Waterfalls, Lakes and National Parks in Croatia

For the last 3 days we have been experiencing some heavy rainstorms along with thunder and lightning, that have been affecting all of the Balkans.  But we are not grumbling, as it is nothing compared to the destruction that Hurricane Irma has been causing.

The rain lifted for a couple of hours yesterday, so we got the scooter off the back of the motorhome and rode 20kms in to Slunj.  We had passed it on our way in to Grabovac and wished we had stopped as it looked lovely, with its little waterfalls and streams flowing through the town and corn mills.

The town is very pretty but the waterfalls are nothing in comparison to those at Plitvice Lakes National Park, that we visited today. The route up to the viewpoint below isn't sign posted, but I stumbled across how to access it on the internet whilst reviewing the area online yesterday.  There was only one other couple up here - perfect!

Plitvice Lakes National Park

Pitvice Lake is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with 16 clear blue lakes and countless waterfalls.  A reasonable 110 kuna (about 15 euros) covers the entrance fee, a ferry ride and a bus to take you to the top and bottom if you don't feel like walking.

We got to the lakes at 9am, hoping to avoid the tour buses but the sun was out and so were the tourists.  Meaning endless groups of Japanese, America and Germans with their tour guides, along with Polish, Balkan nations and us Brits!

Once we manged to manoeuvre our way around the large groups we managed to appreciate the beauty and serenity of it all.  The pathways are made up from tree wood on stilts, and add to the natural beauty of the lakes and waterfalls.

The lakes were full of all sorts of fish and a couple of ducks!

Included in the price is a ferry (of the electric type) across the largest lake and bus rides, if you don’t fancy the walk.  We chose to walk to the ferry, took the ferry across the lake, then walked right up to the top and part way back down to the bus cum train, that then takes you to the bottom.  

Selfie Time!

Six hours later and a lot of wallking, we were relaxing back on the campsite enjoying a cold beer/wine, followed by a barbeque – a great end to a fantastic day!

Plitvice Lakes National Park is absolutely stunning and hopefully one day we will return!

Sally x