Zeleni Vir and the Devil's Passage

Two things sit at the bottom of the same wooded valley below Skrad. Vrazji prolaz, the Devil's Passage, is a slot gorge barely a couple of metres wide in places, walked on wooden walkways and metal steps bolted above a stream that drops through it in a series of small falls. Zeleni vir, the green whirl, is a pool at the foot of a waterfall that comes over a mossy rock face, with a small stone hydroelectric building beside it dating from the earliest days of electricity in this region. A cave sits above the pool. The descent from the village is steep, and the return climb is the part people forget to plan for.

What you actually see

• The Devil's Passage - a narrow gorge with wooden walkways fixed above the stream between vertical walls.
• Zeleni vir waterfall - a fall over a mossy rock wall into a deep green pool.
• The old power house - a small stone hydroelectric building beside the pool, among the earliest in the region.
• Muzeva hizica cave - a shallow cave in the rock face above the pool, reached by a short side path.

When to go

May to October, when the walkways are open and maintained. Spring brings the most water and the strongest waterfall. The gorge is closed after heavy rain and through winter, and closures can be abrupt, so check locally before driving out. Early morning is coolest and least crowded in the narrow sections.

Honest expectations

Everything in the gorge is wet, and the wooden walkways and rock steps are genuinely slippery in any conditions. The path down from Skrad is steep and the climb back up is a solid effort in heat. In summer the narrow section jams because there is no room to pass. Sections are periodically closed for repair, sometimes at short notice.

Nearby

Risnjak National Park lies west, and Kamacnik gorge near Vrbovsko is a short drive east.