January - 2015
Plitvice Lakes National Park - Upper Lakes
Plitvice Lakes National Park (Nacionalni park Plitvička jezera) is one of the oldest national parks in south-east Europe, being the largest national park in Croatia. In 1979, the site was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The entire park has an area of almost 300 km², receiving more than 1 million tourists every year. It is located in central Croatia, bordering Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The Plitvice Lakes Park consists of 16 lakes, all interconnected by numerous waterfalls, resulting in several rivers and underground springs. The 16 lakes cover a length of 8 km, from the highest point of 636m to 503m in altitude. In the end, all the water flows into the Korana River. The park is divided into two regions: the Upper Lakes, which group together 12 of the lakes, and the Lower Lakes, which group together the remaining 4.
You can pay the daily ticket, which contributes to the maintenance of the park and entitles you to a boat trip on Lake Kozjak. It is the second largest in the park, with an area of 0.8 km², and is located in the Upper Lakes, with a depth up to 47m. The tour uses a completely electric and silent boat, which does not pollute the water.
The waters of the park are renowned for their distinctive colors, ranging from azure to green, grey or blue. The park is gorgeous in summer and spring, when all trees bloom and get colorful.
But in winter the attraction is also wonderful, with a contrast between the azure and green waters and the white of the snow. Part of the Upper Lakes freeze with a thin layer of ice, while the waterfalls have a perfect mixture of ice and liquid water.
