Stunning Plitvice National Park

When we were culling down the final list of destinations for our trip, we took inspiration from our own travel wish list, but also those of friends & random travel blogs. Plitvice Lakes National Park in central Croatia was a spot we'd never admittedly heard of, but it caught our eye on the blogs of two other families traveling the world with their kiddos, and we couldn't look away. It immediately got put on our short list. The logistics were a bit clunky because it wasn't exactly "on the way", but it's all relative at this point, so we went for it :)

What is Plitvice?

Paraphrasing from their website, Plitviče Lakes National Park is an almost 300 sq km forest reserve known for its chain of 16 terraced lakes, joined by waterfalls. Walking trails wind around & across the water, and an electric boat provides alternate passage across the lake system. The website details several recommended routes, depending on your time/walking stamina and start point (Entrance 1 or Entrance 2). More on our route in a bit.

Getting There

Without belaboring all the fine details, we squeezed Plitvice into our road trip itinerary smack between Austria and Italy. Looking at a map, it's not an obvious route :) But we were determined to experience the beauty of Plitvice, and that's the (only) way we could make it happen. Incidentally, to this day, we have no idea how to say "Plitvice" correctly :)

After a tasty breakfast with Hilkka we drove 3 hours from her home in St. Lorenzen, Austria to Karlovac, Croatia. Karlovac was a quick stop for lunch (average) and groceries (productive). The little we saw of Karlovac gave us an impression of a run-down industrial city; the overcast skies didn't help its image. We did see a neat produce market with a crazy abundance of red peppers; I guess we know what's in season at the moment :) The grocery stop was essential because everything we'd read about Plitvice was that packing a lunch was the best way to make the most of your time in the park, so prep was needed.

Plitvice was a further 1.5 hours from Karlovac. We rolled into our little apartment House Jure, which was simple but totally did the trick. It was impeccably clean, a short walk to the park Entrance 1, and had a kitchenette. Dinner was a simple noodle pack (there's a time & a place for ramen noodle packs, and this was one of them!).

Weather Toss Up

All day as we made our way to Plitvice it was overcast & misty, but no rain downpours. We had been neurotically checking the weather in the days & hours leading up to our Plitvice visit, hoping for the best. Heavy rain & thunderstorms blew through the area overnight, but we stayed optimistic.

The park opens at 7:00am. We had a timed entrance ticket for 7:30am-8:30am; our aim was to avoid the crowds as much as possible. We dragged our tired (but excited) bodies out of bed to a wall of fog & mist. Not exactly what we were hoping for, but we had our rain layers and were ready for the elements!

Program C, Let's Do This!

We scarfed down a quick breakfast and made the 15 minute walk to Entrance 1. We opted to do Program C which allowed us to check out both the Lower & Upper Lakes areas. The majority of this route was walking, but it also included some neat "perks" like an electric boat ride and a return by panoramic train. It provided us the biggest "bang for our time" as we needed to jam through the park in about 5 hours. Turns out that was more than enough time to see it all, thanks to our early, no crowds start.

The first hour or so we were literally some of the only people exploring the trails & wooden walkways, admiring the waterfalls. To say it was magical is an understatement. The aqua waters, vibrant waterfalls and bubbling streams captivated our full attention & awe. The misty morning (thankfully very little real rain) just added to the charm of it all! It was awesome to be able to walk among such beautiful natural terrain. Gorgeous & totally worth the side-trip, no question about it!!

Ode to Plitvice

It's easier to describe the beauty of Plitvice Lakes National Park through pictures & videos, than it is with words. Apologies in advance for the sheer volume of images, haha. Here goes :)