Izvor rijeke Bijele

Useful Information

Location:	23450, Gornji Karin. A1 E65 exit 19 Benkovac, turn right on D27 and follow road for 27 km. At the turnoff to Karin Gornji take the opposite direction, signposted Kunovac. After 500 m, before the road crosses the mostly dry Bijele river, park the car at the road. (44.1348984, 15.6561984)
Open:	no restrictions. [2024]
Fee:	free. [2024]
Classification:	Karst Spring
Light:	n/a
Dimension:	L=225 m, A=182 m asl.
Guided tours:	self guided
Photography:	allowed
Accessibility:	no
Bibliography:
Address:	Turistički ured TZ Obrovac, Ante Starčevića 34, 23450 Obrovac, Tel: +385-23-689-870, Cell: +385-91-1689-911, Cell: +385-91-6032-056. E-mail:
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History

Description

Izvor rijeke Bijele (White River Spring) is a typical karst spring, a seasonal spring, which produces water during wet times in winter and allows to enter a cave when it is dry during summer. The cave entrance is located at 182 m asl, from here its only 2 km to the sea, so the valley the river cut is narrow and steep, the river forms numerous rapids and cuts fast into the rock. The limestone rich karst water is typically blue or sometimes green, because it filters the white sunlight. We read on a page that the cave was called white river because of its white colour cause by the limestone. That's obviously nonsense. We guess it was named so because the rapids make the water white, the english term is whitewater. Also, the precipitated limestone from the water has formed a white cover on the riverbed, which is refreshed during every flood. During the dry summer it is pure white, while the surrounding limestone rocks are grey or blueish. The gorge has numerous waterfalls up to 30 m high. There are also some tufa deposits, where the dissolved limestone precipitated and formed porous and bulbous structures

The cave behind the spring was explored for 225 m. However, it is not possible for tourists to enter this cave, this one is only for cavers. It not only requires caving gear, it is also very dangerous, because a rainfall can cause the flooding of the cave.

The visit starts at road 27, at the turnoff to Karin Gornji take the opposite direction, signposted Kunovac. After 500 m, before the road crosses the mostly dry Bijele river, park the car at the road and follow the gravel single lane track towards the mountains. It leads along kanjon rijeke Bijele (Bijele River Gorge), on the left side of the valley. The trail often uses a ledge in the cliff face, which is quite spectacular. Finally, the spring is reached, which is a little uphill on the opposite side of the valley. The hike is about 1.8 km long, but the elevation gain of 140 m is a little exhausting. We suggest going early when its cooler. The trail is listed on numerous hiking portals.