Plitvice Lakes: Serene And Beautiful Part Of Croatia Belies A Violent Past

Travel Article

This is another article to get your mind off Covid and the tyrants who have infiltrated our lives.

When most people think of Croatia, they think of the Dalmatian Coast and old cities Like Dubrovnik with magical coastal scenery. There is, however, another part of Croatia that is inland and has its own unique beauty. One such place is the Plitvice Lakes region in Northern Croatia.

Travelling in outback Croatia 10 years ago with our own vehicle, it was interesting to still see the ravages of war from the 1990s, which followed the dissolution of Yugoslavia. There are so many different ethnic groups in the Balkans, and as one tour guide in Serbia told us, “We are all crazy here”.

We passed many abandoned houses with bullet holes and shrapnel as if the war had just terminated recently. I wouldn’t be surprised if the deserted and damaged homes are still there today. Our destination was the town of Rakovica which is only 10 kilometres from the Plitvice Lakes National Park.

A young man at the hotel told us there were still randomly laid down mines in the fields from the war; the military had little knowledge about where they were all located. Usually, mines laid by armies are mapped as to their exact location. We saw roped-off areas in the countryside where presumably land mines were discovered. So this is some of the history and reality of life in this part of the world.

From our hotel, we could rent some bikes and cycle through the thinly populated area; we visited some caves and ultimately went to the Plitvice Lakes. The area is classified as a World Heritage site. There are 16 lakes which descend through the hilly, mountainous landscape in a stair step or cascading fashion. An incredible array of waterfalls connect each lake to the next through naturally occurring dams caused by an accumulation of limestone or dolomite, with a build-up of algae, mosses and bacteria. This landscape is referred to as a Karst region due to water breaking down the underlying limestone.

It was easy hiking along the edge of several lakes with numerous large and small waterfalls dotting the landscape. We saw multiple waterfalls; the culmination was the Great Waterfall, the highest in Croatia.

While the waterfalls were beautiful, the other thing that stood out was how clear the water was. The colours varied from green to blue-green to aqua, depending on position and available sunshine. The water was also filled with an abundance of brown trout. The surrounding vegetation was lush.

This June, providing no hiccups, we intend to be back in Croatia, in the southern part around Dubrovnik, and then on to Montenegro and Albania, where we hope to share more beautiful photos.