Experience the magnificent beauty of Plitvice Lakes

Nothing compares to Plitvice Lakes – they leave you breathless. And speechless, because there are just no words… The most beautiful. The most impressive. The most preserved. The most special. Beyond words, photos or videos. Plitvice Lakes are our oldest national park and were among the first to be added to the UNESCO World Heritage List. Although science is perfectly able to explain the origin of this natural phenomenon, humans have always sought mythical explanations – something  else to justify the other-worldly beauty of this place. According to the legend, there would be no Plitvice Lakes if there hadn’t been for the Black Queen. This area was once hit by a terrible drought and the people sought refuge in deep caves while trying to summon the rain. The Black Queen heard their cries and let the heavy rain saturate the land and create the lakes. The lakes are, for the most part, fed by the Black River and the White River, named after the clouds summoned by the Black Queen. The lakes are divided into upper and lower lakes. The upper lakes consist of 12 lakes, including the two largest ones, Kozjak and Prošćansko. The lower lakes consist of the remaining four lakes, which together make for a small part of the total size of lakes. 

Plitvice is so much more than just the lakes. To make the most of your visit to this gem, be sure to plan ahead. Plitvice Lakes offer a plethora of activities to suit all preferences. While the peak season for a visit to Plitvice Lakes is the summer, they are no less magical in other seasons. Each season has its own story, and Plitvice Lakes speak a thousand fairy languages in each of them. 

Plitvice Lakes wildlife

• So far, 321 species of butterflies and 168 species of birds have been spotted at Plitvice Lakes. Plitvice Lakes are also the habitat of endangered beasts such as bear, wolf, lynx, and otter. No worries, you won’t meet them, they are a little shy so they can only be seen at night.
• The most famous forest animal is certainly brown bear, whose movement patterns have been monitored and studied for years.
• Prošćansko Lake is located at the highest altitude (638 m), and the root of its name is the verb “prositi” (“plead”), which was what the people did when the drought hit – they pleaded with the Black Queen to send the rain.
• The largest and deepest lake is Kozjak, which ends the series of upper lakes: it is 2.35 km long, and its greatest depth is 48 meters.
• In the middle of Kozjak Lake there is Stephanie’s Island, named after Austrian Princess Stephanie who visited it in 1888; you can take a boat around the island but you are not allowed to walk around it.
• With over 1460 taxa (species and subspecies), Plitvice region boasts about 30% of Croatia’s flora. 
• Among the endemic plant species we should single out the Amethyst Meadow Squill and the Croatian carnation. 
• As many as three species of carnivorous plants and more than 60 species of orchids grow in the park, and among them is Lady’s Slipper, one of the most endangered and most beautiful European orchids.
• There are more than 90 waterfalls at Plitvice.
• The Great Waterfall plunges from the height of 78 meters, which makes it the highest waterfall in Croatia.
• At the Great Waterfall you will hear a thunder of water crashing down the cliff. The thunder is the loudest in spring and autumn when the waters are abundant. 
• Legend has it that a wise monk (kaluđer) once lived in Šupljara Cave near Kaluđerovac Lake (one of the lower lakes) – people would regularly come to him for advice so the lake is named after him.
• So far, 32 caves have been discovered in the National Park. Their temperature is always around 10 degrees.
• The caves are home to one of the smallest snails in the world, not more than a millimeter long, with a translucent body and shell.