Plitvice Lakes National Park
Plitvice Lakes is the kind of place that makes you question whether the colour-saturation slider on your camera is broken — the water really is that improbable shade of turquoise-green. Sixteen terraced lakes linked by 90-plus waterfalls tumble through forested karst gorges in central Croatia, and wooden boardwalks lead you within arm's reach of the cascades.
The Upper and Lower Lakes
The park divides into two circuits. The Upper Lakes are broader and wilder, surrounded by beech and fir forest, with fewer crowds early in the morning. The Lower Lakes are more dramatic — this is where you find Veliki Slap, Croatia's tallest waterfall at 78 metres, plunging into a mist-filled canyon that stays cool even in August heat.
The classic Route C or Route H (half-day loops available at the entrance) combines both sections via electric boat across Lake Kozjak and a panoramic train ride back to the entrance. Allocate a full day rather than the rushed four hours many tour groups allow — the light on the water changes completely between morning and afternoon.
Wildlife and Seasonal Highlights
Brown bears, wolves and lynx live in the surrounding forests, though sightings are rare. Far more reliably you will spot European otters sliding between the reeds along the lower boardwalks, and the endemic Plitvice trout hovering in the gin-clear shallows below your feet. Birds of prey — including short-toed eagles — circle the canyon walls above Veliki Slap.
Spring (April–May) brings the highest water volume and the most thunderous falls. Autumn (October) turns the beech forest a spectacular copper-gold that reflects in the lakes. Winter visits, when the falls partially freeze into blue-white ice columns, are hauntingly beautiful and almost crowd-free — though some boardwalk sections close for safety.
Plitvice Lakes National Park on video
More of Croatia
Discover where to stay, what to do and the best deals for your trip.
Explore Croatia →
