Welcome to Plitvice Lakes National Park!
Plitvice Lakes, Croatia has been at the top of Seth’s bucket list since he first started making a bucket list. The pictures of the water and the waterfalls here have been his desktop picture for as long as I can remember. We rented a car to get here today, and received a lot of good information on the rules of the road from our cab driver, who was taking us to the airport where we would be renting our car.
You should always try to chat up the locals! Every person we have talked to on this trip has given us at least one bit of valuable information. He informed us that no matter what, we had to drive the speed limit or under. This may pose a problem for us seeing as how we just came from flying down the Autobahn. He also informed us that if we were pulled over, the cop could ask for payment for the fine right then and there. It would feel almost like we were paying him off to let us go, but thats just how they do things there sometimes. Now I started to get anxious.
Driving in Croatia
We got our rental car no problem, and off we went on the two hour drive to the park. It was a nice drive. Not much to see, just trees. As we got closer we started seeing more little streams, with this brilliant blue color. For about the last 20 minutes of the drive, I honestly thought my eyes were playing tricks on me, or it was the reflection of the clear skies and sunshine. But once we got there, I realized that this was actually the color of the water. It’s so hard to describe. The most vibrant blue/green you’ve ever seen.
Before officially entering the park, we stopped at a market/restaurant/bar to try to find some snacks and water to take with us. This was kind of a scary pit stop. We entered the bar area thinking we could order some take away food, but this was not the place for that! It was definitely a locals only bar, and we were clearly tourists. We quickly found our way back to the market area, grabbed what we needed, and continued on our way.
Entering Plitvice Lakes
To enter Plitvice Lakes National Park park you must buy a ticket. The ticket to enter for the day cost us 40 euro each. I felt this was a little pricey, but we also decided to come during peak season. There are maps posted that show you the different trails and rules of the park. We started in the middle of the lakes, and made our way towards the bottom. The trails are mostly wooden walkways and bridges. It was so peaceful here. There had been a lot of people buying tickets and parking, but there weren’t crowds of people walking around down here. You cannot swim in the lakes here, but there is a designated swimming spot towards the upper lakes. Given the heat and humidity here, that is most likely where everyone else is.
Warm Fuzzy Feelings
Walking around here felt like we were in a dream. We were overcome with this weird fuzzy feeling. No joke! It was surreal being here. We came across a big lake that had an island filled with waterfalls in the middle. We decided to rent a canoe so we could get closer. Let it be known that Seth paddled the whole time, and would end up being so sore after this! We paddled up close to the waterfalls and made friends with a duck. It was peaceful and serene out here.
After our water play, we came back to land to finish up the second half of our hike. We saw on the map at the front that there was a big waterfall at the bottom, and that was where we were headed. The soft trickling of the water and the mesmerizing color almost hypnotized us. We came around a bend and found a huge bat cave! Of course there were steps to hike up to it, and I am so glad we did. This gave us the best views of the lakes, and the place where Seth’s desktop background picture had been taken! It was the perfect view of all of the waterfalls. Our pictures and videos do not do it justice.
I will never forget our time here. I don’t even need to look at the pictures of this place to remember it. The feeling we got when we came here is indescribable, and I wish everyone could experience it. It’s places like this that make me feel closer to God. When I picture Eden, this is what I see.
Tomorrow we are back on the trains to our next country! Where will we go next?…
