After enjoying a few days in Zagreb with day trips to Lake Bled and Ljubljana, we made our way south towards the city of Split. We got an early start from Zagreb so that we could optimize our time visiting Plitvice Lakes National Park on the drive down. I took the advice of many bloggers and booked our entrance tickets weeks in advance to ensure we could enter the park early and avoid the long summer lines at the ticket gate. Upon arrival, I was really glad I did because we were able to cruise right into the park and start our hike.
With nearly 300 sq-km of park and 16 lakes, there is a lot to see in Plitvice Lakes National Park. Everything is connected by a well organized network of hiking trails with options for shuttles and boat rides to connect areas. We arrived at entrance 1 on the north side of the park and completed a 5 mile hike that included a short boat ride across Kozjak lake (12 on the map).
Plitvice Lakes is one of the few places with massive social media hype that actually lives up to and surpasses expectations. As soon as we entered the park we were greeted by a sweeping panorama of cascading waterfalls and shimmering green pools. The hiking trail begins from here with a downhill stretch of cobblestone before arriving at the lower lakes section of the park. Owen was excited to see the waterfalls and bolted off ahead!
Readers that have visited sites like Plitvice, Iguazu, or Niagra will know that photos and videos can never do justice to a waterfall. Waterfalls have to be felt and heard. The pounding of the water, roar of the flow, and feeling of the mist is something that has to be experienced.
After leaving the lower lakes behind, we made our way along the wood plank walking path towards the upper lakes. This stretch of trail has smaller waterfalls, greener waters, and fewer people. We took it slow and easy to soak it all in. One thing that surprised us was how pet friendly the park was (and Croatia in general). There was a guy walking with a yellow lab and the lab hopped into the water to cool down!
To save time, we hopped on the Medo boat to jump from the lower lakes to the upper lakes. There is a hiking trail that connects the two, but we wanted to be judicious with our time since we still had a few hours of driving in the later part of the day. The dock for the boat sits in a small valley with a large picnic grass area with restrooms, a cafe, and a mini restaurant. There aren’t a lot of places for food and drink in the park, so make sure to grab some here or bring some in a backpack if you’re planning a visit.
The upper lakes of Plitvice were just as impressive as the lower lakes, but since they’re further away from entrance 1, they don’t get the same number of crowds. This increased solitude allowed us to enjoy the scenery a little more and take our time as we made our way towards the shuttle stop to return to the parking lot. In total, we hiked for 5 miles and spent around 5 hours in the park. I can see why some people recommend two days in the park, but for us one day felt just right.
Before leaving the park, we enjoyed hot dogs and hamburgers at the cafe attached to entrance 1 and I enjoyed a coffee to help with the drive ahead. After a great day of waterfalls, we were really looking forward to our next few days enjoying time in Split and the surrounding Dalmatia countryside.
