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| A: Veliki Slap Waterfall (The highest waterfall in Croatia at 78 m) B: Korana River C: Sastavci Waterfall D: Novakovica Lake |
Legend has it, the Plitvice Lakes were magically created by the Black Queen of Croatia. The Black Queen was a cruel, mean-spirited ruler, who reigned over the region a long long time ago during the dark ages. During those times, this region was fed by the Black River, and the forest surrounding it was called the Devil's Garden (Vražji vrt), inhabited by magical creatures. As the dark ages grew darker, a long, deadly drought dried up the river and brought the people to the feet of the Queen begging for water and life. For once, the Queen gave up her mean spirit, showed mercy, and magically created a large Lake, promising that it will never dry. The Lake was named Proscansko after the Croatian word Prositi which means "beg for".
As of January 2023, Croatia is an official member of the Schengen Countries and a Schengen Visa is required for entry to this country. We traveled to Croatia from Italy. More precisely, we were visiting Venice when we decided to head for the lakes in Plitvice, Croatia. We traveled to Italy from India on a multiple-entry Schengen tourist visa. Getting a Schengen Visa was not very difficult. It can be applied through VFS in Delhi. The VFS office is located at the Shivaji Stadium metro station. It took about a week between applying for the visa and receiving it.
While there are multiple modes of travel to Croatia from Venice, we opted for the Bus. The bus ticket was booked online through Flix bus. We faced no issues getting the tickets, boarding, and traveling. The route was via Ljubljana, Slovenia. It took us about 5 hours to reach Zagreb.
The other options to travel to Croatia from Venice are, train, air, and ferry. While air travel is the quickest, it's the most expensive as well. Rail and waterway were long overnight journeys, hence we chose the bus.
We were in Zagreb for a day. Our short stay was made deliciously memorable with freshly baked yummy pastries and a music festival, which we luckily got a chance to attend at the Zagreb square.
Day 2:
On day 2 early morning, we took another Flix Bus from Zagreb to Slunj. It took about 2 hours to reach Slunj. Zagreb has a good network of tram services and we didn't have any problem traveling around the city. Small tobacco stores near the tram stop/stations sell the tickets. When we traveled to Croatia in 2019, they were still using the Kuna as their currency. So, we exchanged some Euros at the bus station on our arrival the previous day. In January 2023, Croatia adopted the Euro as its official currency making life easier.
Slunj is a small quiet quaint little town or maybe a village. I regret not planning a longer stay here. We booked a bread and breakfast here with a lovely river view room and lawn. I could have spent weeks here amidst nature's quiet beauty. Will share details of Slunj in another post.
On day 3 we booked a Flix bus to Plitvice Lakes. We waited at the bus stop at the said time, but the bus passed by without stopping to pick us up. We tried to enquire about the next bus or any other transportation options to the park but language proved a barrier since the locals were not well-versed in English. Most tourists travel to the park in rented cars or their own vehicles. After wasting almost 3 hours, we met a lady who understood English and helped us get another bus to the park. Our initial plan was to start early to avoid the afternoon sun. It was one of the warmest summers in Europe that year. Unfortunately, we started post 12:00 pm.
We finally arrived at the Lakes at 1:00 pm. The bus dropped us at the Ticket Office at entrance 1. They mentioned that the last bus left around 6:00 pm and if missed that, it might be a very long wait till late at night before we can get another bus. All restaurants closed around the time the park closed. There were very limited places of accommodation. This meant we had to ensure, we were back at the bus stop much before 6:00 pm since the buses here didn't quite follow the correct timings.
Entry Timings:
Summer timings (June and August) :
7:00 am to 8:00 pm
Last entry at 6:00 pm
Autumn/Fall (September and October) :
7:00 / 8:00 am to 6:00 / 7:00 pm
Last entry at 4:00 / 5:00 pm
Winter timings (November to March) :
8:00 am to 4:00 pm
Last entry at 2:00 pm
Spring timings (April and May) :
8:00 am -7:00 pm
Last entry at 5:00 pm
Ticket Prices are shared on the official website. Prices vary by season, entry timings, and age.
We entered the park around 1:00 pm and were out by 5:00 pm. We didn't want to risk missing the bus back but as a result, we skipped a few viewpoints and shorter treks.
My suggestion is to pre-book the hotel at the park which is right across from the entrance 2 ticket office. It is a bit pricey and gets booked pretty fast in the peak summer season. Plan ahead and save the stress of missing buses. There are a few local taxis, at entrance 2, but they charge exorbitant rates.
The Lakes and the Waterfalls:
Must say the lakes, the waterfalls, and the park was gorgeous. All the trouble to get here was definitely worth it.
There are about 8 trails that the visitors can take depending on how much they choose to see in a day. Details are available on the official park website. Since we planned a day trip and had wasted half a day thanks to the bus that ditched us, we opted for the C program with a slight change. Instead of going back to the starting point, we cut our hike short at ST2 and returned via entrance 2. We had to forgo some good views between St2 and Entrance 1. However, we managed to cover the entire park and took the boat ride on Lake Kozjak
I assume, starting the trek at entrance 2 is a wee bit better than entrance 1. Entrance 1 is close to the lower lakes and it's a climb all the way up to the highest lake, Proscansko. While from Entrance 2, it's a short climb to Proscansko and then a climb down to the lower lakes.
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| Source of map: Official website https://np-plitvicka-jezera.hr/en/plan-your-visit/istrazite-jezera/activities/lake-tour-programmes/ |
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| The highest lake is at 637 m above sea level and the lowest lake is at 503 m above sea level |
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| Climbing up towards Lake Kaluderovac. The boardwalks are comfortable and safe. We went during peak summer when the boards were dry. They might get slippery during wet seasons. |
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| Lake Kaluderovac at 505 m above sea level. The turquoise waters are clean and one can see the fishes and plants under water. |
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| Lake Gavanovac at 514 m above sea level. Swimming is prohibited in the lakes. Water from the rivers and the lakes at the park is supplied as drinking water to the municipalities of Rakovica and Plitvicka |
The Legend of the Gavanovo treasure
Local legends suggest, at the bottom of Lake Gavanovac lies the hidden treasure trove of a magician named Gavan, after whom the lake gets its name. Gavan, the wizard had a treasure box of fairies and spirits with magical powers. Gavan was a kind and honest person and used this power for the welfare of his people but one day the Black Queen, heard about his treasure and sent her men to capture him. Fearing, the queen will misuse the powers, Gavan gave the box to his faithful servant Juraj and asked him to hide it in the deep forest. While escaping the Queen's men, Juraj fell into the lake releasing the fairies and the spirits. The fairies saved him, Gavan, and they kept the lake protected from the reach of the Black Queen. It is said the box still lies in the bottom of the lake and the fairies are heard singing in the stillness of the starry nights at the lakes.
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| Milanovacki slap Waterfall and Lake Milanovac at 524 m above sea level |
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| Slapovi Milke Trnine Waterfall was named after Katarina Milka Ternina a famous Croatian Soprano (1863-1941) |
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| Lake Kozjak at 535 m above sea level. It is also the deepest (47 m) and the largest (81.5 ha) lake in the national park. We took a boat from P1 boat point to P3 boat point. There is a rest area and a gift shop with ice cream and snacks near P1. |
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| Veliki Pstavac Waterfall seen from Lake Burgeti at 545 m above sea level |
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| Gradinsko Lake at 554 m above sea level |
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| Veliki Prstavac Waterfall (28 m high) |
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| Milino Jezero Lake at 576 m above sea level |
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| Galovacki Buk Waterfall and Galovac Lakr at 585 m above sea level |
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| Bird's Eye view Picture clicked in 1937 Source: Link There are 6 small lakes between Proscansko and Galovac lakes at different heights. Vir at 500 m asl, Malo at 605 m asl, Veliko at 607 m asl, Baltinovac at 610 m asl, Okrugljak at 613 m asl and Ciganovac at 625 m asl |
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| Proscansko Jezero at 627 m above sea level the highest lake. |
We took the shuttle back to entrance 2 from ST3 shuttle point near Proscansko. We were short on time, hence, chose to cut short a part of the trail between ST2 and Entrance 1. Perhaps will plan a visit in winter or fall. I heard the colors are grander in fall and the frozen lakes in winter are a surreal experience.