Plitvice Lakes National Park, Croatia’s most significant natural attraction.
Location of the Plitvice Lakes.
The Plitvice Lakes are located on the territory of the same named national park, in the Litsko-Senj and Karlovac County, in the central part of Croatia. The territory of this Croatian national park is very picturesque. There are all kinds of natural resources, in particular:
– beech-spruce forests, where you can find roe deers, forest cats and observe rare species of birds.
The main features of the Plitvice Lakes
The gorgeousness of the local lakes and waterfalls fascinate travelers from all over the world. Water streams form sixteen large karst lakes with turquoise water, connected with each other by cascading arrangement. Plashy waterfalls, lost in forests and thickets, create unique landscapes of the natural park.
The existence of the Plitvice Lakes is possible only due to the coincidence of several natural factors. Dinaric highlands, where the cascade of reservoirs stretches, consists of dense limestone travertine, which, however, is easily washed away by water. Occasionally, the deposits of minerals block the current, but the water finds itself another way, forming new waterfalls. Lakes are like living beings, changeable and vulnerable. Preservation of this fragile natural balance is the main reason for strict prohibitions on swimming, fishing and spending the night in the park.
Beauty of the Plitvice Lakes
The Matica River, formed by the confluence of the Crna and Bela, immediately breaks into the first waterfall of the cascade of the twelve Upper Lakes separated by travertine barriers. Below in the rocks is the Cave Garden with many grottoes. The cascade is completed by Lake Kozyak, where water flows through the so-called Sparkling Falls.
The lower lakes of Milanovac, Gavanavac, Kaluerovac and Novakovy Brod lie deeply in canyon. The hiking trails are arranged both on the banks and on top of steep dolomite walls. Separating the lake travertine barriers form the Great Cascades, the most spectacular waterfalls of the Plitvice region.
Detailed maps of the park with marks of places for taking photos are sold at the entrance. The suggested routes are indicated by letters from A to K, according to their complexity and duration. Since July 2017 tourist groups are necessarily accompanied by the employee of the park.
With a shortage of time, the best choice is a simple route A to the most beautiful places of the Lower Lakes. It lasts about two hours and passes by the Great Falls, and then upstream along the canyon. The longest route K lasts at least eight hours and includes a complete bypass of the entire lake area. It is better to split it into two days, so that fatigue does not interfere with enjoying the natural beauties.