The Dinaric Karst: much rain, few surface streams

Parts of the Dinaric Karst can look almost “desert-like” on bare limestone plateaus, even though Mount Orjen receives more than 5,000 mm of precipitation a year. Karst fissures, swallow holes and caves route much of the rain underground, leaving few surface streams; water later emerges at springs and can form powerful flows. “Desert-like” describes the rocky landscape, not an arid climate, and the water does not vanish without a trace.