PAKLENICA includes the most attractive sections of Southern Velebit, including its loftiest peaks. The two impressive canyons of Velika and Mala Paklenica thrusting vertically into the mountain, from the sea to the peaks, are the main attractions of the park. In the relatively small area that comprises the national park there are several remarkable karstic forms, a number of caves, and also well preserved and extremely rich and varied flora and fauna. Set amid steep rock formations, Anića kuk is the most popular destination for Croatian alpinists. In the upper regions of the canyon a large area of forest has been preserved, the only such major area on the littoral aspect of Velebit. This, in addition to the existence of several vegetation and climate zones, ranging from warm Mediterranean to harsh mountain zones at the top of Velebit, largely contributed to this area being among the first in Croatia to be declared a national park, provisionally in 1928, and then substantively in 1949. Despite its wilderness and preserved nature the Paklenica National Park is easily accessible to visitors, as it is close to the Adriatic tourist road and the City of Zadar. As a result, it is one of the most frequently visited mountain national parks in Croatia. Views that are at once spellbinding and awe inspiring down to the summer resort of Starigrad-Paklenica lure tourists in search of a little adventure. The numerous signposts, with directions written in several foreign languages, facilitate orientation in the park. In the wilderness that is the Velika Paklenica Canyon, surrounded by high peaks through which local women once carried salt on their backs from the coast to the mountains and corn from the fertile inland region of Lika, there is today a pleasant hiking road. Near the canyon are several interesting caves, among which Manita peć is regarded as the most beautiful. Along the way one can spot many rare and protected animal species, from butterflies to various types of raptor. The appearance of this landscape is very much like that of America’s Wild West, which is why Velika Paklenica has served as a setting for a number of European ”Westerns”. One of the key attractions of Velika Paklenica Canyon is AniÊa kuk, a 400 metre-high rock which, due its steep incline and attractiveness, became one of the best-known alpinist venues in Europe. The mild climate provided by the near vicinity of a warm sea is conducive to climbing activities the year round and each 1st May alpinists from all over Europe traditionally gather here. In addition to climbers’ lodges, hikers and mountaineers in the national park may put up at any of several normally deserted, traditional shepherds’ dwellings, particularly before they ascend to the top of Velebit and its highest peak, Vaganski vrh, 1758 metres above sea level.