The 221-kilometre-long Lynx Cycling Trail, which takes you from Pivka in Slovenia through the Snežník forests and Gorski Kotar to Rijeka in Croatia, has already attracted some cyclists in the two months since it was set up.
The first to ride the trail were two Austrian cyclists, Maria Prasch and Gabriele Ruthofer. After their arrival in Rijeka, they told us that they really enjoyed cycling through the beautiful and changeable Dinaric landscape. On their first day of cycling they also encountered 2 bears, which they found very exciting. Thanks to a visit to the Dina Pivka Center of Large Carnivores, they knew how to behave if they encountered wild animals.
Photo: Maria Prasch and Gabriele Ruthofer
The cycling trail has an educational and awareness-raising role, as visitors to the Dina Pivka center can learn about the lynx and its secret life, as well as its role in the ecosystem, and while cycling along the forest trails, they can also learn about the habitat in which this Europe’s biggest cat actually lives.
The trail was created in the framework of the LIFE Lynx project in cooperation between the Biotechnical Faculty, the BIOM association, the European cycling community gravgrav.cc, the company I-RIS.cc, the artist Chiara Terraneo, the Pivka Public Institute for Tourism and the Risnjak National Park.
Photo: Maria Prasch and Gabriele Ruthofer
You can ride the route with just a GPX track and enjoy the beautiful karst mountains of Slovenia and Croatia, but you will enjoy the Lynx Cycling Trail even more if you get a starter package, which you can buy at the Dina Pivka Center of Large Carnivores. The starter packages were donated to DINA Pivka from gravgrav.cc and I-RIS.cc, so the profit will go to the DINA Pivka center for production of new starter packages. By purchasing a starter package, you will be supporting the Dina Center, thus contributing to raising awareness and educating people about large carnivores and coexistence with them, and thus also contributing to the long-term conservation of the lynx in Europe.
The ride (with the starter package) will offer you an interactive and educational experience, and it will be more than just a bike ride. Even if you decide to not buy the starter package we strongly advise you to visit DINA Pivka Centre, before cycling the Lynx Trail, because it is very important that you learn how to behave in case you encounter wild animals on the trail.
The description of the route can be found on gravgrav.