Wildlife
Visit the Kuterevo Bear Refuge
Gospić · Lika & Plitvice
QUICK INFORMATION
- CATEGORY
- Wildlife
- COUNTRY
- Croatia
- REGION
- Gospić · Lika & Plitvice
- DURATION
- About an hour.
- DIFFICULTY
- Easy.
- BEST TIME
- April to October.
ABOUT THIS EXPERIENCE
The Kuterevo refuge is a volunteer-run sanctuary at the foot of Velebit that takes in orphaned brown-bear cubs — usually young whose mothers were killed by traffic or poaching — and raises them in large forest enclosures. Visitors walk the enclosure paths with guides and watch the bears at close range in semi-wild conditions; the refuge is also a working statement about coexistence between Lika’s people and the wild animals of the mountains.
WHAT YOU’LL EXPERIENCE
What you’ll experience
You walk the viewing paths above the forest enclosures with a guide, who explains the bears’ stories and the life of the refuge. The bears forage, climb and play below — close, visible and genuinely wild in behaviour. The visit takes an hour or so, and the mountain village setting at the foot of Velebit is a destination in itself.
THE EXPERIENCE IN DETAIL
What it’s really like
HIGHLIGHTS
Moments worth savouring
Brown bears seen reliably, at close range, in semi-wild enclosures.
A volunteer-run refuge with a serious conservation story.
The village of Kuterevo at the foot of Velebit — famous for roof-shingle craft.
WHAT TO EXPECT
Good to know before you go
The refuge is near Kuterevo village, about 40 minutes south-west of Gospić toward Otočac. Visiting is on foot with guides; a small donation supports the bears. Bears are most active in the cooler hours of morning and late afternoon.
WHY IT MATTERS
Why it matters
Kuterevo is the most reliable place in Croatia to see the brown bears that live — invisibly — throughout the Velebit and Plitvice forests, and the visit directly supports their care. For a visitor it turns the region’s shyest wildlife into a real encounter.
PRACTICAL INFORMATION
Before you go
THROUGH THE LENS
From the road
MAP & LOCATION
Visit the Kuterevo Bear Refuge
Visit the Kuterevo Bear Refuge, Gospić, Lika & Plitvice, Croatia
44.8266, 15.1389
ATTRACTIONS NEARBY
Pair it with these sights
MORE EXPERIENCES
More to do in Gospić
FOOD & DRINK
Where to eat nearby
Lika konobas in Gospić — lamb under the bell, potato “under the bell” and škripavac cheese
Town-centre restaurants and bakeries along the main street
HOTELS & STAYS
Where to stay nearby
Hotels and guesthouses in Gospić town centre
Rural accommodation and camps in the Plitvice hinterland (see Camping in Lika)
NEARBY DESTINATIONS
Continue the journey
PART OF
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