Plitvice Lakes Croatia - Waterfalls and Walkways

I was able to rent an apartment online at Apartments Giga on www.booking.com and it was the BEST experiance we ever had! We had a HUGE full course breakfast ready for us each morning and the owners were very friendly.

When we lived in Italy we got to see some of the most AMAZING things ever!!! One 4 day weekend we decided to go to Croatia. The Plitvice Lakes to be more exact. It was only a 6 hour drive from where we lived in Italy.

ALL the photos in this hub were taken by me and I would appreciate it if they weren't copied for other posts.

Plitvice Lakes National Park is the oldest national park in Southeast Europe and the largest national park in Croatia. The national park was founded in 1949 and is situated in the mountainous krast area of central Croatia, at the border to Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The beauty of the National Park lies in its sixteen lakes, inter-connected by a series of waterfalls, and set in deep woodland populated by deer, bears, wolves, boars and rare bird species. The park is open daily all year around, with longer hours in the summer time.

When we took our trip there we had no idea what to expect. Looking up things on the Internet you never know if they are what they say they are. I do have to say that EVERYTHING I looked up on the National Park before we got there was absolutely correct. The amazing photos are real, the walk is incredible, even the kids loved it! There's no set time to get from the bottom to the top or the top to the bottom depending on where you start. We started at the bottom and worked our way to the top.

The distance between the top lake and the bottom lake is an altitude of 636 to 503 m (2,087 to 1,650 ft) over a distance of some eight km. The lakes collectively cover an area of about two square kilometers, with the water exiting from the lowest lake forming the Korana River. Walking from the bottom to the top you don't really realize you are walking up hill all that much. You are so taken away with the beauty of it all that there isn't much more your brain wants to think about.

There is no set time to get through the park. They do close at night so if you go later in the day you do need to make sure you are out in time. We got there at about 9am and made it all the way through in about 6 hours. That is with 3 small kids too so there was a lot of stopping to see every waterfall and watch the incredible fish (I do not recommend taking strollers on this walk). There is also a ferry boat that takes you across one of the larger lakes (which is included in the park ticket price) and is a nice little ride. At the Ferry Boat area there is a "rest stop" where you can purchase souvenirs, eat an incredible Croatian meal, use the restrooms, or just hang out at the picnic tables or on the grass (during the summer of course). Once we got to the upper lake we took the "shuttle bus" (panoramic train) back to the lower lakes so we didn't have to walk all the way back (this too is included in the park ticket price).

Below are a bunch of photos I took while we were at Plitvice Lakes. I have a million more of course but didn't want to put them all up here. These are just some of my favorites. If you ever get a chance to see this National Park you have to go! If you love waterfalls and crystal clear water this is a MUST see! I'm so glad we made the decision to go, it was an adventure of a lifetime!