The Plitvice Lakes National Park is the oldest and largest national park in Croatia, famous for its numerous turquoise-coloured lakes separated by tufa (or travertine) barriers. The lake system is divided into the Upper and Lower Lakes.
Designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979, with the highest point at 1,278.5m and the lowest point at 368.6m, it is made up of more than 16 different lakes of intense blue water, connected by a series of tumbling waterfalls.
There are 8 different circular routes one can choose from, 4 from Entrance 1 and 4 from Entrance 2.
I arrived at the park at about 8.30am and entered from Entrance 1, as I read that at least I will have the waterfalls in front of me throughout the path I take (vs Entrance 2 on similar route, where it will be behind me and I will always have to turn back to look at them). Route C unfortunately was closed, as the Upper lakes were not safe for access in current weather conditions, so I embarked on Route B.
It appears I was the only person at the National Park at that hour, and the staff seeing that I was alone, gave me reminder to watch my step as it could be slippery.
That's the good thing about travelling during low season, no crowds! Also, parking was free, and the entrance was reduced at HRK 80, as compared to normal or high season prices.
The weather was very cold this morning, but I quickly warmed up as I followed and walked the path. The first view point was beautiful with the snow covered trees and the numerous waterfalls coming together.
Even the pathways were pretty with the snow, and then I had to follow the wooden boardwalks that had been built just above the water for an up-close experience.
The next stop was the Velika Slap, the highest waterfall, and also the tallest waterfall in Croatia, at 78m.
Designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979, with the highest point at 1,278.5m and the lowest point at 368.6m, it is made up of more than 16 different lakes of intense blue water, connected by a series of tumbling waterfalls.
There are 8 different circular routes one can choose from, 4 from Entrance 1 and 4 from Entrance 2.
I arrived at the park at about 8.30am and entered from Entrance 1, as I read that at least I will have the waterfalls in front of me throughout the path I take (vs Entrance 2 on similar route, where it will be behind me and I will always have to turn back to look at them). Route C unfortunately was closed, as the Upper lakes were not safe for access in current weather conditions, so I embarked on Route B.
It appears I was the only person at the National Park at that hour, and the staff seeing that I was alone, gave me reminder to watch my step as it could be slippery.
That's the good thing about travelling during low season, no crowds! Also, parking was free, and the entrance was reduced at HRK 80, as compared to normal or high season prices.
The weather was very cold this morning, but I quickly warmed up as I followed and walked the path. The first view point was beautiful with the snow covered trees and the numerous waterfalls coming together.
Even the pathways were pretty with the snow, and then I had to follow the wooden boardwalks that had been built just above the water for an up-close experience.
The next stop was the Velika Slap, the highest waterfall, and also the tallest waterfall in Croatia, at 78m.
The good thing about being alone at the National Park is the ability to do crazy pictures.
Following Route B brought me walking up the stairs of the boardwalk to different lakes.
Following Route B brought me walking up the stairs of the boardwalk to different lakes.
I then came to a large lake with a boat, which I needed to hop on to get to the other end of the lake. The boat leaves at half hourly intervals and there was still 7 mins before the boat leaves. While waiting 2 other couples showed up and boarded the boat too, I was no longer alone in the park.
The boat ride took about 20 mins. As the boat moved along the lake slowly, it brought along some wind factor and I could feel the chill getting to me. We arrived at the other pier, and dropped off.
There was the option to take a bus from St2 to St1, but I chose to walk since the clouds looked like it was clearing up. As the sun came out, the snow on the trees started to melt and "rained" on me. The walk from St2 to St1 took about 20 mins, and then I continued on the path.
The next few sections brought me to viewpoints at a higher level, which was really nice, as I got to see the entire landscape at a vantage point.
I thought the sky was clearing, but as I was making my way back to entrance 1, the fog started getting heavier. By the time I reached the original 1st vantage point, the visibility was really low! So glad I went in first thing in the morning as the fog stayed heavy for the rest of the day.
The entire route took me about 4 hours and I was done with the park by about 12.45pm.
I was planning to go to another vantage point by car, but decided to head for lunch first, in the hopes the fog will clear up. I found a restaurant (Old Shatterhand) not too far from where the vantage point would be and I ordered a burger.
Not quite how I thought a burger would look like, especially the burger bun, but it was quite nice. Very huge though, as I struggled to finish everything and left back about 1/4.
The fog unfortunately didn't really clear, but I drove up to the vantage point in any case, and later realised I could had managed to get away from paying the entrance ticket if I had gone in from this route! Maybe perhaps not in normal or high season as the entrance would be guarded, but not in current low season. The entrance would be close to where I would had to board the boat.
I did however see the mill - this is visible from the ground level where the waterfalls can be seen, as well as where the Plitvice stream would flow to form Velika Slap. I had also seen pictures online that during winter, the waterfalls can freeze up, and can be quite a magical view.
Still with time to spare, I drove around the vicinity and came across a random river as Drežnik (Old Town), which unfortunately is now in ruins.
The boat ride took about 20 mins. As the boat moved along the lake slowly, it brought along some wind factor and I could feel the chill getting to me. We arrived at the other pier, and dropped off.
There was the option to take a bus from St2 to St1, but I chose to walk since the clouds looked like it was clearing up. As the sun came out, the snow on the trees started to melt and "rained" on me. The walk from St2 to St1 took about 20 mins, and then I continued on the path.
The next few sections brought me to viewpoints at a higher level, which was really nice, as I got to see the entire landscape at a vantage point.
I thought the sky was clearing, but as I was making my way back to entrance 1, the fog started getting heavier. By the time I reached the original 1st vantage point, the visibility was really low! So glad I went in first thing in the morning as the fog stayed heavy for the rest of the day.
The entire route took me about 4 hours and I was done with the park by about 12.45pm.
I was planning to go to another vantage point by car, but decided to head for lunch first, in the hopes the fog will clear up. I found a restaurant (Old Shatterhand) not too far from where the vantage point would be and I ordered a burger.
Not quite how I thought a burger would look like, especially the burger bun, but it was quite nice. Very huge though, as I struggled to finish everything and left back about 1/4.
The fog unfortunately didn't really clear, but I drove up to the vantage point in any case, and later realised I could had managed to get away from paying the entrance ticket if I had gone in from this route! Maybe perhaps not in normal or high season as the entrance would be guarded, but not in current low season. The entrance would be close to where I would had to board the boat.
I did however see the mill - this is visible from the ground level where the waterfalls can be seen, as well as where the Plitvice stream would flow to form Velika Slap. I had also seen pictures online that during winter, the waterfalls can freeze up, and can be quite a magical view.
Still with time to spare, I drove around the vicinity and came across a random river as Drežnik (Old Town), which unfortunately is now in ruins.
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