Plitvice Lakes
FAQFrequently asked questions
What are these lakes and where are they?
Plitvice Lakes is a national park in central Croatia, near the border with Bosnia and Herzegovina. These are sixteen lakes, strung in a cascade one after the other, with waterfalls between them. The water here changes color from turquoise to green and blue depending on the minerals and the angle of the sun.
Where do these cascades and waterfalls come from?
The lakes are separated by natural dams made of tuff - porous limestone, which has been growing here for thousands of years (deposition is about 6-7 thousand years old). The height difference in the park is as much as 912 meters, so the water falls somewhere all the time. The highest waterfall, Velikiy Slap, is 78 meters.
When is the best time to go?
In the summer, there is the most greenery and the most people - in the peak season, the park admits no more than 12,000 visitors per day, so you can stand in line. Spring and autumn are calmer, and in autumn the colors of the leaves add to the colors of the water.
Are there any animals here?
Yes, and not bunnies - brown bears, wolves and lynx live in the park, plus about 50 species of mammals and one and a half hundred species of birds. Most tourists will not see it, because they walk on wooden decks over the water, not through thickets.
Has the park been around for a long time?
It was founded in 1949, and in 1979 it was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. A sad page of history also happened here - in March 1991, the first armed incident of the Croatian War of Independence took place in Plitvice.
