Krka National Park is situated only around 10 from the coast and is named after the River Krka. It covers 42 square miles and the main attractions are a series of waterfalls. A pathway from the main entrance leads you to it’s biggest waterfall, Skradinski Buk, which falls over 147 feet to the river below and is made up of 17 separate cascades. It was very impressive and very noisy when we were there, and I can’t believe how powerful it will be after a winter of rain and snow.
A boardwalk takes you around the main viewing points through woodland and wetland at the river margins, all with different plants and plenty of lizards. At one time there were several watermills but now some of the old buildings have been repurposed for museums, shops and cafes.
We took a boat ride further upriver and stopped at the island of Visovac where Franciscan monks settled in 1445 and is still a monastery today. The church was pretty and the situation very picturesque, but I couldn’t imagine living in such a tiny scrap of land in the middle of a river for years on end!
The trip continued on through changing scenery including massive rocky sides with various caves and holes creating shadows and details that reflected in the water.
We then arrived at the other famous waterfall Roski Slap which is a series of 12 waterfalls, the largest being 72 feet in height and nearly 197 feet wide. Other walks were available from here so we did anther short circuit before heading back to our boat for the return journey to Skradinski Buk.
After our overnight stop in Skradin at a campsite, we headed off back to the coast for two nights in Zadar at the luxurious Falkensteiner Campsite. From there it was an easy bus ride into the old town of Zadar passing by the many boats moored up in various marinas. We had decided to make our first excursion into the old town in the evening in order to hear the Sea Organ and see solar powered lights show called The Greeting of the Sun, both of which have made Zadar famous.
Now declared a UNESCO site, the old town dates back to the 9th century BC although most of the oldest parts relate to the Roman occupation in the 1st century. We followed a geocaching adventure lab that took us to St Donatus’ church and a monstery, along with the remains of the Roman forum.
We a found the Fosa harbour and then walked the Riva along the seafront the get to where the Sea Organ and Greeting to the Sun are situated. The Sea Organ consists of 35 pipes of various sizes over a 230 feet stretch of sea situated below the lowest tide level that produce music depending on the levels of the sea energy. As boats passed by the bow waves created changed the tone and intensity of the sounds played. The Greeting of the Sun is 300 multi-layered glass solar panels in a 72 feet diameter circle that collects energy from the sun in the day and then releases it at night by electrically lighting the display.
The following day we walked over the 48 feet long city pedestrian bridge, entered the old town through one of it’s gates and walked onto Narodni Trg (People’s Square). We looked at the old town in daylight visiting various churches and cathedrals while doing a little more geocaching.
From Zadar we headed inland to Plitvice Lakes National Park, probably the most famous of the Croatian national parks. The park covers an area of 114 square miles, situated between the Mala Kapela and Licka Pljesivica mountain ranges. It is primarily covered in forest vegetation with some grassland, however it’s main attraction are the lakes, and they only cover 1% of it’s total area. There are 16 named lakes, 12 upper and 4 lower that all flow into each other over a series of waterfalls. This is a noticeboard image of the area.
The park have provided a range of ways to visit the park, based on walking trails, electric boats and a land train. We chose route C which involved 5 miles of walking on stone trails and boardwalks, with a boat ride and a return from the uppermost lakes via the land train. The visit started with a walk down to Veliki Slap the highest of the falls at 285 feet, this is only one of 90 waterfalls within the park.
As we walked and followed our marked trail, we marvelled at the emerald green and turquoise water in the lakes and at the sight of the many waterfalls that we walked among, in many places the water rushed beneath your feet under the boardwalks.
This really was a fitting finale to our visit to Croatia, one with many memories and wonderful sights. The old towns are full of character and the countryside is so green, full of trees that stretch into the distance, and great roads for getting around the country. Many reasons to plan a return trip at some point!
Next we travel onward into Italy ……
Our motorhome adventures 