Croatia is about to extend the "world's biggest welcome," thanks to an industrious outdoor enthusiast and a bit of ingenious use of technology.

Earlier this week, adventurer Daniel Lacko set out on a pre-designed course that will see him traveling by foot, kayak, and bike along the Croatian coastline. The 1550+ mile long route will take him through remote backcountry, across open water, and up towering mountains. All the while he'll be using a GPS device to track his progress, and record his path, which will spell out the word "Welcome" across the map of Croatia when he finished.

Daniel's planned route will pass through some of the most stunning landscapes in his home country, including eight national parks, three nature preserves, and several other protected areas. He'll also climb ten mountains and kayak or swim through 370 miles of water along the sea and six different rivers. In order for this project to succeed, he'll need to strictly adhere to the prescribed path, no matter where it might take him

If all goes as planned, Lacko hopes to complete the journey and arrive in Dubrovnik by June 5th, which is World Environment Day. If he is successful, he'll also be issuing one giant "welcome" to the rest of the world. Follow his progress on the World's Biggest Welcome website and on the project's Facebook page.

Croatia is quite the destination for adventure travelers. The fantastic landscapes offer plenty of great hiking and climbing opportunities and its numerous rivers, not to mention great coastline, make it popular for paddlers as well. it was because of all those things that we put it on our recent list of five great European adventure destinations.

Filed under: Biking, Climbing, Arts and Culture, Hiking, Paddling, Europe, Croatia, Camping, Ecotourism, News