kopački Rit are diverse. Because of the dynamic and unstable relief, in the park we find various types of vegetation, such as willow, poplar and oak forests, meadows and marsh vegetation. The park's animal world does not differ much from the rest of eastern Croatia. There is plenty of game here, such as roe deer, wild boar, and even wild cats. A special feature of Kopački Rit is its large number of species of birds, as many as 285 of them, of which 141 species use the park as a permanent nesting site. The park can also be home to several hundred thousand birds at a time, because of the refuge it provides them.

Kopački Rit boardwalk, wooden bridge

Through one part of the park, you pass along a wooden boardwalk that was renovated in 2015, with 15 million kuna invested in it; the crossing by bridge over Lake Mali Sakadaš is especially attractive.

Kopački Rit pictures