Plitvice Lakes National Park

Plitvice Lakes National Park is Croatia's oldest and largest national park, and without a doubt, its crown jewel.  Our waterfall adventures started with Kravica in Bosnia.  That was lovely and a nice appetizer. Our second adventure was at Krka National Park in Croatia and it upped the waterfall game with multiple falls connecting several lakes, like a glass of fine wine as you savor each sip.  Plitvice Lakes National Park is the entire meal plus dessert plus a second dessert.  There's a reason its the crown jewel of Croatian parks, and hands-down, this was our favorite -- not only for this trip, but perhaps of all the waterfall experiences we've ever had.

The park is a series of 16 interconnected lakes that gradually drop in elevation, which is what feeds all of the too-many-to-count waterfalls.  There are giant free-falling waterfalls, travertine falls, cascading falls, and practically every other kind of falls that have a separate classification.  The water in the lakes is crystal clear and you can see the fish swimming and the rocks and logs at the bottom.  However, it is not only crystal clear, it is also incredible shades of blue and turquoise -- a result of light refraction, a lack of algae, and the calcium carbonate from all of the limestone found here.

The park is divided into two main sections -- upper and lower -- and there are a series of boardwalks and trails that visitors walk on.  There are several suggested routes through the park depending upon your interest and how much time you have.  We followed Route C which took us the entire length of the park starting at the lower section and finishing at the upper section.  This route generally kept us at water level the entire time.  There are other routes that keep you on the ridge above the water and some that mix the two.

You take an electric-powered boat across one of the largest lakes in order to get between the upper and lower sections.  There is also a tram that connects the sections along the ridge and we took that back to the entrance once we completed our entire hike through the park.

It took us a little over four hours to get from one end of the park to the other, and the time flew by.  We were constantly in awe of the surroundings and couldn't believe what we're seeing is real.  We took lots of photos and videos which helped show the beauty, but it is really something that needs to be experienced.

If you do only one thing while you're in Croatia, this should be it.  There's nothing else in this world to compare to Plitvice Lakes.