Chasing waterfalls in Plitvice Lakes National Park in Croatia has been on my bucket list for some time now, and I’m so glad that we were able to cross it off! This UNESCO World Heritage site is also Croatia’s oldest national park, and features a comprehensive network of wooden boardwalks that take you past 90 emerald green waterfalls and 16 lakes – walking through the ecosystem feels like a lush, exotic paradise. I’ve never seen anything like it. Our friend Andrey flew from Boston to Croatia to meet us, and we spent three days exploring the Plitvice Lakes area (including Krka National Park and the Dalmatian city of Split) and had an absolute blast – check out my guide and trip recap below on our time chasing waterfalls in Plitvice Lakes, Croatia!
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How to Get to Plitvice Lakes?
There are several cities within reasonable driving distance (around 2 hours) from Plitvice Lakes – Zagreb and Zadar. We flew into Zadar and rented a car to get to Plitvice Lakes. While it’s possible to visit Plitvice Lakes as a day trip from either city, I don’t recommend doing this as you will spend a LOT of time in the car with very little time to explore the lakes themselves. There are also several guided tours for Plitvice Lakes that you can participate in, but honestly, I think you’re better off using the map and visiting Plitvice on your own. It’s nice to have the flexibility and freedom to enjoy the parks at your leisure – plus, the maps and guides are super comprehensive, and there are plenty of hiking and program options to choose from!
When to Visit Plitvice Lakes?
Plitvice Lakes is open 365 days of the year, but the most popular time to visit is during the summer months. However, I’d recommend visiting during the spring time as the waterfalls will be more impressive. We visited Plitvice Lakes in the month of May and the waterfalls were absolutely roaring! Although there were a few moments of torrential rain downpour while we were in the park, we saw bright sunny weather for the majority of time we were there.
Where to Stay in Plitvice Lakes?
If you can, I’d recommend staying as close to the national park as possible. We stayed at Pansion Breza and can’t recommend this place enough – the location of this guesthouse is convenient for accessing Entrances 1 and 3, and is super clean and affordable. The hosts are also willing to get entrance tickets for you to Plitvice Lakes in advance, which helps with schedule management.
The best part of our stay was being treated like family and coming back to homemade dinners that were prepared for us by the host Danjiela (available for a reasonable extra charge). The dinners were AMAZING – generous portions of grilled meat, fish, and vegetables as well as dessert with homemade wine.
We also opted-into the daily breakfast provided by the guesthouse and it was lovely. The breakfast donuts were to-die-for!
What to Do In and Around Plitvice Lakes
Which Route to Take in Plitvice Lakes?
Plitvice is open everyday from 8am to 7pm and can accessed through 2 main entrances open to the public, and a 3rd auxillary entrance. There are seven suggested ‘programs’ to follow when visiting Plitvice Lakes. Programs A is the easiest route, and starts at Entrance 1, featuring several of the waterfalls along the Lower Lakes area. Programs B and C are basically extensions of Program A, except that they require you take a boat to the other side of Kozjak Lake in order to hit the Upper Lakes area. Programs E, F, and H are essentially the same as A, B, C except going in the opposite direction. Finally, the longest route is Program K which takes you on a hike through all of the lakes.
Your choice of route will likely depend on how long you have to explore Plitvice, as well as where your accommodation is located. We spent 2 days visiting Plitvice Lakes National Park; we focused on Program C (starting from Entrance 1) in order to see the major highlights for both the Lower and Upper Lakes, and this took us roughly 4-5 hours to complete (roughly 5 miles of walking one way). It’s totally worth visiting both the Lower and Upper Lakes areas because they offer very different viewpoints.
TIP: For the best experience at the park, get there right when the park opens. Plitvice Lakes is hugely popular and it can be a really frustrating experience during mid-day when you’re sharing the narrow boardwalks with the crowds.
Lower Lakes
Our time in Plitvice Lakes started at Entrance 1, where we explored the Lower Lakes area. We really didn’t have to make it far to already be impressed with Plitvice Lakes – the minute we we entered the park, we were blown away by the gorgeous scenery at the first Entrance 1 viewpoint overlooking the Veliki Slpa and Sastavci waterfalls.
We took the trail down to the lakes, and made a short detour to visit Veliki Slap up-close. Veliki Slap is over 265 feet high, and is the tallest waterfall in the park.
Upper Lakes
We continued towards the bridge at Lake Kozjak, before hopping onto a shuttle bus to Station 3 to walk the boardwalk trails towards Lake Kozjak. This was my favorite part of the park – I swear everywhere we turned there was another waterfall to be inspired by, and it was so cool being able to walk across the water on the boardwalks. The Upper Lakes section of the park tends to be less touristy than the Lower Lakes section, so it was also nice to have a bit more freedom on the trail.
While in the Upper Lakes region, we made sure to stop at the Galovacki Buk, which is the largest and most photographed waterfall in the area. Check out the insane color of that water!
There are several hiking trails to choose from while exploring Plitvice. I have to admit, towards the later part of the day, we decided to forego the map/itinerary completely and freely meandered throughout the park, enjoying a variety of viewpoints and paths besides the large Gavanovac Lake. We also enjoyed a lakeside lunch of burgers and ice cream at one of the many food stands near the shuttle/boat stops.
Rastoke
While we were visiting Plitvice Lakes, we decided to stop by the small historic town of Rastoke. Although this town is not part of Plitvice Lakes National Park itself, it is within a short driving distance (around 20-25 minutes) and definitely worth checking out. It’s unique for the river that flows through the town, creating a series of small waterfalls and water-powered mills that pass through the village and pour into the nearby Korana River.
Rastoke was absolutely charming and we spent an hour or two exploring the peaceful village, and enjoying some snacks and coffee at one of the many cafes overlooking the water.
Krka National Park
Our final stop in the area was Krka National Park. While Plitvice Lakes is much larger and more well-known, Krka National Park is worth a visit, especially if you haven’t had your fill of stunning waterfalls. There are 7 waterfalls to visit in Krka National Park, as well as several medieval fortresses and religious complexes to see. One of the biggest benefits of visiting Krka National Park is the fact that you can swim in the waters and get close to the waterfalls! Unfortunately, the weather was pretty chilly the day we visited Krka National Park so we didn’t get the chance to swim near the falls…maybe next time!
There are 2 entrances to Krka National Park – Lozovac and Skradin. If you can, enter via the Lozovac entrance which does not require a ferry ride and parking is free. Once you enter the park, a shuttle bus will take you to the main waterfall called Skradinski Buk. If you choose to enter via Skradin, the ferry departs every hour and takes around 30 minutes to arrive at Skradinski Buk. The main highlight of the park is the main hour-long loop along the Skadrinski Buk trail which takes you through a beautiful forest area, over several streams and ponds, and to various viewpoints of the park’s waterfalls.
Split
Our final destination in the area was the town of Split, which is a 3-hour drive from Plitvice Lakes National Park. Split is the second largest city in Croatia and borders the gorgeous blue Adriatic Sea.
My favorite thing that we did in Split was visit Diocletian’s Palace, which was built in 305 AD for the Roman Emperor Diocletian. This beautiful complex is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and sits in the center of the Old Town. If you’re a Game of Thrones fan, you might recognize some of the scenery in Split as the city of ‘Mereen’ from the show!
We ended our time in Croatia by exploring the charming cobblestoned streets of the Old Town, as well as stroll along the Riva Promenade with an ice cream cone in hand. It was the perfect way to end an unforgettable trip chasing waterfalls in Plitvice Lakes!
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