The secret side of Gorski Kotar you won’t find in a guidebook

(Photo: Private album)

By Hana Klain 

Many visitors discover Gorski Kotar through its forests, mountain peaks and crystal-clear lakes. Yet its true character is best revealed by those who call it home.

That is precisely what Jelena Holenko, licensed tourist guide and founder of Lynx & Fox, offers through a wide range of experiences that introduce visitors to the region’s nature, gastronomy, traditions and everyday life.

In this interview with Croatia Week, she explains how her tours are created, what surprises visitors most about Gorski Kotar, and why guests come here not simply to relax, but to experience Croatia’s green heart in an entirely different way.

Your tours reveal many different faces of Gorski Kotar – from Delnice and Lokve Lake to the Kupa River, Golubinjak Forest Park and hidden woodland trails. How do you help first-time visitors choose the experience that will make them want to return?

Over the years, I have taken thousands of photographs and videos of Gorski Kotar, but at the same time I have also refined the way I describe our tours.

My descriptions are never just a list of distances, elevations or places to visit. Instead, I try to convey how I personally feel on a particular trail, what continues to inspire me every time I return, and what previous guests have shared about their own experiences.

That combination of personal insight and genuine guest feedback creates an honest and authentic picture, helping people quickly recognise whether a particular tour is the right fit for them.

Jelena Holenko (Photo: Private album)

Private tours are completely different. We take the time to get to know our guests, asking about their interests, fitness levels, whether they are travelling with children or older family members, and whether they are most interested in nature, gastronomy, history or meeting local people.

We don’t sell pre-packaged itineraries. Instead, we create a day that is tailored specifically to each individual or group.

The greatest compliment I can receive is when guests return because they have realised that Gorski Kotar is not a destination you visit once and tick off a list. It is a whole little world that reveals itself gradually, with every new visit.

Your private tours are tailored to each guest’s interests, available time and fitness level. What is the most unusual starting point someone has ever given you when asking you to design a tour?

In reality, it is often we who surprise our guests with ideas they had never even considered before arriving.

We’ve welcomed visitors with breakfast prepared from local produce at a scenic forest viewpoint or organised picnics beside one of our rivers.

(Photo: Private album)

That is the beauty of a tailor-made experience. Because nothing is fixed in advance, we can create small, memorable moments that often stay with people far longer than the list of places they visited.

A particularly special type of guest is someone who comes to Gorski Kotar in search of their family roots.

Many have spent years researching old documents, family photographs, surnames and addresses. Once they arrive, we become their guides, interpreters and bridge to the local community.

We help them understand the historical and social context, which can often seem incredibly complex to those unfamiliar with the region.

Changing borders, different place names, waves of emigration and family stories that have evolved over generations all add layers to the search.

We accompany them through villages, churches and cemeteries, help identify houses or locations connected to their ancestors, and speak with local residents, parish priests or anyone who may remember the family.

Sometimes we even manage to reconnect them with living relatives. These journeys become much more than sightseeing. Standing beside someone who has returned to the place their family left more than a century ago and helping them connect family stories with real landscapes and real people is an incredibly emotional experience.

(Photo: Private album)

Your interpretative walking tour Experience the Story of Delnice introduces the town through its aromas, flavours, art, local people and details that most visitors would never notice. Which moment during the tour most often changes visitors’ perception of Delnice?

Places like Delnice truly benefit from tours like these because, without a guide, many visitors would never venture beyond the main street. They might stop for a coffee before continuing their journey, never realising that just a few steps away lies an entirely different world.

One such place is Popović’s Mill. Behind what appears to be an ordinary door is a beautiful garden, centuries-old heritage and a remarkable story of dedication, loss, return and a new entrepreneurial beginning.

Stories like these – stories about people as much as places – completely transform the way visitors see the town.

They realise that Delnice is not simply somewhere to pass through, but a place whose story deserves to be discovered patiently, one chapter at a time.

During your interpretive tours, visitors don’t simply observe – they become part of the story. How willing are today’s travellers to leave behind the role of tourist and truly immerse themselves in the experience?

I think they are very willing – but first they need to feel they can trust you.

The breathtaking nature of Gorski Kotar certainly helps, but so does the way we approach our work. My fellow guides at Lynx & Fox and I are always thoroughly prepared.

We are professional and take our responsibility seriously, yet we are also relaxed, approachable and confident in what we do.

Once guests feel they are in safe hands, they stop worrying about whether they might be missing something or what comes next.

After a long and demanding week, they no longer have to plan, organise or make decisions. They can simply listen, taste, participate and enjoy.

(Photo: Private album)

I believe that feeling – that we take care of everything while they are free to fully relax – is one of the most valuable parts of the experience.

Gastronomy plays an important role in your tours. Can anyone truly understand Gorski Kotar without tasting its food?

You can certainly see Gorski Kotar without tasting its cuisine, but it is difficult to truly understand it.

Behind every traditional dish lies the relationship between people and nature – a relationship shaped by long winters, dense forests, resourcefulness and the ability to make the most of what the land provides.

For me, however, the most rewarding part of our culinary experiences is introducing guests to the people behind the food.

There is Mario, a restaurateur who has continued his grandfather’s legacy while successfully combining traditional Gorski Kotar cuisine with a contemporary approach.

There is Jelena, a beekeeper who balances family life with a profession that is still sometimes viewed as unconventional for a woman.

There is Senada, who will greet visitors with a smile behind her cheese stall even while facing personal hardships on her farm, because she sees her animals not simply as livestock but as members of the family.

And there is Mrs Blažica from the Plodovi gorja Gorskog kotara Association, who has spent decades passionately promoting the region’s local produce while dealing with the realities of funding, organisation, administration and everything that goes into keeping a long-standing event alive.

Once guests meet these people, every bite tells a story.

It becomes a story of someone’s life, hard work, perseverance and deep love for this remarkable region.

(Photo: Private album)

How do you choose the local producers, flavours and hosts featured in your culinary experiences? Does every taste you introduce to your guests need to have a story behind it?

Absolutely. Every flavour should have a story, although it doesn’t have to be perfect or polished for marketing purposes. It simply has to be genuine.

Gorski Kotar is home to a remarkable variety of producers. For example, Vid and his wife craft distinctive liqueurs using local herbs, forest fruits and wild berries. His wife, an expert in medicinal plants, spent years researching and refining recipes before creating the products they are known for today.

At the other end of the spectrum, we also work with a husband-and-wife team who are professors at the Faculty of Agriculture. Their sophisticated beverages are the result of exceptional knowledge, scientific precision and years of expertise, offering flavours that satisfy even the most discerning palates.

These are two completely different worlds, yet both are equally valuable.

My role is a little like that of a film director. First, I choose the people and stories that I believe are the perfect match for a particular group. Then I introduce guests to what they are about to experience, creating anticipation and excitement. Once that happens, I step back and allow our hosts to take centre stage.

The most rewarding moments are those that cannot be scripted – when an honest conversation naturally develops between a guest and a local producer.

(Photo: Private album)

You also organise experiences such as Hiking and Cocktails, where mountain trails meet local gastronomy. How did you bring together two worlds that seem so different at first glance?

The idea was born during the Raspberry Festival through a collaboration between several organisers who wanted to offer visitors something delicious, photogenic, enjoyable and a little unexpected.

Hiking and cocktails may sound like an unusual combination, but they actually complement each other perfectly.

More and more people are embracing outdoor activities and healthier lifestyles, yet that doesn’t mean giving up life’s small pleasures, whether it’s an expertly crafted cocktail or a homemade strudel. Quite the opposite – after a good walk, everything tastes even better.

Raspberries became the connecting thread of the experience. Although they thrive in our region, they often live in the shadow of the more famous blueberry. We wanted to celebrate this beautiful local fruit while combining nature, movement, gastronomy and socialising into one memorable experience.

I don’t believe every travel experience has to be overly serious or educational.

Sometimes the best memories are created simply because people had a wonderful time.

Your night walks reveal how the same forest becomes an entirely different world after sunset. What do guests experience at night that they could never discover during the day?

Many people rarely venture into a forest at all, let alone in the middle of the night.

Once daylight disappears, every sense becomes sharper.

You walk by the glow of small lanterns while everything around you is enveloped in darkness. A snapping twig, rustling leaves or a distant sound instantly awaken your imagination. What’s hidden in the darkness? Is it real or imagined? Is it something to fear or simply part of the forest coming alive?

We enrich these night walks with local legends, stories of mythical creatures and live musical performances.

Imagine everyone standing in the middle of the forest as every light is switched off. Complete darkness surrounds you. Then, out of nowhere, the sound of a violin begins to echo through the trees.

In moments like these, the forest is no longer just scenery.

It becomes a stage.

In many ways, we create small immersive performances where nature, darkness, music and storytelling come together to engage every sense.

(Photo: Private album)

You guide families, children, business teams, hikers and organised groups. Which group surprises you the most – and why?

Interestingly, the answer isn’t among the groups you’ve mentioned.

Some of my favourite guests are active older travellers.

Of course we love working with children, and corporate groups can be both fascinating and challenging, but people who have already experienced so much in life often appreciate the simplest moments most deeply.

They rediscover the joy of a good story, a familiar song, homemade food, breathtaking scenery and genuine laughter.

It’s as if they begin seeing the world with the curiosity of children again – but with the wisdom to understand just how precious those moments really are. Their enthusiasm is often extraordinary.

Quite often they are the first to start singing, the last to want the day to end, and the first to ask where we’re going together next.

A team-building event in the forest sounds very different from a typical corporate workshop. What can a woodland trail reveal about people that would never become apparent in an office?

In the office, everyone’s role is already defined.

You know who is in charge, who leads the meeting, who speaks the most and who tends to remain quiet.

Nature changes that dynamic almost immediately.

The quiet colleague may be the first to notice someone who needs help. The manager who usually leads the team may suddenly find themselves relying on someone else’s advice.

And the person nobody expected to take charge may become the calmest and most resourceful when the group encounters an unexpected challenge.

A woodland trail quickly reveals who slows down to wait for others, who encourages the group forward, who turns everything into a competition, and who uses humour to lift everyone’s spirits when rain begins to fall or the path becomes muddy.

Nature has a remarkable way of stripping away professional masks. People stop being defined by their job titles and become themselves again.

That is why a meaningful team-building experience in nature doesn’t need a long list of artificial exercises. Sometimes all it takes is creating the right conditions for people to share something authentic together.

(Photo: Private album)

Has a guest ever surprised you by noticing something on a familiar tour that made you see your own region differently?

Yes, and one particular experience has stayed with me.

During a hike in Risnjak National Park, a group of international visitors began asking detailed questions about the geological origins of the landscape and the formation of its rock formations.

It made me realise that this was an area I knew far less about than I had imagined.

I was familiar with the trails, the flora and fauna, the local stories and the history of the region, but I had always taken the rocks around me for granted. They had simply been part of the landscape.

Their curiosity inspired me to start reading and learning about the geology of Gorski Kotar. Suddenly, an entirely new world opened before me, a world that had always been there, but one I had never truly learned to read.

That’s one of the greatest joys of this profession. A guide is never someone who has finished learning.

Every guest brings a fresh perspective, asks unexpected questions and reminds you to look at your own home with new eyes.

Risnjak (Photo: Private album)

Many destinations today create attractions designed to look impressive on social media. You work with nature, which never pretends to be anything other than itself. Has authenticity become the greatest luxury in modern travel?

I truly believe it has.

Today, real luxury is finding places beyond the best-known routes, discovering destinations that haven’t already been photographed by everyone you follow online, and experiencing something that exists for its own sake rather than for the perfect Instagram post.

Nature doesn’t perform.

In Gorski Kotar you may be welcomed by sunshine, mist, rain, mud or complete silence. That unpredictability is exactly what makes every experience genuine.

Of course, authenticity should never mean poor organisation or a lack of professionalism. Our responsibility is to create experiences that are well organised, safe and enjoyable, but never to turn nature into a stage set.

It is equally important to me that tourism supports the people who live here rather than exhausting either the landscape or the local community.

Good tourism should bring local residents pride, sustainable income, meaningful connections and a reason to continue protecting the place they call home.

To me, the greatest luxury isn’t having nature all to yourself because you’ve paid a premium price.

It’s knowing that your visit has helped ensure this place will continue to thrive for generations to come.

For Croatia Week readers who know Croatia mainly for its coastline and islands, which of your tours would you recommend as the perfect first introduction to Gorski Kotar – and why?

I would recommend our private panoramic tour of Gorski Kotar.

In a single day, guests can explore caves, lakes, rivers, panoramic viewpoints and forests before ending the day with outstanding local cuisine.

It offers a wonderful introduction to everything that makes this region so unique.

One of the most remarkable things about Gorski Kotar is how dramatically the landscape changes over relatively short distances.

You might begin the morning underground in a cave, continue beside a tranquil lake, spend midday overlooking mountain peaks, and finish the afternoon relaxing by a river or sharing a meal with a local host.

By the end of the day, most visitors realise that Gorski Kotar is far more than a green stopover on the way to the Adriatic coast.

It is a destination in its own right – one that deserves to be explored slowly and revisited time and time again.

(Photo: Private album)

Final message

You can find all our current tours, interpretive walks, culinary experiences and special events in the calendar on our website at www.lynxandfox.com/kalendar

I warmly invite Croatia Week readers to explore what’s currently on offer, choose the experience that speaks to them and join us in discovering Gorski Kotar.

The best way to experience this remarkable region is by walking its forest trails, listening to the stories of its people and tasting the flavours that have been shaped by generations.

We’ll take care of the journey – you simply enjoy the experience.