Plitvice National Park is about a three-hour drive from Split, partly on a 4-lane toll highway which has rapidly become my favorite. Saving some time in Bosnia earlier in this trip means we can leave Split in early morning in time to explore the park in the afternoon before it closes, which it does early in the off-season.
Pulling up in the parking lot right in front of a large lodge is a welcome break from the cannot-drive-in-the-old-town routine. Well, this sort of feels like visiting a National Park in the U.S. so far. After checking in, we walk down the path and get tickets to the park. A major decision is whether to see the Upper or Lower Lakes first this afternoon. I ask the lady at the desk about the direction of the sun with respect to the waterfalls and based on that we head for the Upper Lakes. Her advice wasn't quite perfect but the nature of this park becomes soon obvious - a series of lakes with a multitude of cascades and well-built wooden walkways. Lot of waterfalls here indeed, although they are on a much more intimate scale than, say, the Iguazu Falls.
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| Plitvice: lakes, waterfalls, walkways |
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| Plitvice: lakes, waterfalls, walkways |
It looks like we have to share the park with a fair number of people, but at least there is no foot traffic jam on the walkways like it would be in the peak season. We run into two large Korean groups who got interested as this place was recently featured in a national TV program there. Well, it's all about PR and advertising even for national parks but there is definitely unique substance here.
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| Plus humanity (imagine the peak season) |
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| But the higher you hike up, the thinner the crowds |
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| And it's time to take out the tripod. |
Back at the hotel, we practically eat alone in the cavernous restaurant. It appears most visitors are day-trippers or stop on the way somewhere - it is only two hours from Zagreb, the capital of Croatia.
The following morning we get up early to go down to the Lower Lakes. It is before the park bus and ferry services start so we don't see anyone else for an hour or so. As we start to see people come into the park, they all have a smile on their faces. No doubt it's thanks to the wonder of this landscape where gushing sounds of water fill the crisp air and the soft bounce of the walkways under your feet.
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| In morning quietude, we have the whole park to ourselves. |
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| Lower Lakes in the morning |
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| Getting lost a bit and running into a flooded section |
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| The "Big Waterfalls" are, well, the biggest in the park. |
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| One last look at the Big Waterfalls |
Even a tranquil place like this did not escape the history of turmoil in this area as the first shots of the advancing Serbs were fired here at the beginning of the war in the 90's.
It is now time to leave as we have a long day or two ahead. Heading to Istria.
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