We love visiting national parks and having visited several, each time I think this is the best one yet- Yosemite, Grand Canyon, Banff in Canada – these are all beautiful. But then we saw Plitvice and it is unlike anything else we have seen. Wow, Plitvice is out of the world stunning. Beginning of June, the waterfalls were lavish in cascading water, the foliage was a dark green canopy all around and with clear lakes and waters, I think Plitvice is the most beautiful national park I have seen so far anywhere in the world.
Plitvice is spread out on a very large area of some 300 square km. It is also deservedly on the UNESCO World Heritage List and is the oldest and largest national park in Croatia. The park has some 16 named lakes and several smaller lakes, cascading one into the next. It is divided into the Upper and Lower lakes. The upper lakes were formed on impermeable dolomite rock, and are larger, with more indented and gentler shores than the Lower Lakes. The Lower Lakes were formed in permeable limestone substrate, cut into a deep canyon with steep cliffs. The park and lakes change over the years as directed by nature. The hiking trails are pretty well done and in many areas boardwalks take you across sections.
Some park recommendations are:-
- The boardwalks are not very wide so please do follow park etiquette and keep to a single file so people can walk in both directions.
- Follow the marked trails, and do not litter, or mark or harm nature in any form.
- Swimming is not allowed in the park
- Wear appropriate clothing and footwear. Please do wear high quality sneakers or hiking shoes. My women’s Clarks were not enough and I definitely wished I had worn good quality sneakers.
- Bring adequate rain and sun protection after checking forecasts
- Never hike alone, keep maps and time yourself so you are back before dark.
- Pay close attention to the sign boards so you don’t end up on the wrong path and have to loop again. You will be so tired with all the walking you definitely don’t want to end up on the wrong path or have to backtrack.
The Plitvice Lakes National Park offers visitors seven different routes to tour the lake system, and four hiking trails. Tickets and a detailed map can be purchased at entrance 1 and 2.
We chose to stay in the park itself in Hotel Plitvice and it was a very comfortable stay. The hotel is clean and rooms are spacious. There is no AC but it was not an issue for us, weather was pleasant when we were there. Food was decent enough but please do purchase bottled water before you reach the park . At the park we paid 27 kuna for a small bottle of water when outside you would be able to purchase a large bottle for 6 kuna. Oh well, I guess we did our part to help the Croatian economy and in particular preserve this unique and gorgeous park. The other big hotel in the park is Hotel Jezero. Staying in the park saves you time and you can start your day earlier before huge buses full of tourists arrive. Plitvice has seen an ever increasing number of visitors so please do start as early as possible in the day and if possible pick a month outside of July and August. In winter though much of the park is not easily accessible. Also note that there is nothing else around Plitvice Lakes so you would come to this part of Croatia just to see this stunning park.
We spent a lot of time before the trip trying to choose the hiking route in Plitvice and pored over maps. In the end we were between Route C and Route H which are essentially the same but in opposite directions.
The morning we were at the park while having breakfast, I noticed that there was a Rick Steves tour group also present so I stopped to say hello to their Tour guide and asked for his opinion. He recommended Route H and said we are leaving soon at 8.15 am if you want to join us. That cinched our decision so Route H it was. And in fact initially we were keeping pace with their group until our fascination with the whole area and picture taking meant we lost them as they were moving along at a really fast pace. As long as you pay attention to the signs and have a full map which we had purchased at the entrance when we got our tickets, you should be fine.
Route H is mostly downhill except for the last bit since you start with a bus ride to the top and will start with the Upper Lakes. However in Route H, you will be walking at times with your back to some of the falls. And also with route H you end up at the Lower Lakes later in the day when it is really crowded so if walking uphill is not an issue, I think Route C may in fact be a better option.
Route C starts at the Lower Lakes and walks facing the falls but you will be walking uphill almost all the way except it is a gradual incline and to those who are fit you will not have any issues. Both routes include steps all through the hike and boardwalks and also a climb to see Veliki Slap (Big waterfall). Both routes will take a minimum of 5 hours. Also the wooden boardwalks in some areas are also steps and it is really difficult to make out the steps so look down carefully and watch your steps else you could be injured.
We purchased tickets at entrance 2 and walked to the bus stop and waited for the bus at stop ST2. The bus takes you up the hill to the upper lakes and then you start your walk on Route H. As you keep walking you will be ever more delighted with all the scenery. After a good walk you will end up at P2 where you need to take your boat to P3 stop. Now this may end up being a wait of 20 minutes. Totally depends on your luck and if there are enough boats running. We had to wait for a while. When you get down after the boat ride, you will find a restaurant where you can get a coffee or snacks and also there are bathrooms. It’s a good break but don’t linger if you want to finish your hike in a decent time.
As we continued the hike, the number of people kept increasing and it was a jostle on the boardwalks especially when people were not courteous enough to walk single file and there are of course people going in both directions. Even so we were rewarded with stunning views as we walked. Eventually we made it to the Veliki Slap or Big waterfall. (It’s not exactly big like Niagara Falls but it is the highest and largest waterfall in Plitvice) Veliki Slap is close to entrance 1 so if you were doing Route C you would come across it in the beginning. In our case reaching Veliki Slap meant that we were pretty close to the end of our Route H hike.
At the very end of our route H we walked uphill just for a bit and then waited for the bus that would take us back to Entrance 2 and to our hotel Plitvice. We had time for a quick lunch at the hotel itself while we waited for Andrija from Degenija Tours who was due to pick us up at 2 pm for the drive to Motovun, Istria. Plitvice Lakes is most certainly worth your time traveling to the interior of Croatia. If you have 2 nights to spend, your hikes can be split on 2 days and you would have a more relaxed experience. We were however able to cover the Upper and Lower lakes in one long hike on a single day. Plitvice is beautiful and we are so glad to have seen this little bit of Eden on earth.
