When you find yourself walking around the lakes of the largest national park in Croatia you feel like you entered a place of unspoiled beauty disconnected from the civilized life of the old continent. So pure that you can hardly believe it’s real. Even tourists who gather here lured by the international fame the place has already acquired admit that the spectacular pictures from Plitvice and theirs surreal colors fade in comparison with the real experience.
The waters springing from the Dinaric Mountains have created here a series of 16 interconnected lakes at different levels. Between them, the lakes have spectacular cascades, natural dams made by sediments and plants. The vegetation is luxurious in the surrounding Mala Kapela Mountain and Pljesevica Mountain, that form a green cauldron around the lakes. There are various hiking routes in these mountains, intersecting the banks of the lakes from time to time or offering a wonderful panoramic view.
The entire area is rigorously protected and perfectly preserved. Like in Krka, the second national park of the Croatians, further to the south, car access is forbidden, and you can get to the lakes using the provided buses.To get to Plitvicka Jezera, as the locals call it, you need to take a national road that connects two segments of the best highway in the country: A1 (E65 E75), which practically makes a big detour around the reservation and its surroundings. The northern segment, Zagreb – Rjeka, connects east to west. The other segment goes from north to south, following the coast line of Adriatic, and offering access to other important cities like Zadar and Split. It is in excellent shape and help crossing the mountains with numerous tunnels some even longer than 4 km. So the usual highway toll in Croatia is money well spent.