Camping on Vransko Lake as an idea for your next vacation

10.10.2022
Camping

Camping on Vransko Lake was one of our summer plans this year because we wanted to experience a slightly different summer vacation. It turned out to be one of the best ideas we’ve had in years because our wallets thanked us for it too – renting a camping spot is much cheaper than renting a hotel or apartment. Of course, you can also camp in a luxurious way, but that was not what we wanted this year. Our goal was to see as much as possible and spend as little money as possible, and you will see if we succeeded in that below!

Why camping on Vransko Lake when we could choose from so many campsites by the sea?

Everyone knows that Croatia has a beautiful clear sea and numerous campsites right by the sea – so why did we decide to pay for a summer vacation on the lake?

Apart from the first item that comes to mind (camping by the lake is cheaper than by the sea), there are also many others, such as the fact that we have never been to this place before. Why should we go to the same places every year when there are so many in Croatia that we haven’t had the chance to visit yet!

The experience of swimming in fresh water is much different than that of swimming in the sea. However, some of us decided that they did not want to swim in Vransko Lake because they do not like stagnant water – which we understand. This is exactly what brings us to the next reason for visiting this camp, which is the fact that the Vransko Lake Crkvine camp is only about 20 minutes away from the famous coastal town of Pakoštane. So, we had the opportunity to swim in the sea whenever we wanted without paying enormous sums of money for apartments or hotels in this tourist town. In order to save even more, we did not go to Pakoštan by car, but brought bicycles from home and went to the beach on them. So we combined the pleasant with the useful and got a fun and active vacation.

Pakoštane is not the only place that did not take us much time to get to from the camp, so the main conclusion of our summer vacation there is that this is the perfect base if you are planning trips to different places.

Something about the camp itself

The camp itself is equipped with 3 different categories of campsites: mobile homes (more luxurious camping), sites surrounded by stone walls with water and electricity connections + drainage (we were there) and unfenced sites with only electricity connections.

Regarding hygiene, we can say that we were more than satisfied, because the price of renting a place includes showers, toilets and a place for morning hygiene. The common “bathroom” itself is extremely nicely decorated and clean because the cleaners do their job very well every day. We have to admit that you have never once come across a dirty floor, shower or toilet seat. There was never a shortage of paper for wiping hands, nor was there a shortage of soap. There are also washing machines and refrigerators that can be additionally rented, as well as a shared barbecue. In the camp, as is usually the case, there is a small supermarket with basic groceries, but as expected, the prices are a bit higher than in ordinary stores.

What we have to mention is that the tourist tax in the amount of 16 Euros (HRK 120) is paid when you leave the camp, and if you want to use the electricity connection, you must first go to the guest registration point and pay 20 euros to rent a special adapter. We emphasize these two things because we did not know that we would have to pay extra for them since that was not stated anywhere, so we assumed that they were included in the price we had previously paid.

Ornithological reserve

While camping on Vransko Lake, we could not bypass the ornithological reserve, which is located in the immediate vicinity of the camp. Since this entire area is protected as a Nature Park, it is not surprising that numerous species of birds have settled here – even some endangered ones. Vransko lake nature park is one of the last preserved Mediterranean wetland habitats, and during a walk along the educational path “Birds of Vransko lake” it is possible to see more than 260 different species of birds.

Today’s ornithological reserve covers an area of 8.83 square kilometers, which is the remnant of the former at least twice the size of the Vransko blato. (Vransko blato was a swamp that was drained back in the 18th century.) An interesting fact that we learned at the beginning of our tour of the educational trail is that as many as 60% of birds from all over Croatia live in this area during at least one part of their life cycle. Vrana lake is especially important for the dangubi heron and the little crow, which can only nest in well-preserved wetland habitats.

We started our walk by buying tickets and looking at the brochure that we got from the seller. The ornithological reserve does not have organized tours with guides, so you will explore the area all by yourself, and you can educate yourself by reading the boards placed on the wooden fences. What we didn’t do, but it is possible – at the information center of the Crkvine at the beginning of the tour, you can rent binoculars and a manual for bird watching, as well as an electric bicycle.

The trail itself is a little more than 550 meters long, and every now and then there are observation decks with benches where you can climb and watch the entire reserve from a bird’s eye view. Unfortunately, we were here at a time when there weren’t many birds around, so we only had the chance to see a few herons and a lot of seagulls. Despite this, we can say that we enjoyed ourselves because the view of nature from the educational trail is truly enchanting.

Sports fishing on Vransko Lake

Camping on Vransko Lake is an ideal vacation for people who enjoy sport fishing, since it is allowed in this area due to large quantities of fish. The lake is a habitat for babushka, sunfish, gambusia and bream that can be caught without restrictions, but also pike, catfish, carp, tench and similar fish that can be caught, but only two pieces of fish up to 8 kg in weight can be taken home. Vransko Lake is also home to the eel, which is a strictly protected species and its fishing is prohibited. Fishing is allowed outside the ornithological reserve from sunrise to 11 p.m. with a fishing permit.

We didn’t go fishing, but we saw some guests who even brought boats with them and went fishing in the very center of the lake. There were different boats, rubber ones and wooden ones, smaller and bigger ones. Since our campsite was located closest to the lake, every evening we had the opportunity to watch the fishermen, but also the magical sunset on Vransko Lake.

Your CTC Team, A. M.