Glamorous staircase of Croatia: Plitvice

The stunning UNESCO world heritage site is located in central Croatia. As part of my trip round Croatia I traveled south from Zagreb to Split. Plitvice lakes are a 2.5 hour bus journey from Zagreb or a 6 hour bus journey from Split. There are organised travel hours from both cities however I chose to make my own way there by bus and stay overnight in a local guest house.

The bus journey in its self was fascinating, passing by bullet speckled buildings showing the scars of the war which began in 1991 and ended in 1995.

The bus trip was comfortable and driven with confidence despite some areas of road being narrow and windy.You pass by some gorgeous landscapes, farms and homely guest houses with small bear garden ornaments portraying the areas native brown bear population.

I stayed overnight in a guest house a few hundred meters walk from the park. We were greeted with great warmth shown to a very comfortable room. We decided to sample the local traditional cooking which was warming, homely and incredible value for money.

The next day we made out way down to the entrance of the park and paid the entrance fee. We were provided with a map as part of our ticket and informed that all park boats and trains were included in the price. From there we followed signs and a map provided to a small boat which took us across the water to one of the paths. I was immediately struck by the clarity and colour of the water not to mention the enormous fish!

After climbing up a steep slope I was struck by a fairly tale path surrounded by the bluest water.

These paths weave in and out of greenery and waterfalls. Every one of the 16 makes is more beautiful than the former.

The fallen trees take on a new otherworldly form as the clear pure water sucks them into itself transforming and preserving them.

One part of the park I was less struck by were the caves. I would imagine if not surrounded by such scenery they would have been more impressive. A victim of circumstance perhaps. I didn’t witness any of the impressive wildlife such as Brown bears, lynx, deer or wolves however I imagine they know better than to hang around the tourist trails.

A place I would return to any day, but in case you want to reinact a herbal essence advert be warned there is no swimming in this water. Perhaps why it remains so clear and unspoiled.

View more of Croatia:

Sunset in Dubrovnik 

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