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Published: January 6th 2024
Me, Korana Lake
Plitvice Lakes National ParkDear All
Greetings from another entry on this amazing little adventure I've had travelling through Croatia. I was initially planning to write this one up on my time in the Plitvice Lakes together with my write-up later on Zagreb, but I loved this place so much that I felt it deserved its own little entry. I can certainly see why Croatia is the most visited of the former Yugoslavian countries, it certainly packs in some stunners in its small, and rather unusually formed, area. And I wasn't even planning to touch upon the Croatian hinterland east of Zagreb called Slavonia this time. It is certainly true what they say, that the more you travel, the more you want to see. I'd been excited during this trip about the prospect of visiting Bosnia nextdoor on another trip. I imagine there are also some amazing places there, but without the tourist crowds. And if you look at a map of Croatia by the way, you can either make out a rough boomerang, or a very detailed dragon in flight - the Istrian peninsula being its head, Slavonia its wings, and the Dalmatian coast its body and legs. Amazing! And once you notice
it, you can't stop noticing it!
Anyway, back to my travels. After a shockingly early alarm clock call at 5am, I packed and headed through Diocletian's Palace for the last time. I hadn't slept too well that night. While the accommodation was perfectly situated and kitted out, there were some seriously noisy neighbours upstairs who just couldn't stop stomping around all morning and all evening. The first night they had quietened down somewhat by bedtime so I slept ok, but the second night they were out in the evening, and returned home around 10.30pm just as I was dropping off to sleep, stomping around for at least the next hour or so. I just don't understand how some people just move around so much when they're at home - just relax, you mobile people!
Walking through Diocletian's Palace at 6.30am in the morning was magical, it was this time completely empty and deliciously dark and quiet. I was heading to the bus station nearby, and boarded a three-and-a-half hour bus to the stunning Plitvice Lakes National Park, deep in the heart of the Croatian hinterland. It was a much more spacious and comfortable journey this time, and I
had a regular seat rather than a squashed-up back row seat, as well as having the double seat to myself. I enjoyed a bit of a doze at first, as did most of the others on the bus due to the early 7am departure, but soon got to watching the countryside outside change from Croatian coastline to Croatian mountains, via the Krka National Park which I unfortunately wasn't able to fit into this journey. I chose instead the absolutely amazing Plitvice Lakes National Park further inland.
With this my second of three bus journeys in Croatia, I was beginning to notice that they seem to be more of the developing-world kind of journeys, which I actually think I prefer. Instead of having a functioning toilet on board, which I wouldn't of course complain about, they seem instead to stop every two hours or so to give the passengers a walk around, some loo time, and also a place to get food from. The driver also gets the time for a smoke. Yes, for some reason, I have very fond memories of such bus breaks in many-a developing world country, stopping literally in the middle of nowhere which otherwise you'd
Veliki Prstavac
Plitvice Lakes National Park have absolutely no intention of visiting. And there's also something about such journeys that make me rather wistful and contemplative. This journey was no different, and brought back similar memories from bus journeys in other countries.
Around 10.30am, we arrived at the gates to the National Park, whereupon I headed first to my accommodation. This was an absolutely gorgeous gingerbread-type rural Croatian cottage BnB, run by a very friendly, non-English-speaking older couple, in the tiny village of Rastovača. I just about got by with the lady with a mix of Croatian, Russian and English, and settled down in my very cosy granny-style room, a far cry from being based in the middle of a former Roman Emperor's palace or atop a sea cliff with crashing, stormy waves below. All my accommodations thus far had been just amazing, and so very different and unique. A notable part of my half-mile walk down the country lane to the cottage from the main road was slipping on a squashed toad - I can't say I've ever done that before! And I do not recommend the experience!
After a short rest, I headed back up to the National Park, and was seriously
in my travel happy place for the next five hours, from 12.30pm until just before the park closed at 6pm. The Plitvice Lakes are a series of 16 lakes of variable size, ranging from a tenth of a hectare to 82 hectares. Linking the lakes are innumerable waterfalls, also ranging in size from the smallest of trickles to the grandest of cascades falling 78 metres. It is apparently the underlying limestone karst geology which has led to the creation of this series of lakes connected by such lush waterfalls, and the colour of the lakes range from greeny-brown at the top, to beautiful azure-turquoise towards the bottom. The area was founded as a national park in 1949, and added to the UNESCO World Heritage list in 1979. While the place was a bit busy with people to start with, most of them seemed to be day trippers either from the coast or from Hungary, with quite a few families from Zagreb seeing as it was a Sunday, the place started to really empty out from around 3pm onwards.
I must have covered around seven miles along its paths and boardwalks, from the lowest of the lakes and working my
way upwards to the highest. The lower lakes as mentioned held the beautiful turquoise colour and were seriously photogenic, particularly with the boardwalks running across them and the surrounding reed beds. As I worked my way upwards, the waters became noticeably greener, and the forest thicker. While the lakes themselves were just incredible, I think what makes Plitvice even more beautiful and famous are the countless waterfalls interconnecting all of the lakes. Funny side-note: the Croatian word for waterfall is "slap", there were a number of slaps along the way! Each one of these waterfalls could be an attraction in its own right, but here there were countless, and the real beauty was in how different each one was from the other, and the stunning view after stunning view. Just walking the route, it was so exciting to turn the next corner and see what other mesmerising views the landscape had in store for you. I loved the Lonely Planet's wording on this place: "It's as though Croatia decided to gather all its waterfalls in one place and charge admission to view them"! I don't think I'd ever seen so many waterfalls before in one place.
There was also
a very slow little boat to take you across the largest lake called Kozjak, which felt a bit like crossing Lake Buena Vista on the way to Disney World. Here I got talking to a friendly father-son travelling duo from Norway, with seriously dry and witty senses of humour, and I appreciated the very many laughs I had with them! Once you'd made your way along the lakes all in one direction, there was also a little car-train that could take you back to where you started again. I walked mostly at lake-level itself, but my final mile for the day was high above the first lake I walked alongside, along the edge of the lake's cliff edge with awesome views down towards where I had begun my visit five hours previously.
It was an amazing visit, and I left the Park just in time for dinner at the local, and fantastic, restaurant of choice, Lička Kuća. I had the local beer of the region of Lika (the restaurant means Likan House) called Velebitsko, and a dish called the "Lika Bundle". This was local Likan lamb, marinated in plum brandy, and baked with potatoes and vegetables while wrapped in
Bus from Split to the Plitvice Lakes
Amazing cloud formation while climbing up into the Croatian mountains baking paper. It came out in one big paper bundle you had to unwrap yourself, and it was a hearty, delicious meal, marking a wonderful end to a wonderful day!
Fortunately I managed to avoid slipping on any squashed toads, and there were quite a few, on the way back to my accommodation again afterwards. The next day I was leaving rural Croatia and heading to the country's capital city of Zagreb, which I was looking forward to very much indeed.
And of course, more on that in my next one!
Thanks for reading, and all the best for now!
Alex
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D MJ Binkley
Dave and Merry Jo Binkley
The more you travel the more you want to see!
I laughed at your comment about the early wake up as we got up at 5am for almost 40 years. I don't complain unless I have to get up at 3am. I'm glad you have fond memories of bus journeys. I do as well. The lakes look amazing. I do understand this being your happy place. Your local meal and beer sounded tasty. We love those discoveries. UNESCO sites are always worthy of a visit. Do you know what kind of toads they were? Happy travels.