Wander Around Plitvice Lakes
Ticked off in April 2017
Sixteen turquoise lakes tumbling into one another over waterfalls, with wooden boardwalks laid right across the water.
The adventure
The colour is the first shock. Water in shades of jade, turquoise and electric blue, so clear that you can count the trout and see fallen trees lying pale on the bottom. Wooden walkways zigzag just above the surface, so close that spray from the falls dampens your face as you cross.
The lakes step down a forested valley, each one held back by natural dams of travertine that grow a little every year as minerals settle out of the water. An electric boat glides you across Kozjak, the biggest lake, and the walk ends beneath Veliki Slap, the 78-metre Great Waterfall and the tallest in Croatia. In autumn the beech woods turn gold and red around it all, and in winter the falls can freeze solid.
Why it’s epic
- Croatia's oldest and largest national park, founded in 1949 and a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1979.
- Veliki Slap plunges 78 metres, the highest waterfall in Croatia.
- The lakes drop around 130 metres from top to bottom, linked by dozens of cascades.
- Brown bears, wolves and lynx live in the surrounding forests, though you're unlikely to see them.
What it is
Plitvice Lakes National Park has 16 terraced lakes joined by waterfalls and wooden walkways.
How to do it
It's about two hours from Zagreb or Zadar. Buy tickets online in summer and follow one of the marked walking routes.
Top tip
Arrive at opening time; the walkways get very busy by midday.
Need to know
- Swimming is banned throughout the park, and you must stay on the marked trails and boardwalks.
- In peak season you buy a ticket for a set entry time online, and prices rise sharply in summer.
- The park is open all year; winter brings far fewer people, though some routes close.
Plan this trip
- Rough cost
- £750 to £2,000 per person, including flights from the UK
- Time needed
- 1 day
- Best time to go
- May to June, September to October
- Fly into
- ZAG airport
Flights to Zagreb or Zadar and a hire car are the main costs; entry is much cheaper outside summer.
Do it yourself
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My experience
Ticked off, but the full story is still to be written up.
Over to you
Is “Wander Around Plitvice Lakes” on your bucket list, or have you already done it? Tell me in the comments, and if you've got a question about it, ask away and I'll answer.