Plitvice Lakes National Park, Croatia
Plitvice Lakes National Park is
the oldest national park in Southeast Europe and the largest national park in
Croatia.
The national park was founded in
1949 and is situated in the mountainous karst area of central Croatia, at the
border to Bosnia and Herzegovina. The important north-south road connection,
which passes through the national park area, connects the Croatian inland with
the Adriatic coastal region.
Within the boundaries of this
heavily forested national park, 16 crystalline lakes tumble into each other via
a series of waterfalls and cascades. The mineral-rich waters carve through the
rock, depositing tufa in continually changing formations. Clouds of butterflies
drift above the 18km of wooden footbridges and pathways which snake around the edges
and under and across the rumbling water.
It takes upwards of six hours to
explore the lakes on foot, or you can slice two hours off by taking advantage
of the park's free boats and buses (departing every 30 minutes from April to
October). From Entrance 2, catch the bus to the top of the upper lakes and
wander back down to the shore of Kozjak, the park's largest lake (about 4km in
length). A boat will whisk you from here to the lower lakes, where the circuit
culminates in the aptly named Veliki Slap, the tallest waterfall in Croatia
(78m). The path then climbs steeply (offering great views and photo
opportunities) to a bus stop, where you can grab a lift back to Entrance 2.
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If you've got limited time, the
upper lake section can be completed in two hours. The lower section takes about
three, although we recommend that you start with the bus ride and end with the
boat to save yourself a climb.
Rowboats can be hired from the
shores of Lake Kozjak near Entrance 2 (50KN per hour). Note: swimming is not
permitted in any of the lakes.
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