Sports and recreation

    Imperial

    Imperial’s facilities offer visitors 19 tennis courts, two swimming pools, a wellness centre in the Hotel Padova and at the Grand Hotel Imperial and a large open-air sports centre next to the Hotels San Marino in Lopar.

    Grand Hotel Imperial – three tennis courts
    Hotel Padova - wellness centre with indoor and outdoor swimming pool
    Hotel Carolina - three tennis courts and outdoor swimming pool
    Hotel Eva - four tennis courts and bike hire
    TN San Marino - a large open-air sports, recreation and entertainment centre

    The Island of Rab

    The island of Rab is the ninth largest island in the Adriatic and the whole island is crisscrossed by attractive walking and cycle trails. Visitors can obtain a map showing these paths. All the tourist trails, both for mountain climbers and walkers, are carefully indicated, together with marked panoramic viewpoints. Of special interest is the trail which leads up to the highest peak on Rab, Kamenjak, or perhaps the historic Premuzić Path (Premuzićeva staza), constructed by the famous Croatian creator of mountaineering trails, Ante Premužić. From the top of Kamenjak, a beautiful panoramic view stretches over the whole island as well as out over a large portion of the Velebit range and the Velebit channel. As for Premuzić's Path, this passes through the most interesting parts of Kalifront, the protected forest of Dundo and at one point through an area where the effects of erosion can clearly be seen on the flysch formations.

    Walks, cycling and mountain trails on the island of Rab

    Numerous walking and cycling paths will show you the way to attractive locations on the island and give you the chance to enjoy the outstanding natural beauty of the picturesque Mediterranean landscape and experience an active and recreational holiday.
    The island measures 22 km in length from the cape of Sorinj to the cape of Glavina. The island’s width is 11 km.
    The total length of cycling paths on the island of Rab is 80 km. The total length of walking paths on the island of Rab is 100 km.

    Kamenjak hiking trail

    Kamenjak, with its peak at 408 m, is the highest and largest mountain massif, of limestone composition, that protects the island from cold northern influences.
    • From here you can enjoy a spectacular view of the Velebit mountain massif and of the nearby archipelago, the islands of Cres, Lošinj, Silba, Olib, Krk and Pag. On a clear day, when the visibility is extremely good, you can see the mountain of Učka, which is the highest peak of Kvarner, Sis, which is the highest mountain peak of the island of Cres and towards the south the islands of Ugljan and Molatac, which are almost 40 miles away.
    • The best and most encompassing panoramic view of the island of Rab can be enjoyed from the top of the mountain of Kamenjak. The settlements of Barbat and Banjol are located at the foot of Kamenjak, along the coastline and the Channel of Barbat, towards the south. In the southwest of the island a woodland area covers the karst peninsula of Kalifront. The flysch valleys of Supetar-Mundanije and Kampor, separated by a flysch reef, are situated in the centre of the island. A flysch area - the Lopar peninsula - is located in the northwest of the island and is characterised by numerous shallow sandy beaches. We should also mention the bays of Supetar and Kampor for their extraordinary beauty.

    Forest areas – Kalifront peninsula and Dundo forest

    The forests of the Kalifront peninsula are ideal for relaxing hiking. The hilly areas and paths are not demanding, so older visitors can enjoy hiking too.

    The Premužić Path

    The Premužić Path was built around 1930 by Ante Premužić, a university-educated forestry engineer  and a famous architect and constructor of forest roads, mountain hiking paths and an expert in stream management.

    • The Premužić Path on the Kalifront Peninsula This begins left of the source of the Pidok and follows a mild slope. The path then reaches the entrance of the special Dundo botanical forest vegetation reserve. It crosses the asphalt road to Dundo and extends along a private forest, which is enclosed by stonewall. It finally reaches the Dundo forest-ranger’s cottage and ends in the Bay of Christopher (Uvala Kristofora).
    • The Premužić Path in the area of Supetarska Draga – Lopar The length of the path is 5,170 m. It begins in the settlement of Matkići near the village of Supetarska Draga, on the bridge above a dam which regulates the stream waters of Vela Draga. The altitude of the bridge is 12 m above sea-level. The path climbs slowly along the left flow of the Vela Draga stream. At the very beginning there are four large stream dams. Some sixty years ago alpine trees were planted around and in the stream. The path then exits onto a plateau at an altitude of 120-130m above sea-level. On the left side of the path there is a plateau with private properties while on the right there is a rare holm oak forest called Suhanj. Here you can also see an impressive example of a holm oak tree. The path proceeds to the Fruga forest area. Before reaching the rocky karst area, on the left side of the path there is some ground eroded by flooding, which is a good example of the influence of climatic factors on the soil and the significance of vegetation for the protection of such areas. There is also a Roman path, a part of the pathway which typifies the construction methods of the Roman Empire.
      The path reaches a rocky karst area and here you can enjoy wonderful views from the peninsula of Lopar, the islands of Sv. Grgur and Krk. The Velebit mountains can be seen in the background. Due to the impact of the bora wind, the vegetation in this area is quite scarce. The path descends towards the bridge-dam of the Jamina stream, next to the fence of the San Marino campsite in Lopar.

    Other paths on the island of Rab

    • Frkanj – Suha Punta
    • Rab – St. Damien's – Grpe – Rab
    • Rab – Sv. Ilija (St. Elijah's) – Gonar
    • Supetarska Draga – Kampor – Gonar – Dumići
    • around Lopar
    • Lopar – Fruga – Mundanije – Rab
    • Lopar – Ciganka – San Marino

    Diving

    The waters around the island of Rab contain a range of fascinating underwater sites and phenomena. It should be no surprise then that there are no less than six diving centres on the island, which organise professionally-supervised dives and diving schools for many different categories. Under the sea you can admire schools of fish, shells and corals, while around the island there are also several small shipwrecks as well as a whole protected amphora field at Sorinj.

    Other interesting diving locations are: Kostača, Sv. Grgur island, the Macinj cliff, the Medova Buža cave, a wrecked freight ship – the bay of Zavratnica, Lun – the island of Pag, Punta and Kalifront.

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