Naturpark Kopački rit

In the vicinity of the town of Osijek, not far from the mouth of the river Drava directly on the state border, is one of the biggest and most beautifully preserved original marshes in Europe. Kopački rit came into existence with the confluence of the river Drava into the Danube with a flooded region of around 17.000 hectares and is a great place for a holiday and recreational sports.

Kopački rit is presented as „the most recent marsh oasis“, and it consists of a large number of backwaters and lakes along the river Danube. A part of Kopački rit is earmarked as a strick conservation area, with a special nature reserve and here you will, if you come at the right time of year, catch great flocks of birds, but also other animals, which could remind you of documentaries about the great migrations of animals, just as in Africa. In the park nest around 260 different types of bird, while there are a large number of species that stay here temporarily on their journey to northern, colder or to southern, warm regions and vice versa. In the water there are 40 types of the fish, and in the dry areas a large number of different types of mammal like the common deer, fallow deer, wild boar, wild cats, golden weasels, white weasels, ferrets, otters and other animals. You can see the park by following a guide and you can choose between a ride in a scenic boat, canoes, a horse driven carriage or simply on foot, and arrangements can be made to allow the filming the wildlife in Kopački rit. In the part of the park which is under a milder regime of protection, hunting and fishing is allowed. When after a whole day's stay in nature, you get hungry, devote yourself to gourmet pleasures – with the gastronomic specialities of Kopački rit - fish paprikaš soup, carp on the spit or game dishes, and all of this chase down with quality white wines.