When exploring the Plitvice Lakes National Park, there really is nothing better than to walk (or hike) through the Park. You’ll be able to take in the beautiful surroundings and admire the lakes, waterfalls, nature and wildlife. Whether you start at Entrance 1 (the lower lakes) or Entrance 2 (upper lakes), there’s honestly so much to explore.
The Park prints out/displays maps for a number of different exploratory walks, of varying lengths, that can be undertaken starting from either entrance – who’s tough enough for the 8-hour walk?! Take a look at one of the ‘lake tour programmes‘ if you want to be guided through the park.
In answer to a question we sometimes receive – no swimming (or any other kind of water activity) is allowed anywhere in the Park. Plitvice’s wonderfully clear waters need to be kept that way!
Exploring the Plitvice Lakes National Park – Entrance 1
There is stunning scenery almost everywhere you turn in the Park – but for one of the best photo opportunities (looking down on the lakes and waterfalls from up high – as seen below), it is entrance 1 that you want to head to.
From the entrance, head down the winding gravel path to reach the wooden walkways to cross the lakes. From this viewpoint, it looks like the lakes stretch out for miles! You’ll soon see a sign indicating Veliki Slap (Large Waterfall) that points to your right – as you walk down more wooden walkways, there’s also plenty more impressive waterfall sights on the way down. There’s a small area in which to stand ‘underneath’ Veliki Slap for more photo taking!
Head back the way you came, but not back to the entrance. Now you can explore more of the wooden walkways that stretch out over many of the lakes.
Once you reach Kozjak Bridge, you can choose to walk back up the path towards Entrance 1 (which is the exploration called “A Program”), or continue round part of Lake Kozjak (“B Program”). If you do the latter, you’ll come to the small dock where the electric boat arrives and departs. Take the boat for a wonderfully peaceful journey over Lake Kozjak. On the other side of the lake, a shuttle bus continues your journey and you then have an another walk with impressive views – again, high up above the canyon – all the way back to Entrance 1.
From this entrance, you can also explore Supljara Cave, which houses its own unique type of fauna. Walk up through the cave for more wonderful and unique sights of the lakes.
Exploring the Plitvice Lakes National Park – Entrance 2
From Entrance 2 you can choose to start your exploration either by taking an electric boat across the largest lake in the park, Lake Kozjak, or the shuttle bus up to higher points in the park. You can also of course take it back down to the entrance.
I would recommend taking the shuttle bus first and then walking down the pathways that wind through the Park. This is a circular tour that may take a good two or three hours. You’ll end up at the largest lake – Kozjak – where you can take the electric boat back to Entrance 2. You’ll walk past plenty of large lakes and lots of smaller waterfalls; check out the wonderfully clear water as well to see plenty of plant life and submerged trees where they’ve fallen at some point in the past.
Alternatively, “Program E” recommends that you take the electric boat across Lake Kozjak and then wind around more of the Lakes in a westerly direction. You will come to Station 3 where you can get another shuttle bus back to very close to Entrance 2.
For both Entrance 1 and Entrance 2, most of the exploratory walks I’ve mentioned above are the shorter ones – those that take from 2 to 5 hours. Again, do study the Lake Tour Programs page to discover the longer walks that take between 6 to 8 hours. At either entrance, you can also ask at the office for assistance in making sure you on the right path. (Excuse the pun.)
Although technically Plitvice is home to a number of animals, you’ll most likely only see fish. It’s still glorious to see them in their masses in the waters!