Limestone cliffs on the lower course of Plitvice
After a long break from the newsletter I’ve returned to bring back some stories from my latest trip to Croatia.
This was our fourth trip to Croatia, but this time we explored an entirely new region. Zagreb, Plitvice and a week in Istria.
I wanted to start by talking about Plitvice, because this was the hardest place to find a reliable guide on.
Plitvice
Note the low volume of water after a dry summer
Plitvice is one of the most extraordinary geological landscapes in Europe. Crystal-clear water, rich in dissolved calcium carbonate, flows through the park and gradually deposits minerals along its path. Over thousands of years, this process has created a jewel box of natural formations—cascading waterfalls, terraced lakes, limestone barriers, and even plants and mosses slowly encased in stone.
It is, however, the most confusing National Park I’ve been to, we lost a lot of precious time trying to figure it out. I wanted to make this guide explaining some of the things that I wish I knew before visiting.
Milanovac
We visited in late September, and while there was a tinge of orange in the leaves, my guess is you could go well into October and get even better foliage. Even at the tail end of the tourism season, there were still large crowds in the middle of the day so you’ll want to come early or late (more on that later).
We’ve learned so much about Croatia on 4 separate trips that we can’t possibly share it all in one email. If you want us to plan you a perfect itinerary to Plitvice and beyond, just hit the button below!
What We Wish We Knew
4 Different Trail options for Plitvice
There are 2 entrances, one at the lower lakes and one at the upper lakes. You need to scan your ticket into the park before 5:00. (this time varies depending on the season) so we thought pulling into the upper lakes parking lot at 4:30 would be sufficient. The fact that it was at least a 15 minute walk from the parking lot to the entrance left us sweating it out.
I think it’s also worth mentioning that the “Upper Lakes” aren’t further north, they just are up stream and have higher elevation. A lot of maps of the park have it turned around which can lead to some confusion.
