I did a quad tour in Rastoke Croatia with a friend. We rode on rented quads while following our tour guide through beautiful farm land, along a dirt road where we had spring water and off-roading on a forest trail over rough terrain. It was a fun adventure!
The concierge at Hilton Garden Inn Zagreb connected me with Mirjana Rastoke, a hotel and tourism agency in the town of Rastoke Croatia. Rastoke is about thirty kilometers from Plitvice Lakes. This charming little town has an old town that’s not to be missed! Waterfalls pour out into the river from under the town. One of the cafes is on top of a waterfall. A friend from Zagreb joined me for a long weekend, but Onawa had to stay at the hotel in Plitvice for this adventure.
We went on a twenty-two-kilometer ride through trails that started off easy, but then toward the end of our two-hour ride we took a trail into the forest, it was amazing. The power of the quad under me while maneuvering around trees and over rocks was fantastic. The course isn’t too challenging for beginners because they gave us plenty of practice before leaving the hotel grounds and then we drove on easy paths before making a right into the forest.
The quad ride was easy to book with Mirjana Rastoke. I was able to arrange everything by e mail and they were super quick to respond. We arranged a pickup from our hotel in Plitvice Selo and started our quad adventure by signing a disclaimer, then we walked out to the front of the hotel to meet our guide. He gave us instructions on how to use the quad and showed us how to practice in the parking lot. When we felt comfortable driving, we crossed the road and roared our engines up the hill across the street. We drove on a farm road for a bit then turned onto a dirt road.
The coolest aspect of the ride was all the lovely wild flowers and the butterflies gliding around them. I was exhilarated by the drive along the bumpy dirt road. We stopped for some delicious spring water and the guide took great pictures of us, then we drove on for a while before turning right onto a forest trail. We maneuvered through the trees till we came to a cozy wooded area for more pictures. Then drove onward while passing wild flower fields covered in dozens of different varieties of butterflies.
After we finished our ride we went to the charming Rastoke town to walk around and have lunch at Konoba Kum and then coffee at Vodena Ovca which was such a cool place, a waterfall flows under the café.
Tips:
If I came again I would stay at least one night in Rastoke because they have a swimming area and technically there is no swimming in Plitvice.
Arrange trips in advance because the town is usually very busy in the summer.
Take a walk along the river and see the caves which are close to the town. There is also the Fairy Tale area and horseback riding. The activities cost less in Rastoke than in Plitvice so it’s a good place to get some activities in before getting to Plitvice.
