Don't Go Chasing Waterfalls...just kidding, do go (Croatia Part 2: Plitvice Park)

By Caitlin

Just when we thought Croatia couldn't get more beautiful, we arrived at the Grand Finale (well, actually we arrived at our hostel in the middle of nowhere to find out that there were no groceries open and the only restaurant was 3km away along a major busy road with no shoulder and the only way to get there was to walk, but I digress...). The Plitvice Lakes National Park was stunning with its display of hundreds of waterfalls and 16 translucent blue-green lakes. There is some science-y explanation about how the minerals in the rock keep the water clear and reflect the sunlight, but that’s not my strong suit and this isn't Wikipedia. ;-)

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While most people do Plitvice in a day, we added a second day to amble along the wooden walkways that crisscross the lakes and climb on top of the waterfalls. I think we covered every inch of hiking trail in the park. And it was well worth it. The hoards of (often rude, inconsiderate) tourists obsessed with getting pictures were frustrating, especially since it's nearly impossible to take a bad picture at this place. There is no swimming permitted, but we were able to rent a row boat to get a perspective from the middle of one of the larger lakes. Unfortunately, I'm not coordinated enough to row a boat so Jed graciously did most of the work.  



Click on any of the pictures below to bring up a larger gallery you can click through:

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