Plitvice Lakes

I knew if the weather cooperated that my trip to Plitvice Lakes would be one of the highlights of my trip.  The bus from Zadar to Plivtice was an express one with no stops along the way, everyone on the bus looked to be foreign tourists.  We arrived just after 10:15 am & the weather was great - sunny with temps in low 70s.

I started out in the lower lakes area, there are 16 lakes in the park.  Plitvice draws about 1.2 million tourists per year.  I can see why it is so popular.  There are some nice views at the top of the park & even better ones as you hike to the bottom.  I have never been to national park with so much to see in one place.

To get from the lower lakes to the upper lakes section, there is a 10 minute boat ride across the largest lake in the park. The upper lakes section was really scenic also, it took about 2-3 hours to walk through each section with a tourist bus that takes back to the entrance of the park.

There were lots of tourist groups in the park, mostly Asians or old people.  At times it seemed as though they weren't even paying attention to the scenery & just following the guide.

I don't think they could have a park like this in the U.S. with boardwalks overflowing with water, no railings, & no handicapped access.  This would be an ambulance chasing lawyers dream.

I stayed at a very basic small 4 room hotel a few miles from the park out in the country.  It was the upper half of a family's house.  I got a ride to the hotel from the younger brother of the hotel owner, he worked at park & was very friendly.  He spoke English (no one else in the family did) & invited me to dinner.  Unfortunately I had just eaten dinner at the park, so I had to decline.  There was only one other room occupied while I was there, it was a young Australian couple on a 10 week European tour.

I am leaving for Zagreb in the early afternoon, so I will have a chance to see the park again.  I think it will be less crowded since it is a weekday & I will arrive earlier in the day.  A two pass was 180 kuna or roughly $25, which is a bargain.

I took a few hundred photos in a one day, here are a few of the better ones.