Plitvice Lakes
I woke up at 8.30am, ahead of my alarm, and the first thing I did was check the weather forecast for today. It had improved again, with just sporadic light rain predicted up until midday. I looked out the window and it was mizzly. After a bit of thought I messaged Leo on WhatsApp and asked him to give me a lift at 10am, to give me the best chance of decent weather. The drive took 10 minutes and the entrance fee in to the park is €23 (prices are seasonal, so it would have been more expensive a week ago). Disconcertingly there was a statue of a bear stood on its hind legs next to the car-park.
Almost immediately I heard the roar of the water (not the roar of a bear thankfully) and was greeted by the awesome sight of Veliki Slap, the tallest waterfall in the park at 62 meters. I rushed to a viewing platform which gave a fantastic elevated view. It was a proper spine-tingling moment, one of the most amazing sights I’ve seen on my travels. What makes it especially beautiful is that water cascades in to different pools at different levels. I followed a path down to a wooden boardwalk that crossed a lake and then approached the bottom of the waterfall. The sound as I approached was deafening. All of the rain over the past few days had turned the waterfall in to an angry beast. I love stuff like this, that remind you how powerful nature is. There was a viewing platform at the bottom but I couldn’t stay on it for long as the spray drenched me.
Plitvice Lakes is made up of 16 lakes, all at sitting at different levels through a gorge, which means as a result there are waterfalls between each. The lakes are noted for the emerald colour of the water due to all of the calcium carbonate it contains (not to be confused with carbonite, Star Wars fans).
I enjoyed walking along the trail, taking in the views of the lakes and then encountering the next set of falls. Some were long shelves with water cascading prettily over the top, others were narrow torrents that roared past.
The paths were very well thought out and the scenery was superb throughout. Despite it being ‘shoulder season’ the park was fairly busy, with bottlenecks at the popular sites. I don’t mind crowds but when most of them are carrying umbrellas it can be slow moving in places. I reckon half of the visitors were either Chinese or Korean. They love their hiking in that part of the world. Despite the drizzle I had a spring in my step - this is the kind of thing I love doing.
After a few hours I reached a café area, where I had a cheese and ham sandwich, apple strudel and coffee, as I warmed up next to a log fire. The heat of Bosnia seems a long time ago!
Opposite the café is a ferry that gives visitors the chance to cross the largest lake. I decided to take it because the views of the lake and mountains shrouded in mist looked magical. Although the views were nice, I regretted it because I had to queue for half an hour and the ferry-ride itself was chilly. I was shivering by the time I got to the jetty at the other side and was keen to get moving again. But the main reason I regretted it is that there is an option to walk further around the lakes and I was really enjoying the hiking aspect and the chance to stretch my legs. Taking the ferry meant my entire walk (route B) was only four kilometers which felt too easy. Maggie, who I met in Dubrovnik, said the longest trail (route K), a whopping 18.3km long, got quite samey in the upper lakes, so my recommendation would be to take Route C, which is eight kilometers long.
The route back was along an elevated pathway overlooking the lake. From the higher vantage point the colour of the water and the shelved lakes were particularly evident. Despite the fact it had been a overcast, drizzly day, the water looked the same colour as you’d get in the Maldives!
Far sooner than I expected, I completing the Route B loop, arriving back at the entrance. It was far too soon to leave, so I descended back down to Veliki Slap. Finally it had stopped raining but I got wet as I dared to get as close as possible.
I left the park at 3pm and got a taxi to a shop at the top of the valley I’m staying. I bought some nice bread and sliced meat, as well as drinks and snacks. My plan had been to have them in my room for dinner but on the opposite side of the road I saw a few restaurants and couldn’t resist having an early dinner. I chose a homely looking place called Gurman Restaurant (gurman means gourmet) although I was intrigued by the restaurant a short distance further up the road, Old Shatterhand. After a chilly day I wanted something warming, so ordered pork medallions in a mushroom sauce, with croquettes, washed down with a beer.
It took an hour to walk back down to Korana, the village I’m staying which is also the name of the river that flows through it. Interestingly, I checked on a map and all of the waterfalls I saw earlier in the day flow in to this river. I got back to my room and savoured every second of a hot shower, before the warm water ran out all-too-soon.
All in all, it had been a magical day. Coming to Plitvice Lakes was one of the things I was looking forward to most when I planned my trip to Croatia, and it lived up to expectations to the power of ten, despite the gloomy weather and almost constant rain!
I would highly recommend Plitvice, but would suggest if you stay in Korana valley, like me, to hire a car as taxis cost €20 a time to get to the park entrance, or even the nearest shop or restaurant.
Almost immediately I heard the roar of the water (not the roar of a bear thankfully) and was greeted by the awesome sight of Veliki Slap, the tallest waterfall in the park at 62 meters. I rushed to a viewing platform which gave a fantastic elevated view. It was a proper spine-tingling moment, one of the most amazing sights I’ve seen on my travels. What makes it especially beautiful is that water cascades in to different pools at different levels. I followed a path down to a wooden boardwalk that crossed a lake and then approached the bottom of the waterfall. The sound as I approached was deafening. All of the rain over the past few days had turned the waterfall in to an angry beast. I love stuff like this, that remind you how powerful nature is. There was a viewing platform at the bottom but I couldn’t stay on it for long as the spray drenched me.
Plitvice Lakes is made up of 16 lakes, all at sitting at different levels through a gorge, which means as a result there are waterfalls between each. The lakes are noted for the emerald colour of the water due to all of the calcium carbonate it contains (not to be confused with carbonite, Star Wars fans).
I enjoyed walking along the trail, taking in the views of the lakes and then encountering the next set of falls. Some were long shelves with water cascading prettily over the top, others were narrow torrents that roared past.
The paths were very well thought out and the scenery was superb throughout. Despite it being ‘shoulder season’ the park was fairly busy, with bottlenecks at the popular sites. I don’t mind crowds but when most of them are carrying umbrellas it can be slow moving in places. I reckon half of the visitors were either Chinese or Korean. They love their hiking in that part of the world. Despite the drizzle I had a spring in my step - this is the kind of thing I love doing.
After a few hours I reached a café area, where I had a cheese and ham sandwich, apple strudel and coffee, as I warmed up next to a log fire. The heat of Bosnia seems a long time ago!
Opposite the café is a ferry that gives visitors the chance to cross the largest lake. I decided to take it because the views of the lake and mountains shrouded in mist looked magical. Although the views were nice, I regretted it because I had to queue for half an hour and the ferry-ride itself was chilly. I was shivering by the time I got to the jetty at the other side and was keen to get moving again. But the main reason I regretted it is that there is an option to walk further around the lakes and I was really enjoying the hiking aspect and the chance to stretch my legs. Taking the ferry meant my entire walk (route B) was only four kilometers which felt too easy. Maggie, who I met in Dubrovnik, said the longest trail (route K), a whopping 18.3km long, got quite samey in the upper lakes, so my recommendation would be to take Route C, which is eight kilometers long.
The route back was along an elevated pathway overlooking the lake. From the higher vantage point the colour of the water and the shelved lakes were particularly evident. Despite the fact it had been a overcast, drizzly day, the water looked the same colour as you’d get in the Maldives!
Far sooner than I expected, I completing the Route B loop, arriving back at the entrance. It was far too soon to leave, so I descended back down to Veliki Slap. Finally it had stopped raining but I got wet as I dared to get as close as possible.
I left the park at 3pm and got a taxi to a shop at the top of the valley I’m staying. I bought some nice bread and sliced meat, as well as drinks and snacks. My plan had been to have them in my room for dinner but on the opposite side of the road I saw a few restaurants and couldn’t resist having an early dinner. I chose a homely looking place called Gurman Restaurant (gurman means gourmet) although I was intrigued by the restaurant a short distance further up the road, Old Shatterhand. After a chilly day I wanted something warming, so ordered pork medallions in a mushroom sauce, with croquettes, washed down with a beer.
It took an hour to walk back down to Korana, the village I’m staying which is also the name of the river that flows through it. Interestingly, I checked on a map and all of the waterfalls I saw earlier in the day flow in to this river. I got back to my room and savoured every second of a hot shower, before the warm water ran out all-too-soon.
All in all, it had been a magical day. Coming to Plitvice Lakes was one of the things I was looking forward to most when I planned my trip to Croatia, and it lived up to expectations to the power of ten, despite the gloomy weather and almost constant rain!
I would highly recommend Plitvice, but would suggest if you stay in Korana valley, like me, to hire a car as taxis cost €20 a time to get to the park entrance, or even the nearest shop or restaurant.