Introduction
The Plitvice Lakes National Park, Croatia's most popular tourist
attraction, was granted UNESCO
World Heritage status in 1979. Located roughly halfway between
capital city Zagreb and Zadar on the coast, the lakes are definitely
a must-see. (As confirmed by the many emails we've received!)
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
National Park covers a total area of 300 square kilometres,
whilst the lakes join together over a distance of eight
kilometres.
There's also quite an altitude difference - the highest point is at 1,280m, the lowest at 380m - although the total height difference between the lakes themselves is only 135m. (Veliki Slap, the largest waterfall, is 70m tall.)
The Park is open daily all year round,
with longer opening hours during summer (usually 8am to 7pm).
There's an entrance fee, which acts as a contribution to the Park's
upkeep and protection: for adults it's 55 Kunas in November -
April; 85 Kunas in May & June and September & October;
100 Kunas in July & August. Children aged 7 to 18 have cheaper
tickets, whilst children under the age of seven have free entrance.
Groups of 15 or more people can get discounted tickets. 3-hour
guided tours in English, German or Italian can also be pre-booked
at 20 Euros per hour.
What is there
to do?
There are numerous trails on which to walk and hike, and there
are also boat and shuttle bus services in order to see the Park
it all its glory.
Accommodation
in Plitvice
It is possible to stay within the Park at one of its three hotels
(which are all clustered quite closely together by Entrance 2)
or at its campsite (which contains bungalows or space for 500
camping units) which is located about 7km outside of the northern
entrance of the Park. There is another hotel, the Hotel Grabovac,
that is also located 12km north of the Park. It's also possible
to find private accommodation in a number of the towns and villages
(such as Slunj) on the way
to the Park.
