The main reason we booked our trip to Croatia this summer was because we wanted to experience the wonder of Plitvice Lakes ( Plitvička Jezera in Croatian). It’s the largest national park in Croatia and a UNESCO World Heritage site, located near the border to Bosnia and Herzegovina.
It’s a four hour drive from Pula where we spent the first few days. That was about an hour longer than what we had expected but on the other hand we got some spectacular views along the winding roads up and down the mountains. We started off early in the morning from Pula and drove up to the national park via a lunch break with stunning views in the coastal town Senj.
Where to enter the park
The park is so vast that it’s probably not possible to see all of it during one day. We chose Entrance 2 since we had read that the lines were shorter there, and they were. We parked the car and bought tickets at the entrance without having to wait at all.
The lakes have absolutely crystal clear water but you are not allowed to swim in it because it would disturb the delicate balance in the sensitive ecosystem.
From Entrance 2 we took two boat rides and then walked along the lakes and waterfalls of the middle and lower parts of the water system. Our goal was to reach Veliki Slap, the Big Waterfall, which with it’s 78 meters is the largest waterfall in the park.
How to get the best photo of Plitvice Lakes
Once there you want to climb up to the vantage point where you can take some fantastic photos, like the one that is on the entrance ticket. To do that you need to climb up the path that is located to the left of the big waterfall and climb it all the way to the top. Keep right and you will eventually reach a paved road. Keep going to the right passed a small bridge and then immediately take the path to the right and you will soon see the lookout with views of most of the lower lakes. Don’t miss this, it’s quite breathtaking.
We spent several hours at the park and only managed to see half of it. But after a four hour drive and a long day at the park, we had to leave for our rented Airbnb place in the nearby town of Korenica. (Don’t forget, if you sign up to Airbnb via this link we both get a coupon worth 35 USD off our next stay.)
I would have loved to stay another day but we had to get back to Pula and our flight back to Sweden the next day.
Although there are both tram cars and boats (included in the entrance fee) to take you between the different spots, be prepared to walk a great deal. That way you will also get the best views from this magnificent place.
Here are some more photos from our visit.
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