{"id":102691,"date":"2023-08-04T14:54:17","date_gmt":"2023-08-04T21:54:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/travelthefourcorners.com\/?p=102691"},"modified":"2025-07-02T16:04:48","modified_gmt":"2025-07-02T23:04:48","slug":"lost-in-plitvice-lakes-national-park","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/travelthefourcorners.com\/lost-in-plitvice-lakes-national-park\/","title":{"rendered":"Lost in Plitvice Lakes National Park"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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There’s one thing you should never do in Croatia’s stunning Plitvice Lakes National Park. And no, it’s not refraining from feeding the wildlife. However, it would be best if you didn’t do that either.\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/p>

The correct answer, or perhaps the most important if you value life and limb, is to stay on the well-marked trails within this UNESCO Heritage Site once known as The Devil’s Garden.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Date of Visit: September 23, 2022<\/strong><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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<\/i><\/i><\/i><\/i><\/i><\/div>Our Destination Rating 4.0<\/span><\/cite>\t\t\t\t\t
Read More<\/span><\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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We were officially lost within the 116 square miles of pristine lakes, waterfalls, and forest encompassing Plitvice Lakes National Park in Croatia. I don’t mean to sound melodramatic; panic was far from necessary. It wasn’t the kind of “lost” where loved ones implore authorities to send out search parties.<\/p>

There was no need to consult a compass (a handy one resides on your iPhone). And we certainly didn’t need to navigate using lichen (they cling to stones on the southern side). Sorry, Dad, that old boy scout trick has yet to come in handy.<\/p>

To put things in perspective, day hikers from every country imaginable were streaming past us like a United Nations parade, going to and from seven well-signed routes between the 16 lakes.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Walking The Plank<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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Embarrassingly, Chris and I were on one of the well-worn wooden plank pathways meant to guide us. In our confused state, I wondered how the Habsburg and Ottoman armies managed when they battled each other here hundreds of years before these modern contrivances. When Plitvice was still a wilderness, some called it The Devil’s Garden, perhaps because of the Turks or the legends of mystical forest creatures it inspired among the ancients.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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The fact is that we needed to correct our course. Our hired driver, Frane’s, instructions were simple. We were to spend 3 1\/2 hours hiking, after which we would meet him at the Hotel Jezero parking lot near Entrance 2. The plan was to travel 2 1\/2 hours by car to the seaside town of Split that day.<\/p>

We could have backtracked, but that would make us late. That led us to a rash decision. But before I tell you what that was, let me backtrack my story to give you some insight.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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The Starting Gate<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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Several hours earlier, we arrived at Entrance 1 to begin our hike. We were there about 15 minutes after the park opened at 9:00 am, yet a mass of surging humanity was already gathering to beat the crowds.<\/p>

It’s no secret that Entrance 1 is an impressive starting point with a panoramic view of The Big Waterfall (<\/span>Veliki Slap<\/span><\/em>) and\u00a0<\/span>Sastavci<\/span><\/em> waterfalls plunging into the Lower Lakes.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Gathering crowds at 9:15 am at Entrance 1 at Plitvice Lakes National Park. Image by JAG.<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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The Big Waterfall (Veliki Slap) and Sastavci waterfalls above the Lower Lakes. Veliki Slap is the largest waterfall in Croatia. Image by JAG.<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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At 78 meters high (nearly 256 feet), <\/span>Veliki Slap<\/span><\/em> is the largest waterfall in Croatia. It is just one of the many reasons that the park became a UNESCO Heritage Site in 1979.<\/span><\/p>

We jockeyed for the best selfie shots with the pouting and puckering budding social media influencers. My five-foot selfie stick proved handy as I dangled my iPhone high above their heads to get a picture.<\/p>

By the way, I love this selfie stick because it has a wireless remote shutter and it always works!<\/em> It’s $21.99 on\u00a0<\/span>Amazon<\/span><\/a>, and if you buy it, I won’t get a penny because I just got booted out of the Amazon affiliates program for not selling anything in 180 days).<\/span><\/em><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Plitvice Lakes National Park Rules<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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Before heading down the path to the lakes, we scanned the large trail map and dutifully read the park rules. Aside from the usual guidelines we’d expect to see in California \u2014 do not feed the animals, no swimming or fishing, do not throw garbage\u2014a few seemed uniquely Croatian:<\/p>