Plitvice Lakes has 99 waterfall. And 16 lakes. And it's a UNESCO World Heritage Site. And, as you know. . .UNESCO means you must go!
Of the four places in Croatia we went, Dubrovnik, Split, and Plitvice are all UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Only Ston is not the list, and it is on the Tentative list, which means it is under consideration to be added to the list.
Plitvice Lake became Croatia first national park in 1949 (when Croatia was part of Yugoslavia).
The drawback to going to Plitvice Lakes is that it is a long way from anywhere, including about three hours from Split.
Through Viator I bought spots on a group tour leaving from Split. Carol decided not to go because her ATV injuries were still giving her issues. And, as we hiked up and down the through the national park, it was a good thing she stayed in Split.
(Carol did enjoy checking out some of the sights in Split, including the Mestrovic Gallery, which features a lot of the creative work by Croatian sculptor Ivan Mestrovic, as well as Kastelet Chapel, which is nearby the sculpture gallery and features woodcut by the sculptor. I had hoped to make it there, but the heavy rains two days earlier washed out those plans.)
Maddy and I joined nearly a full bus group. We loaded on the bus promptly at 7:00 am, and by 7:05 am we headed out. It was a relatively quiet, but long ride.
It was a relief to finally get there.
We took a very short boat ride from one side of Kozjak Lake to the other, and started out on a forced march past a number of lakes.
I was irritated about the fast pace with no time to stop and enjoy the lakes, although I later understood it, as we essentially covered the entire park in the time we were there. We may not have seen all 99 waterfalls, but we saw the best ones, including:
- Veliki Prstavac;
- Mali Prstavac; and,
- Veliki Slap
(Editor: What are you doing? No one can pronounce the names of those waterfalls, least of all you! Heck, you couldn't spell them unless you were looking at a map that lists just those three waterfalls.
Writer: As quoted on the base of his statue, the founder of Faber College once said, "Knowledge is good.")
Anyhow, when we finally stopped on our starting sprint, I let the guide know of my irritation at being rushed through some of the pretty parts. While one person was not happy with my outburst (not naming names, but that person just might be related to me by virtue of being one of my daughters), I did have four different people on the tour come up to me later and thank me for expressing the way they also felt.
I did apologize to the guide later. She said she understood, but on the return trip, when she came around to everyone on the bus to get them to fill out their reviews online, she invented an excuse to skip me and come back to me. She never did come back to me (and Maddy feigned sleep, as the review process seemed like a hassle).
Anyhow, despite the rocky start to the tour, it got much better. I understood by the end that there was a lot to see, and the parts she hurried us through were the least stunning parts of the tour. Perhaps I should have not been cheap and should have hired a private driver/guide.
The hike through the park was a good test for my knee replacement, coming just 14 weeks after the surgery. I certainly was not in shape for the hill climbs, but I managed them, and could not have handled Plitvice Lakes without the surgery.
I didn't worry about staying with the group (especially with the need to take photos, and with the height of some of the hill climbs). So once that happened, I was much more chill about the tour, as I saw everything I needed/wanted to see.
We first covered the Upper Lakes, and then, after a short break, bussed to the starting point for the Lower Lakes.
Because of my knee, I didn't go down into the canyon, but stayed on the upper trail. It was a bit of a wake-up call to be both the oldest person (by a decent amount) and the only one who couldn't go down into the canyon.
Going into the canyon would not have been the problem, it would have been climbing back out. And the worst part is, I knew it. I didn't try, didn't even seriously consider it. Getting old sucks.
Plitvice Lakes does not suck, however, so it was still worth going to. Truly a fitting UNESCO World Heritage site.
Although it is just 150 miles from Split and the Adriatic Sea The Korana River runs approximately a meandering 1300 miles before dumping into the Black Sea.
The lakes (well, mostly the falls) are one of Europe's most spectacular natural wonders. A lush valley of lakes and falls, with natural travertine dams, turquoise blue water, and the long shot hope of seeing a rare European Brown Bear (spoiler alert: we didn't spot one, even though it's the park's logo.)
As much time as it took to get there (and back), it's amazing we were able to give thorough coverage to its stunning scenery in just a few hours.
Unexpected historical note: The first shots of the Croatia War of Independence were fired in the national park, on Easter Sunday, as a Croat and a Serb died in a gunfight. The park had very few tourists during the nearly five years of war, which allowed the ecosystem to bounce back from the impact of so many visitors.
If you are going to Croatia, build in a day to get to Plitvice Lakes. It's not easy, but it's definitely worth it.
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