A country blessed with a coastline of nearly 1,800 km and countless landscapes, the Republic of Croatia is also known for its four spectacular and valuable national parks in terms of tourism and biology. Among them, the largest is the Plitvice Lakes National Park, which since 1979 has been included in the UNESCO World Heritage List, and is considered one of the most beautiful natural landscapes in Europe.
Established in 1949 and the oldest national park in Southeast Europe, Plitvice Lakes is located in central Croatia, in a valley surrounded by mountains and lush forests. Located on the border with Bosnia and Herzegovina, the park covers an area of nearly 300 km² and includes a system of nearly two dozen clear, blue lakes.
As soon as you enter the park, you will be overwhelmed and amazed by the mesmerizing beauty of the countless waterfalls, flowing down into many large and small lakes, the water color is as green as jade on the limestone and chalk rocks from thousands of years ago. In total, there are 16 large lakes and 2 small lakes forming a system of upper and lower lakes, and all are connected by 92 waterfalls.
This lake system is formed by two rivers, and the water flows from a height of 636 m above sea level, through a system of lakes lying like stairs stretching 8 km, down to a height of 503 m. In some places, small streams merge and flow into the highest lake, which is up to 40 m deep. Walking on the narrow roads, surrounded by lakes and waterfalls, in the distance are green forests and towering mountains, visitors cannot help but feel like they are lost in a fairyland.
Also of interest to outdoor enthusiasts are the limestone caves that were formed millions to over 200 million years ago, during the periods known scientifically as the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous. The most famous caves – Big Cave, Black Cave and Goddess Cave by the Lake – are always a destination for those who like to immerse themselves in wild landscapes and also test their endurance.
In addition, Plitvice Lakes National Park is also a place that preserves precious natural values: visitors can walk and listen to the symphony of waterfalls, sun, wind and birds in oak and pine forests. If lucky, we can also see somewhere animals of the bear or wolf family, hiding in the cliffs, watching the never-ending groups of tourists in any season of the year...
Of course, if we don’t have much time for a trip to Plitvice, we must stop at the most famous and spectacular spot of this National Park: the highest waterfall that flows from the cliffs from a height of 78 m. The wildest scenes of the American Indian movie “Winnetou” were filmed here.
Also, don’t miss the minutes on the cruise, when visitors can leisurely admire the Plitvice landscape, as well as take souvenir photos with the rare and beautiful landscape. Especially for those who have time and really want to explore, a 20 km long winding road has been designed in the Plitvice area, and it usually takes a full 8 hours to complete the journey!
