Hiking at Plitvice Lakes

Plitvice (pronounced PLEETveetsah) is Croatia’s oldest national park, and a UNESCO world heritage site. Although it was a bit out of the way from the rest of my trip, I couldn’t come all the way to this part of the world and not see it. 

There are tour buses that will take you to Plitvice from Zagreb on a day trip (~2 hour drive each way). But, if you want to fully enjoy this natural wonder, it’s better to visit for a few days and stay at one of the local guesthouses. I went with a rental car and spent four days in the region, and wished I had booked more.

The park is massive, covering 70,000 acres of land. If you’re here for the old growth forests, there are hiking trails for days. But, if you’re here for the waterfalls, you’ll probably want to stick to the most well-marked, popular trails that take you through the interconnected waterfall systems via boardwalk. These trails are broken into two main sections: the Upper Lakes and the Lower Lakes. It is possible to travel between these sections via boat or shuttle. Or, you can hike around all the waterfalls in roughly a 18km loop (the K trail).

Unsurprisingly, given the jaw-dropping beauty of this place, you can expect crowds. I went in mid-October, and there were still throngs of tourists travelling in large groups. The groups tend to arrive by about 10am and leave at around 3. A big advantage of staying in the region is that you can arrive early and stay late, giving you some moments of complete tranquility.

If you go to Plitvice independently, don’t forget to 1) book your reservation at the park ahead of time, and 2) accurately anticipate your arrival time. These tickets are on an electronic system, and the rangers literally cannot let you in until the time stated on your ticket. I recommend choosing the earliest possible entry time for maximum crowd-free enjoyment.

Equally enjoyable on a foggy morning versus a sunny afternoon.