Croatia is a country that is growing in popularity with travelers from around the world. After spending a day at Plitvice Lakes National Park, this fact comes as no surprise. Plitvice Lakes is the oldest and largest national park in the Republic of Croatia – added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in October of 1979. The parks 16 lakes cascading from one to the other is a magnificent sight to behold. Important note: swimming in the lakes is illegal and if you are caught doing so, you risk being fined. No need to bring your suit!

We started our visit to the park at entrance 2 when the park opened at 7:00 AM, and waited in the queue for about 20 minutes before purchasing our tickets for the park. Ticket pricing varies based on time of year and also time of day (price goes down after 4 PM), however we paid 250 Kuna (around $40 USD) per adult ticket. A tourist map is available for just 20 Kuna (around $3 USD – cash only), and though there are plenty of signs to keep you on the path, the map is handy for pinpointing your location.

Depending on your time constraints or desired walking distance, the map has a few different paths suggested. As you walk throughout the park, you will see directional signs to guide in the direction of your desired route. We decided to do route ‘K’, which is the longest route and estimated 6-8 hours for the journey.

Entrance 2 begins with a path leading to spectacular views of the Veliki Slap, the parks largest waterfall. A popular area, I recommend an early arrival to avoid the afternoon crowds competing for a view. The wooden path meanders along over waterfalls, and with glorious lake views along the way. You can see all the way to the bottom of the lakes in most areas and teams of the fish lazily swimming about. About an hour into the trip, you reach your first ‘resting point’, should you choose to take it. There is a small cafe here where you can grab bottled water, coffee, or a snack/sandwich. We grabbed a double espresso to fuel the rest of our journey!

As we continued on, we quickly realized that path K was a great choice. As the longest route, K is much less traveled as many guests opt for the shorter paths. There were long periods in which we did not encounter other guests, making for a peaceful and tranquil walk. The path is primarily open with just a few areas where the trees provide shady relief from the bright sun.

As you continue along the journey, there are two more opportunities to grab a snack, refill your water or have a restroom break. Well thought out, the resting zones appear just as you realize you need a little break.

We finished the journey in just under 6 hours, walking approximately 11 miles / 18 kilometers. While path K provided the longest distance, the route is primarily flat with some slight inclines and steps and a few areas of larger inclines. Doable for most, we even saw some small children along the way. We recommend arriving early in the morning when the park opens as the queue for tickets can get quite long. Later in the day, lines start to form at certain waterfalls as guests vie for the best vantage points for photographs. Overall, this is a great way to spend the day and you can easily make this a day trip from some of the bigger cities in Croatia.

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