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KARST AND ISTRIA
The Slovene coast's hinterland is the Karst region. The landscape with a very diverse vegetation, the numerous caves, the potholes and other Karst phenomena, the unique architecture and the characteristic red soil carried its name and glory into the world. Excellent wines are poured and sold in the stone houses' cellars, and in the attics excellent pršut (smoked ham) is cured in the bora. This gourmets' paradise is also a heaven for biking. Due to the mild climate and location not far from the sea, cycling is possible in all seasons, but it is the most beautiful in spring and autumn. The Škocjan Caves, a 1.400 meters long and 150 meters deep underground canyon of the Reka, are on the UNESCO's list of natural and cultural world heritage sites.
  
We will ride to the mysterious Istria with magnificent landscapes, "green waves" - hills, some topped with towns, villages or churches, others with streams, crags, forests, marly dunes, ivy-covered old citadels and you will be able to feel that here are the legends still alive.
The White or the Northern Istria is distinct for its rocky surface - it is the Čičarija range and the Karst with Ucka preventing the cold winds from entering the inner parts.
The Grey Istria was named by the marl soil in Istria, known also as fliš. The layers of marl that have not been covered by grass or vegetation sometimes look like a desert. In places where the land is cultivated, with lots of springs and moisture, dense vegetation thrives.
The Red Istria (by the red soil - the terra rosa) was populated first, and there the continuity of human existence can be traced to the pre-historic times.
When you travel through Istria, the country with stone walls, cultivated fields, vineyards and olive groves, you travel through an ancient land, rich with past and its portents. Istria belongs to the Mediterranean for its history, monuments, landscapes, products of the soil and the Mediterranean sense of life.
  
ITNERARY
1 day: Arrival to Karst ( Lipica )
2 day: KARST – Škocian Caves
(biking 40 - 55 km)
3 day: KARST - Čičarija
(biking 40 - 50 km)
4 day: WHITE ISTRIA - Mountain Učka
(biking 30 – 40 km)
5 day: GREY ISTRIA - Motovun
(biking 45 - 55 km)
6 day: RED ISTRIA - Momjan
(biking 40 - 50 km)
7 day: WEST COAST- Piran
(biking 45- 55 km)
8 day: Departue from Piran
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