If
you are thinking about visiting Croatia, then Plitvice lakes (Plitvička
jezera) is one of
the places
you have to visit.
Plitvice
Lakes National Park is one of the oldest national parks in Southeast
Europe and the largest national park in Croatia. In 1979,
Plitvice Lakes National Park was added to the UNESCO World Heritage register.
The
national park is world-famous for its lakes arranged in cascades. Currently, 16
lakes can be seen from the surface. These lakes are a result of the confluence
of several small rivers and subterranean karst rivers. The lakes are all
interconnected and follow the water flow. They are separated by natural dams of travertine.
The highest waterfalls are the Large Waterfall (croat. Veliki slap) at the
end of the Lower Lakes, over which the Plitvica river falls, and Galovački
buk at the Upper Lakes.
The
lakes are renowned for their distinctive colors, ranging from azure to green,
grey or blue. The colors change constantly depending on the quantity of
minerals or organisms in the water and the angle of sunlight.
The
Plitvice Lakes national park is heavily forested, mainly with a mixture of
Alpine and Mediterranean vegetation. The area of the national park is home to
an extremely wide variety of animal and bird species. Rare fauna such as the
European brown bear, wolf, eagle, owl, lynx, wild
cat, and capercaillie can be found there, along with many more common
species.
It
takes upwards of six hours to explore the lakes on foot, or you can slice two
hours off by taking advantage of the park's free boats and buses (departing
every 30 minutes from April to October).
Each
year, more than 1 million visitors are recorded.
