Slap!

Slap is Croatian for waterfall, and they know how to do waterfalls in this country. Having visited the other major national park, Krka, last spring, we were ready to make the effort to visit Plitvice Lakes this fall. We had to leave Quintessa in a marina, ride a ferry, take two buses, rent a car, drive to the park and stay in a guesthouse to make the visit happen—all totally worth the effort. With a two-day park pass, we were able to see some of the falls in the golden hour of evening, and then return at 7 am to do some serious hiking and viewing ahead of the crowds.

Visiting this series of lakes and waterfalls is sensory immersion: water to see from every angle, rushing sounds everywhere, spray on the skin, the fresh smell. It’s hard to imagine water could create so many shapes and arrangements, from exquisite tiny grottos to busy cascades to majestic glistening arcs. The falls constantly create their own tufa ecosystem, with healthy plant life and very happy animals in and above the water. The human visitors are able to get very close to the action due to miles of artfully installed wooden boardwalks. The boardwalks themselves are beautiful and bring you near many rushing cascades, sometimes even over thunderous falls.