From Zadar, we took the first direct bus to the park and came back on the last one, so we didn't feel rushed at any point. The park has 16 terraced lakes in a canyon. Water flowing down from one to another forming waterfalls. This time of the year, the waterfalls are not particularly big, but the emerald green pools are mesmerizing. Each pool is a different shade depending on the flow and depth. Plitvice is quite a site.
This is the main viewpoint in the park, just inside Entrance 1. Amazing!!! Note that the boardwalk (better seen in 2nd below) is full of people. When I first saw this I thought it was a tour group. But it's not. It's just the neverending flow of many visitors.
The next two photos are from the last viewpoint we visited. I moved them towards the top of the post as they are physically close to the first viewpoint (photo above), but at the end of Route C.
The park has good maps and signage to smoothly control the large numbers of people. We followed route C which is a walk, boat, and bus route (2nd below). The large tours follow the shorter routes A or B.
Route C starts at the lowest falls and pools (below) and ends at the highest.
There are miles of well-maintained boardwalks that allow very close access to the waters.
We ate half of our picnic lunch on the boat ride that took us to the upper falls. This is the point where Route C diverges from routes A and B and is not crowded. .
Upper Falls and Pools.
Signs explain water levels.
We completed Route C with plenty of time for more exploring before catching the last bus back to Zadar. So we walked up to an observation deck with a panoramic view of the uppermost lakes.
The very sturdy bus takes us back almost to Entrance 1.
Sunset from the bus window.
Bonus waterfall reflection video.
