Croatia has once again become my destination for off-road expeditions. The pandemic continues and the world is trying to sort out the resulting chaos. Travel restrictions seem to be bigger than in the previous season, but just like last time, I didn’t want to stay at home for the whole year.
Prepared for a lonely journey through the wilderness, I decided to leave, once again limiting all contact with people. A motorcycle and a tent are all I need to be able to travel and admire the beauty of nature without risking anyone’s health.
The plan is simple but somewhat imposed by the pandemic. Departure from Poland in the morning, overnight stay in Croatia in the evening. This time, without a stop other than at a gas stations. A very specific ones. But more on that later.
On the day of departure (17.05.2021), a stay in Slovakia is limited to the transit of 8 hours only. Hungary, on the other hand, must be left within 24 hours and only on designated highways. In addition, parking is only allowed at designated petrol stations. At the Hungarian border, I received a map with marked roads and stations. Of course, these were toll motorways and state gas stations.
At the Croatian border, a certificate of a negative Covid test performed no later than 48 hours before crossing the border, was required. It went smoothly at the border crossing, after midnight I was already setting up my tent.
The first destination in Croatia, even before the TET tour, was the abstract Monument to the Uprising of the People of Baniovina and Kordun. I won’t outline the historical background; if you’re interested more in the topic, you can refer to Wikipedia and other reliable sources.
The TET route has changed compared to last year. The old route is impassable and now leads through the national park, but it only made me want to discover the unknown more. Before I got to the starting point, however, there was a series of snakey asphalt roads and several off-road sections waiting for me.
Finally, I got to the desired views. Red rocks, sea, and mountains.
The route began with a trip to a rock shelf and then led through great-quality forest gravel.
The most difficult episode of the new TET appeared quite quickly. Muddy terrain that, after heavy rainfall, can actually be a challenge for heavy motorcycles with luggage. The irony!
Fortunately, our Polish TET, which we once rode with Paweł, and once with Przemek from enjoyenduropitbike, prepared me enough for this section. My favorite Mitas E-09 Dakar and E-13 Rally Star tires played a big role there. The latter one is my new discovery, which you can read about in the short review.
Some say that mud will seal each tire and each tire becomes just as slippery. I do not entirely agree with that. Croatian mud hides stones and rocks underneath it, and knobby tires are able to use them as attachment points.
Forest areas in Croatia are still heavily mined. Yes, you read that right. Mined. There are areas where you can only walk and ride along the designated paths, and going deeper into the forest can end really badly. If you are interested, I can point you to Wikipedia again, so you can read about the 90s war in this region.
The farther from the coast, the more often there are mine warning signs along the roads and they should not be taken lightly.
The wonderful day of driving and photographing landscapes was over. Hard to believe that I managed to see all these beautiful views in just one day. Croatian TET is great especially for beginner travelers for many reasons. Apart from the fact that most of the route is relatively easy, it’s also effortless to find accommodation or a shop. You can go down to the coast in no time. And there just find a campsite.
I continued to the south. Stones on the trail were increasing, just like the temperature, which is fine for me.
Although the ride was smooth, it was hard not to stop every now and then to take a photo. Every five minutes there were landscapes that were even better than the previous ones. But if you wanted to photograph them all, the route would take 10 instead of 2-3 days! And I had so many places to see!
I finished the TET route near the city of Zadar.
From there, riding the already well-known roads, I visited the surrounding attractions and headed to my favorite city – Makarska. And just like in the previous year, I set up a camp for a few days there. There are many great spots in the area that are perfect for one-day trips.
It is worth seeing the Blue Lake and the Red Lake, but most of all the Biokovo National Park and its highest point – Saint George’s Mountain (Sveti Jure).
On the way back, I stumbled upon the front. Instead of running away and looking for shelter, I wore the Rev’it! raincoat and moved towards the front. Playing a storm hunter was great and the atmosphere above the helmet was unique. I became even more convinced that thanks to a motorcycle you can be closer to all wonders of nature.
The last part of the trip was the Krk island. As always, I met many interesting people and travelers on the road. Greetings to you all!
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