Would you like to discover and experience the world beneath the surface? Take the first free day and visit the protected area of Barać Caves! Located less than 20 kilometers from the Plitvice Lakes National Park, in the heart of the Una-Korana Plateau, the largest plateau of the Dinaric Karst, you'll find a landscape dotted with hornbeam and beech forests, meadows, fields, and numerous sinkholes. The unique karst formations are the result of long-term water action on limestone rocks.

Caves that have been attracting visitors for 130 years
The area around Rakovica hides about 150 caves, with the most famous being Barać Caves near Nova Kršlja, whose name, according to legend, comes from the hero Barać who defeated a Turkish giant here. Barać Caves were among the first caves in Croatia to be explored and arranged for tourism. They have been open to visitors since 1892. At the beginning of this century, they were arranged and protected, and after 112 years, they reopened to tourists. The public institution "Barać Caves" opens the 495-meter-long Upper Barać Cave to visitors from spring to autumn. Bring a jacket or long-sleeved shirt and appropriate footwear for the tour. The temperature inside the cave is 9°C, and the path can be wet and slippery. Access the cave via the path from the information center in Baraćeva Brina. Along the way, with the exciting story of the professional guide, you'll learn about the cave's geological past, discover the habitats of ancient cave mammals, find where a prehistoric bronze necklace was found, recognize figures in the stalactite decorations, and more. Stop and listen in complete silence and pitch-black darkness, experiencing the unique underground world.

Barać Caves – Stalactite decorations and (pre)historical remains
People have occasionally inhabited the Upper Barać Cave during the last 3,000 years. The oldest pottery finds date back to the late Bronze and early Iron Ages. It is one of about a hundred cave-fortresses in Croatia, where people sought refuge behind stone walls to hide from the Turks. The cave is rich in stalactite columns – stalagmites – over 5 meters tall. The attention-grabbing white Altar, a wide stalagmite (a decoration growing from the floor) with cascading edges, is a highlight. The cave preserves the bones of animals from the late Ice Age, particularly extinct cave bears and lions, bison, rhinoceroses, and hyenas. Among the animals that currently inhabit the cave, there is a notable bat colony and several endemic insects. The park-forest below the Barać Caves is perfect for relaxation and play, under the shade of trees, on sunny meadows, and beside a babbling stream. The youngest can join one of the professionally guided workshops.

Complete your visit to the Barać Caves with a tour of other attractive destinations in the Plitvice Valleys: a leisurely walk from the medieval town of Drežnik to the mill in the Korana Gorge at the foot of Čatrnja. During the summer months, the local product market in Grabovac is open in the afternoon, where you can buy goods from local family farms to take home.