Plitvice Lakes

I continued south stopping off for a day at Plitvice Lake. If you see pictures of Croatia, this place is almost certainly included, and with good reason! Thankfully my bus stopped at Entrance 1 (It looked like I was getting dumped at the other entrance) which was near-ish my guesthouse, so I dumped off the bags, returning for lunch at the on-site restaurant. I picked up a two-ticket as my bus wasn't till 15:15 the next day. Heading into the Lakes fairly late, I seemed to miss the worst of the crowds (I saw a huge queue the next day!) Many people will do it as a day trip so have to be back to catch their bus, I had the luxury of not having any time constraint. Once you have your ticket, you glance at the map and come to the entrance and wow! Situated form a height, overlooking the park, a huge waterfall on the right, lakes with a multitude of waterfalls on the left. Walkways snake below link the lakes and the big waterfall. A series of staggered freshwater lakes forms a unique ecosystem with logs and reeds filtering the crystal clear water. Going in the water is strictly forbidden.

I followed Path C seeing innumerable waterfalls with the aquamarine lakes. Eventually I got the bus all way back from Station 3 to Entrance 1. Here I headed back to the restaurant as everywhere else had shut. The next day I was up fairly early to beat the crowds and headed back into the park. I walked a few hours in the morning, returned for lunch then I still had a few hours till the bus, so I may as well head back in rather than looking at the carpark! Unfortunately that's when it decided to absolutely pour down for an hour or so. I waited it out for a while, but decided to call it a day and head back to the bus. At least I had great weather for the most part, and unlike some poor people my visit wasn't a washout! I got into my guesthouse in Zadar around 18:00, still damp and a long day but definitely worth it!