Kopacki Rit Nature Park: when the river Drava meets the Danube

The beauty of this place is its continuous variability. The waters get up and down and are always left free to find their course. Everything, belonging to flora and fauna, is respected, letting it follow its fate. Mosquitoes are also protected. And when you are visiting the Park you are asked not to kill them: they constitute a very important link in the food chain

The trees are continually submerged by waters, damaging and breaking, and no trunk is removed but left where it is, to deteriorate in the place or to be dragged by currents.

It's easy to reach the park from the city of Osijek, continuing towards Kopacevo. 

There are many options for enjoying the park, through boats, small boats or canoes. 

I chose the boat. The day I visited the park was very hot with haze. I did not manage to make some beautiful pictures, but maybe I was able to give an idea.

If you've been impressed by Hitchcock's "The Birds" movie, then you better avoid the boat ride. Because you will be surrounded by loud cormorants, hundreds, as you have never seen. 

Of course I'm joking, the boat ride is absolutely fun. There is also a park operator who tells you many interesting things about the area. If you are not afraid of water you can also make a longer trip, with a canoa that can go exploration in areas not navigable by boat.

This is a beautiful place, but maybe from the boat you can not perceive its extension and continues metamorphosis. If you search for images, you see the most impressive photos are those from the top. Perhaps you should be able to take a balloon ride to appreciate the park at its most.

When you encounter a Grey Heron, who carefully pays attention to your actions, you have no doubt: he is the prince of this magnificent place.