Pure Nature in Plitvice

Heading north from Split by bus, the scenery and temperature started to change. I said goodbye to the coast, and welcomed the mountains. The green palette was joined by subtle yellows and oranges. I hopped off the bus in the little town of Mukinje, just before reaching Plitvice Lakes National Park. I was staying at Guest House Wolf, one of many lodges in the cluster. After greeting the host and dropping off my luggage, I headed towards the park on foot. It was a Sunday, and the one grocery store in Mukinje (the adorable little "Robni Centar") was going to be closed in the afternoon, so I picked up a portable lunch and some breakfast goods.

It was a 30 minute walk along a quiet trail to the closest park entrance, dubbed Entrance #2. Here, the typical energy of a national park parking lot was on display, with lots of families, buses, and large groups. I approached the ticket booth with a 2-day pass in mind, but saw a sign that tickets were already sold out for the day! I quickly went online to secure a ticket for the next day, with no issue - less competition for a Monday morning ticket. But then, the question of what to do with Sunday afternoon?

I doubled back to a signboard advertising an educational nature trail. It looked like a few hours of hiking, with multiple places to turn around if I changed my mind. I gave it a try, and ended up doing the whole triangular loop! It was extremely uncrowded - I passed a whopping 4 people over 3 hours. The number of fresh spiderwebs that I broke through was an indication of this low traffic. A few sparse signboards explained the geology of the area: a mix of dolomite and limestone, which formed sinkholes when the limestone dissolved. There were few animals, but an amazing assortment of mushrooms. Clusters of perfectly rounded button mushrooms; fantastic wedge-shaped mushrooms, evenly spaced along the height of a tree like handholds on a rock climbing wall; enormous toadstool mushrooms straight out of a fairy tale. The fungi ended up being better than the hike's views, which barely snagged a glimpse of the famous lakes despite the decently high elevation. The descent returned through the same beech forest, with not a soul around.

It ended up being over 9 miles of hiking, so I stopped for carbo loading at the pizzeria in Mukinje. And I mean THE pizzeria. It's such a small town, the road signs have room to include directions to this pizzeria, not that you can miss it. For 10 euro, I got a medium sized pizza and a large beer to go, a great deal after being in more expensive parts of Croatia. After the natural hike, I was inspired to order the "funghi" pizza! The guest house had a nice backyard with picnic tables, so I dined al fresco and watched the local cats go slinking around the edges of the yard.

It was finally time for the big day at Plitvice Lakes! I started my hike from the guest house to the park entrance around 7:30am, everything quiet except for a few leafblowers - a harbinger of fall. Entrance #2 was in the "middle" of the park, right by the large Lake Kozjak. I started walking along the shore towards the Lower Lakes, as I hoped to see the main waterfalls before it got more crowded. The morning was so serene. The still water was gently shaken awake by the ripples of the first ferry crossing, while little birds and giant herons made their morning rounds against a backdrop of fall colors.

The Lower Lakes loop followed the river downstream. Between each lake, a waterfall flowed over a tufa barrier, a limestone dam that formed through gradual mineral deposits. The trail turned into a wooden boardwalk and started to cross the lakes instead of hugging the edges. This provided a front row seat the the waterfalls and fish floating in the clear water below. The boardwalk didn't have any rails, and it was just wide enough for two people. So when there was traffic (and rubbernecking) in both directions, one had to be mindful to avoid collisions! At the bottom of the Lower Lakes circuit was an impressive set of waterfalls, including Veliki Slap (the "Great Falls"). These were tall, parting into thinner strands against a beautiful orange cliff face. A second set of falls extended below, but were hard to see from above. From this photo corner, I spotted a viewing platform up above, and hiked against the flow of traffic to reach it. (It was a two way trail, but most visitors were coming downhill from Entrance #1.) The views from the top of the cliff looking down on the Lower Lakes were some of the most spectacular in the park! Especially having just walked at the lake level, the panoramas from above were far more sweeping. Both the upper and lower parts of Veliki Slap were now visible, and more impressive together. I could also see the differences in elevation between the adjacent lakes. It reminded me of a natural Panama Canal, with tufa barriers instead of locks. The sun had risen a bit more, illuminating one side of the lake and turning it electric blue, while the other half remained dark and brooding in the shade.

After completing the Lower Circuit, I stopped for a picnic lunch and then started the Upper Circuit. Here, the lakes were a bit smaller yet each had a distinct character. In some cases, the tufa barriers had become so large that they started to grow downwards, creating a mossy curtain that channeled the waterfalls in a graceful arc. According to a signboard, the curtains can eventually meet the ground and form tufa caves! But the barriers can also collapse and cause the water to reroute, drying up the neighboring lakes. As I hiked uphill, the tour groups thinned out, but my energy also started to fade. I rested at the visitor center at the top, near Lake Proscansko.

The descent went quicker than expected, and after a brief ferry ride across Lake Kozjak, I was back at the start. Including the distance to Mukinje, it was a 15 mile day! I rested at the guest house, and at dusk, emerged to hunt down another pizza. Maybe it was the cold morning or the long day, but my nose started running like crazy, so I took care of it while repacking my bags. Finally, I celebrated the day's success (and my last night in Croatia) with more Croatian brandy samplers, this time walnut and honey flavored.

The Plitvice Lakes were incredibly cool. It wasn't that any one lake or one waterfall was a particular standout (apart from Veliki Slap), but rather the joy was in the collective experience of hiking the circuit, soaking in the atmosphere, and seeing the unique interplay between the water and the land. The fall foliage and clear waters definitely amplified the sense of natural beauty. Even if I still can't pronounce the name "Plitvice" correctly, it's a place I will always remember fondly.