I visited Croatia in 2022 and had the lovely opportunity to do the scenic drive from Zagreb, in the north, to Dubrovnik, in the south. The appeal for visiting the country came from hearing a friend give nothing but praise about the country, after each of his visits. As a nature lover, he went on and on about how gorgeous and accessible the country was, and I was keen to experience this for myself.

In Croatia, there are places where one may be hard-pressed to find locals that speak any English, but because the locals are generally friendly and have a desire to help, this will not take away too much from the trip. My visit was in the winter, and I would not recommend this time of the year, if the national parks or reserves are your draw to the country, as these may be closed off-season. A number of other businesses that mainly cater to the tourism market during the peak season, including some restaurants, may be closed in the winter as well. The natural offerings include hills, beaches, rivers, lakes and some leafy forests. To reflect the diversity of the weather across the country, on the drive from north to south, there was snow near Plitviče Lakes National Park, and then it was completely sunny in Zadar, right down to Dubrovnik.

The country has an interesting history as part of the former Ottoman empire and then experiencing shifts and changes in borderlines as part of Yugoslavia from 1918 right until it gained independence as the Republic of Croatia in 1991. As a result, one may find older Croatians have had more than seven national identity cards due to the changes over the last century. Some locals confirmed that there are some tensions that still exist with some of the citizens of neighbouring countries that were also part of the former Yugoslavia due to the battles and wars that ensued in the past. Different parts of the country had multiple forts or old towns, and walking tours with locals can provide more background around teaching cities significance during the wars.

Coming from the UK/New Zealand, travelling around Croatia was quite inexpensive. Food and accommodation were very affordable. What I had not realised was that Croatia actually have their own wine regions, and I was very drawn to those the flavours of the whites from the Dalmatia region. Also, I discovered here that some people have their white wine with soda water. Croatians also have very reasonably priced truffle, which is stronger in taste than that of its Italian neighbours. However, this has not been  marketed as much as that of their neighbour’s. The food offerings are quite creative and flavours subtle, with the use of a lot of fresh ingredients as well as various fermentation options for vegetables, which I thoroughly enjoyed. If I were to describe Croatian food, I would say it is very Mediterranean with strong Italian influences.

Croatia has over 1000 islands on the Adriatic Sea, each offering a different landscape and, if inhabited – a unique culture based on the landmass close by. As the water from the Adriatic Sea is generally warm and very clear, it offers amazing snorkelling opportunities.give