Active Holidays in Croatia During Corona Time

To visit the second fortress, we chose a climbing path instead of the usual walk through the woods. The path is arranged in such a way that it’s necessary to fasten with a safety climbing belt and wear a helmet. It’s safe, but only if you follow all safety precautions. The path itself offers stunning views of the city and of the Cetina river, and you can almost see the beaches in Omiš. However, care must be taken when climbing, as precautions are required, even if you’re buckled. It took us about half an hour without stopping to climb to the top to the Mirabela Fortress. There, a lady was waiting at the fort, selling coke. It exactly what we needed, as we made the ascent at 12 p.m., and on that day it was around 35 degrees Celsius. After a refreshing drink and taking some photos, we chose the path through the forest for our descent. The hike back to the city took quite a long time, as the path wound in circles, and the sun was getting hotter by the minute. We could hardly wait to get to the restaurant.

There’s also Biokovo Nature Park near Omiš. The next day we decided to explore the surroundings of Omiš. This year, a glass platform was set up above the park, which offers a view of a large part of the park and all the way to the sea. Unfortunately, the waiting period was two hours, so we decided to explore the interior of Dalmatia and accidentally discovered the town of Imotski on the map, with two interesting and very picturesque lakes said to be nearby.

When we arrived in the town of Imotski, it started to rain, so we ran to the nearest restaurant as it was already lunch time. We were happy with the food they served us, so we knew immediately that Imotski was often visited by tourists. After lunch, we drove about two kilometers in the direction of the first lake, called the Blue Lake. We parked right next to the entrance, then walked down the serpentine sandy path. I think it took us about 15 minutes of slow walking to get to the lake. We spotted a few swimmers, so one of us (and usually this person isn’t me) decided to test the waters of the lake.

The lake was formed inside a large stone "basin”. There wasn’t much water at this time of the year, but the lake was still fascinating enough to be worth a visit. Let me mention that a small entrance fee, which was valid for visiting both lakes, also had to be paid. We went back up the stairs. There were also viewing platforms in between. If you climb back up from the lake towards the city on the left, you can also visit the Topana Fortress.

You need to drive again to the next lake and it takes about five minutes. This lake was formed in a "basin", which had a red sandy color all around and was much deeper and narrower than the first lake. The water level was high, and the lake was very dark, almost black, but it’s called Red Lake, probably after the color of the sandy basin the lake is in. Along its left shore rises the path, so you can climb higher, but you can't really take any fantastic photos, as the path is very steep and a bit dangerous, and it also rained that day. So, I don’t recommend taking the path leading up from the lake, since you can make the most beautiful photos of the lake right from the viewpoint just by the road.

When we drove back to Omiš, the countryside was dotted with quite a few interesting villages. Before we arrived back, we stopped by the Cetina river. It’s a beautiful river that enriches the town of Omiš. Unfortunately, we didn’t make it to the source of the river, which was located far away along the border with Bosnia and Herzegovina, but we’ll visit it next year and see this natural gem as well.