Plitvice Lakes National Park was an absolute must-do on this trip, and it did not disappoint.
After a quick breakfast, we grabbed our backpack and were out the door before 8:30am. Our hotel was just down the road from entrance 3, so we walked to the entrance, had our passes scanned, then proceeded along the ‘C’ route another few minutes down to the lake shore to wait in line for the boat to the lower lakes.
The ferry was electric, so the ride across the lake was fairly quiet. As we approached the far dock we started to see rushing water everywhere! From the landing we proceeded up a number of stairs making our way across multiple lakes over a series of boardwalks. Every corner brings beautiful new views.
Along the way we saw a lot of wildflowers too.
We eventually made it to tram stop #3, then decided to continue the trail around the corner for views the larger lake and two additional falls.
After returning to tram stop #3, we waited about 15 minutes before the next one arrived. The journey to stop #2 is quite narrow and twisty, followed by a flatter journey to stop #1. Now technically at the beginning of the ‘C’ loop, we simply followed the signs to complete our hike. You start high above the lakes, which lead to some lovely views, especially of Veliki Slap, the biggest falls in the park.
What a view!
The path gradually brings you down into the canyon, all the way to the waters edge. There were so many different hues to the water!
Since it was close to noon at this point the crowds were thicker, but we were still able to make our way without too much difficulty. Also, it was on this section of the trail that we saw a fire salamander and European common toad along with more waterfalls.
As we were completing the ‘C’ loop the clouds were building, but we thought we’d have enough time to check out the rim trail for views down and into the canyon. These trails run along the Plitvica Selo village and offer some stunning views too.
From the end of this trail we hiked another 20 minutes back to our hotel for a well-earned lunch of leftover pizza.
Plitvice Lakes National Park has an overwhelming number of waterfalls and it absolutely deserves a visit.