Plitvice Lakes

Why the Plitvice Lakes is special
This Croatian national park has 16 clear turquoise lakes linked by waterfalls and cascades in an unspoiled forest setting.

Plitvice Lakes tips and insights
How to pronounce
Plitvice = pleet-weet-cha

Three sections

• Upper Lakes
  It's easily the best of the three.
  
• Lower Lakes
  Most tour groups come here despite it being inferior to the Upper Lakes. Veliki Slap (the park's tallest waterfall) is its best Lower Lakes attraction.
  
• Lake Kosjak
  It's the largest and separates the Upper and Lower Lakes. A small ferry takes you across.

Avoiding crowds
Plitvice Lakes draws nearly a million visitors annually. Because the walkways are narrow, crowded conditions arise in the peak summer season. There are several ways to avoid the crowds.

• Arrive early or late in the day
  Come before 9 am (tour busses from Zagreb and Zadar usually begin pouring in around 11 am). Or, arrive after 2:30 pm.
  
• Skip the short trails
  They reside in the Lower Falls region and are the ones tour-bus groups normally use.
  
• Avoid July and August
  Plitvice Lakes is too popular for its own good during this period. The best time to come is late Spring when crowds are relatively thin and waterfalls are in full force. Early Fall is good, too, but the waterfalls have lost much of their former potency. Winter months bring snow, ice and, sometimes, frozen waterfalls.

Boardwalk issue
Some above-water stretches are slightly elevated above the water and relatively narrow.

Because most of the boardwalks lack railings, they create a problem with those with poor balance (or a fear of slipping).

This issue is particularly true when you have to snake your way through a slow moving "space-entitled" tour-group in front of you.

Size
The expansive park covers almost 50 square kilometers (20 square miles).

Paths and trails
You have a choice of a half dozen or so well-marked pathways (often boardwalks) and woodsy trails. They come in various lengths and degrees of difficulty. The shortest routes are the easiest, the longer circuits, are more scenic. Plan on two hours for the shortest route, up to eight hours for the longest one.

What to wear
Don comfortable, good-grip shoes and bring a poncho or other easy-to-pack rain gear (it could suddenly start raining when you are far from the nearest shuttle bus).

Wildlife
Although the park is inhabited with bears, wolves, foxes, and other beasts, most visitors never see them. The thick forest hides them.

Licka Kuca Restaurant
This well-known restaurant is situated near the park's Entrance #1. While Licka Kuca is definitely a tourist-oriented eatery and won't win any Michelin stars, it oozes with atmospheric character. Order its ethnic entrees, especially the Croation specialty named "peka" (game, lamb or chicken covered with a metal bell-shaped lid and cooked over hot coals).

Location in Croatia