Plitvice

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Plitvice INFO

The Plitvice Lakes are the most famous national park in Croatia, as well as in Europe, and are included into the most beautiful notabilities of the world. The first thing you will notice when you see the Plitvice lakes for the first time are the luxury and abundance of water, the sounds coming from the waterfalls, the power and force of nature that exude awe. The Plitvice Lakes consist of 16 lakes, composed in a cascade manner, interconnected by waterfalls, while a kilometre long network of wooden bridges and woody paths enables a close contact between visitors and waterfalls and lakes. The nature creating waterfalls on its own, forests, plants of the national park, as well as the living world inside the lakes and beside them, are the reason for the thrill experienced by thousands of people every year. The damns between the lakes, over which amazing waterfalls and slopes fall, are created in a special, natural, ongoing way for thousands of years now. As a result of sedimentation of calcium carbonate, natural barriers are created on the bottom of the lake, as well as on top of submersed objects, growing in height and width, thus creating spectacular waterfalls. Great diversity and variety of natural shapes have led to the fact that the National park the Plitvice lakes has been included into the UNESCO's "World heritage list". The famous movie "Winnetou" was filmed at Plitvice, as well. The beauties of the Park manage a union with the harmony of nature, countless resort and field activities, long walks in nature and recreational programmes for all ages. At the Plitvice lakes, each season tells its own story with the help of colours, sounds, murmur of the waterfalls, odours, quiet and life. True nature lovers say that you have never seen Plitvice if you haven't visited it during all four seasons. You can read why visit Plitvice during winter on our blog. Our offer of private and hotel accommodation in the surroundings of the park itself will ensure you have a pleasant stay at Plitvice.

Highlights :

  • - Plitvica village is a small resort situated in the immediate proximity of one of the most beautiful natural phenomena in Croatia – The Plitvice lakes national park. It is located in Lika, where a man remains in touch with the mountain and the sea simultaneously. This is an area where, along 150 km, one of the biggest and more beautiful mountains, the Velebit, spreads, along with the clear portion of the sea with one of the best-indented islands of the Adriatic, Pag.
  • - Poljanak is a small resort in proximity of the Plitvice lakes, only 3 km distant from the biggest waterfall of Plitvice and the lakes themselves. It is an adequate resort for families with young children, as well as for those who want to maintain their privacy. You can hike in the nearby woods listening to the sounds of the waterfall nearby, or even try rafting.
  • - Jezerce is a small resort in the proximity of the Plitvice lakes national park, convenient for a quiet and relaxed family vacation. There are two instructional-recreational paths: “Plitvice” path and “Corkova Uvala” path, which provide an opportunity of getting acquainted with the biological diversity of the park. Due to their length and the shape of terrain, the paths have a recreational character, as well.

Microclimate

During hot summer days on the Adriatic, visit Plitvice and cool off, because the average morning temperature during summer days is 9 °C, while the afternoon temperature is 24 °C, which means that the summer temperatures are pleasant and refreshing for a vacation on the Plitvice lakes.

During winter, the temperatures are around - 3 °C and it snows most of the time, so the visitors can enjoy winter joys, sleigh riding and ski running.

Culture

  • - Proscansko lake – at the altitude of 636m, with the greatest depth of 37m. Due to its depth and width the lake water has a dark green tint. Enjoy the indescribable quiet of the nature on the little hills surrounding the lake, overgrown with tall pinewood and deciduous trees. The reflection on the water surface is special, filled with the colours of leafs, in accordance with the seasons.
  • - Ciganovac lake – named after a tale that says a “gypsy”, while fishing, drowned in the lake. The lake receives water from the Proscansko lake. The most interesting detail of the lake is the Proscansko lake waterfall with collapsed travertine block
  • - Okrugljak lake – named after its round form. The altitude of the lake is 613m. There is also the Labudovac waterfall under which numerous caves can be found (“cave park”).
  • - Kozjak lake – named after a tale that says 30 goats drowned in the lake while crossing from the coast on to the island, running away from wolves. This is the largest lakes at Plitvice. The Stefaniji Island is situated on the lake. It is elongated in an elliptical manner, and was named after the queen Stefanija, who came to visit it in 1888.
  • - Galovac lake – Each visitor will be enchanted by the waterfalls falling into the lake in wide cascades. Autumn colors give the Galovac lake a special kind of beauty. There are also numerous waterfalls called Prstavci, that go below the level of the Galovac lake, along a twenty meter high travertine block.
  • - Burgeti or Bukovi – are a chain of small, shallow lakes, divided among themselves by travertine blocks overgrown with greenery. Besides the beautiful view of this natural beauty, you will be thrilled by the playful sounds of vexed and rough water flows, which produce noise by whirling its flow in smaller bays.
  • - Old town of Dreznik – it is situated on a hardly accessible slope above the Korana canyon, on the former boundary between the Christian Europe and Turkish Bosnia. For centuries the reign shifted within the Croatian fort Dreznik.
  • - Caves of Barac- are situated approximately six kilometers East of Rakovica, a little more than a kilometer West of the centre of the village Nova Krslja. The tour is organized with the escort of specialized guides, who narrate about the general geological structure of the cave, its gestation, its specificities, and archeological foundings. It is open for visitors from March to October, on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from 10:00-16:00. The price of the ticket is 50kn for adults and 25kn for children.
  • - Spoljaric water-mill – is a traditional business facility, a rare one and still in function. The facility was built in the 19th century in calcareous sinter. The inner space is divided into the mill with three constructions and the miller’s room, in which the most necessary inventory for the miller’s rest can be found.

Excursions

The Plitvice lakes offer kilometres of trimmed paths for walking. Most of the paths are in the form of wooden bridges that surmount the surface of the lake and connect coast to coast in a serpentine manner. Panoramic “trains” and electro boat excursions are very popular. Besides the amazing waterfalls, lakes and creeks in the astonishing greenery of the Plitvice national park, you can also explore the underwater world of the Barac cave. Visit the old mills and Rastoke which are familiar as the watermill village from a fairy tale, where you can see 300-year-old wooden houses, originally furnished. There is also the town of Dreznik, well-known for its ruins of a medieval town from 1278.

Adventure

Within the Plitvice lakes national park you can walk, hike, ride a bike, ski, row, and explore flora and fauna. For those with an adventure spirit there is the Korana river, on which we recommend rafting, kayaking or canoeing. Drive through the forests and field paths, over meadows and by covert creeks, rivers, lakes and all those parts of the Plitvice lakes national park that cannot be reached by the eye of the hiker. Ponder the instructional-recreational paths of the forests’ ecosystem; Corkova Uvala path, Plitvica path and Medveđak path.

Gastronomy

Give in to the gastronomic pleasures of a cuisine based on natural and homemade ingredients and under no circumstances think about calories. At the entrance to the National park you will encounter benches on which local women sell authentic cakes and cookies of this area, baked according to the hundred-year-old recipes, passed in oral tradition for hundreds of years. Prosciutto, barbecued lamb, the Lika soup, all kinds of baked meat with potatoes, barbecued meat, potato halves, trout, sour milk, the Lika fritters, the Lika cheese or apple strudels are only some of the specialties you have to taste. 

Fun & Nightlife

The Plitvice lakes are a place you will come back to again and again, because of the beautiful and unique surrounding and pleasant hotels and restaurants. In the authentic restaurant Licka kuca ( The House of Lika) you can taste the specialties of the area and watch how they are being made. The upper part of the restaurant is divided into the villages of Lika and the visitors can see some utilities characteristic for old life of families in Lika.  

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Plitvice recommended accommodation

* prices for June 2024 based on the maximum capacity for a minimum stay of 7 days

House - Poljanak House Marica From 118 €
  • Poljanak,
  • Persons: 4-6
  • Guests rating: 4.5
  • Most recent reservation 1 days ago
  • Korenica,
  • Persons: 4-5
  • Guests rating: 4.9
  • Most recent reservation 5 days ago
Room - Rakovica Room Anton From 35 €
  • Rakovica,
  • Persons: 2-5
  • Guests rating: 4.7
  • Most recent reservation 17 days ago
House - Smoljanac House Marijana From 152 €
  • Smoljanac,
  • Persons: 6-8
  • Guests rating: 4.5
  • Most recent reservation 1 days ago

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