Tastes and flavours of mountain Učka
Departure is planned at 09:00 from the place the guests are staying at, towards a small town called Rukavac located in Opatija hinterland. After the half-hour drive there, it is time for the first stop of the day by the local beekeeper, where he lets the guests in on the “secrets” of the beekeeping craft. The guests can taste the honey products or even buy some of them if they are interested. After visiting the beekeeper, the tour continues in the direction of a local distillery where the guests can learn the basics and the history of production of rakia (Croatian fruit brandy), liqueur and gin. There is a possibility that the guests, as they are enjoying a cold appetizer, also participate in the production of the Croatian fruit brandy that is called rakia. With a careful selection of flavours that are going to go through the process of maceration, the guests can create a tasty combination that they enjoy as well as a personally designed label for the bottle and take it home as a souvenir in the form of a brandy from our regions.
Then the group sets off to visit the oldest place in the Opatija hinterland – Veprinac, where they, after taking a walk around the old town and visiting the church of St. Mark, also visit the Veprinac Ethno exhibition. After all the sightseeing, the tour continues in the direction of the mountain Učka. After the half-hour ride, the group arrives at Vojak, that is 1401 meters high, which makes it Učka’s highest ridge. Vojak offers the most beautiful view of the Slovenian Alps, Triglav and the Italian Dolomites as well as of Kvarner bay, its islands and Istria. When the sky is very clear, especially after rain, it is even possible to see Venice using binoculars. After half an hour of enjoying the most beautiful panoramic view in the region, the tour continues in the direction of Mala Učka. On the way towards the little town, the tour visits the local herbalist, where they can buy mixtures of herbal teas collected on the mountain. Upon arrival at Mala Učka the guests visit the local dairy production that is based on sheep’s milk, where there’s a possibility to buy some of the products. From Mala Učka the tour continues to Vela Draga, a canyon with high stone pillars, which serve as alpine climbs nowadays, making it look like the Wild West; during the 60s the movie Winnetou was filmed there. On the way back from Vela Draga, there is a stop by a spring of drinkable water which was built under Franz Joseph during the governance of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy. After tasting the water from the spring, which is said to help with “men’s powers” the tour slowly returns to Ičići. Before arrival there is one last stop by the Istrian donkey “tovar” where the guests can use the short break to feed the donkey. The planned arrival to the departure place is at 16:30.
Duration of the trip: 7 hours (9:30 to 16:30)
Price:
The price includes: transport, guide, travel insurance, ticket to the Veprinac ethno collection
The price does not include: honey products and honey, history of the distillery and the production of brandy with a cold appetizer