Krupa River Expedition

Krupa river expedition – the idea

We aimed to integrate our standard packrafting tour with another one of our standard tours – the Krupa River hike. Our plan for the day was to hike the area around Zrmanja River and reach its tributary – the Krupa River. Since Krupa river is a strictly protected nature park we would need to hike all the way to the confluence of the two rivers where we could packraft on the Zrmanja River.

We started our day by packing our 60-liter drybags/backpacks. While the idea of a light and foldable packraft makes the idea of carrying it around sound really cool, the truth is that packrafting always requires more equipment than just the packraft itself. Each drybag/backpack contained a packraft, a wetsuit, a helmet, a life vest, neoprene boots, a snack and drinking water, extra clothes to change into at the finish point, and a dissembled paddle strapped to the drybag.

Packrafting – a new way of exploring

In recent years one of the most exciting pieces of outdoor gear to emerge is the packraft — a single-person raft, small enough to be packed into a backpack. Packrafting has opened up a whole new way of exploring the wilderness, allowing adventurers to combine other disciplines like hiking, trekking, mountain biking, and skiing with bodies of water as a part of the trail. Raftrek Travel has been offering packrafting as one of its standard tours since 2019, yet until now, we have never offered a packrafting adventure fully utilizing the very essence of the packraft – its ability to be seamlessly integrated into a non-water-based adventure. With the main advantages of the packraft in mind, the Raftrek Travel office and guide team have teamed up to scout a new type of adventure to offer our clients – The Krupa river expedition.

The hike to Krupa

We set out from our base and hiked the rugged hills leading to the Krupa River. Looking closely at the barren-looking fields of prickly shrubs and sharp rocks, we noticed the whole area is actually rich with life. Littered among the rocks were many kinds of wildflowers, wonderful insects, and an occasional snake, lizard, and tortoise. We descended the serpentine path into the Krupa River canyon where the vegetation became lush again and the air became cooler. After a quick refreshment in the Krupa river, we traversed the famous Kuda’s Bridge – a protected monument from the 18th century with a romantic legend behind it. According to legend the bridge was built by Kude, a young man who built the bridge to get to the woman he loved on the other side of the Krupa River. We continued our expedition to the point where the Krupa River meets the Zrmanja River and prepared for the packrafting part of the tour.

The packraft part at Zrmanja

After the hot, dusty, and sweaty hike the cold river was a welcome change. We packrafted through rapids and smaller waterfalls, each carrying their packraft around the larger waterfalls. This in itself is a great advantage packrafting has over double kayaking and rafting, where you often can’t handle the vessel on your own. We arrived at the finish point at dusk, looking forward to getting out of our wetsuits which we were starting to get cold in. To sum up the tour, it’s a great way to see the same river canyons from two completely different perspectives. However, we would definitely advertise this tour as something for the more extreme adventurers. The weight of the equipment doesn’t necessarily make the tour more „extreme“ on its own, however, the combination of the weight, the heat, and the terrain definitely make this tour only for the brave.