There's no doubt that this is one of nature's most incredible spectacles. When Emperor Franz Joseph visited, he reportedly stared at the waterfalls, awestruck by its beauty. But there's something that many people neglect to mention when going on a modern day visit to Plitvice and Krka.
The crowds.
Everyone (myself included) likes to frame shots to limit or exclude humans. There's usually only a few people to avoid when taking your pictures so this slight omission is more or less the real story. But when I saw most pictures of Plitvice, they usually look like this:
But in reality look like this:
And this was when I was able to arrive early. There were well over ten times as many people swimming an hour later
The number of people at these natural wonders leaves me at an odd impasse. I absolutely recommend the visit for nature lovers as there's few sites as beautiful as these. However, it comes with a healthy dose of caution as the huge crowds detract away from the experience. Nature is best enjoyed in near solitude, or in good company so that you can appreciate the beauty and clear the mind. The Bavarian Alps for example, had a limited number of people allowing you some privacy and time to appreciate the landscape while you hiked or swam. Plitvice and Krka may have this near mythical beauty but there's no possible way to truly appreciate this due to the sheer crowd sizes. And unlike our President, I would prefer a smaller crowd size.
I can't emphasis the crowd sizes enough. Much of the Plitvice is covered by running water or rapids, so small wooden walkways have been built for you to follow. Its a cute design but due to the high traffic, it leaves something to be desired:
Beautiful! But look at that line. You can't really stop walking since its like a conveyor belt
This glaring omission about the huge crowd sizes in most blogs or guides left me completely blindsided as I didn't expect any of this. My goal is to make future visitors aware of what they're signing up for so they don't end up bewildered like me. With the cautionary warnings out of the way, let's go over what you can do to limit the crowds sizes. There's a few things you can do to help, ease the congestion:
Consider going in the off season
Croatia as a whole is absolutely packed in the month of July and August. Croatia has actually been the destination hotspot these last several years, with 12 million tourists visiting in 2015. The Croatian government is looking to increase these numbers by 5 million by 2020, so there's definitely going to be no end to these crowds anytime soon. The best albeit inconvenient way to avoid these crowds is to avoid the peak season.
The crowds will be significantly smaller during spring and fall, and if you're daring, you can visit in winter but it gets bone cold that time of the year. If you're okay with this, it can save you from massive crowds and massive savings. The entry fee to Plitvice (Krka is similar) goes up to 180 or $29! But look at the schedule for the other months:
| Visitor category | Period – price per person | ||
| 1 Jan - 31 Mar and | 1 Apr - 30 Jun and | 1 Jul - 31 Aug | |
| 1 Nov - 31 Dec ** | 1 Sep - 31 Oct | ||
| Adults | 55,00 ($8.81) | 110,00 ($17.63) | 180,00 ($28.85) |
| Adults - GROUPS* | 50,00 ($8.01) | 100,00 ($16.03) | 160,00 ($25.64) |
| Students*** | 45,00 ($7.21) | 80,00 ($12.82) | 110,00 ($17.63) |
| Students - GROUPS*/*** | 40,00 ($6.41) | 70,00 ($11.22) | 100,00 ($16.03) |
| Children and teenagers 7 - 18 years | 35,00 ($5.61) | 55,00 ($8.81) | 80,00 ($12.82) |
| Children and teenagers 7 - 18 years - GROUPS* | 30,00 ($4.81) | 50,00 ($8.01) | 70,00 ($11.22) |
| Children below 7 years of age | FREE | FREE | FREE |
Table 1. Proof that the Croatian government has no qualms taking as much money from you as possible. Most up to date pricing can be found on http://www.np-plitvicka-jezera.hr/en/plan-your-visit/operating-hours-and-prices/.
For most adults, that's over three times as expensive to visit in the summer as it is in the winter. No crowds and money savings? Better pack a coat.
Rent a car
Not exactly happy realization for a myself being a budget backpacker, but if these natural wonders are a high priority for you, a car certainly helps. A car allows you to get to either sites early. It's particularly more useful at Krka Waterfalls, where the park snakes all the way up North. To my dismay, there are no hiking trails to explore past the waterfalls (an odd trait to lack for a national park). The only way to explore the park is by taking an extremely long and overpriced boat ride through the park unless you have a car. Then you can drive around the park, stopping at points of interest like Roski Slap or the monastery island.
Stay at a neighboring town
Even if you have a car, it's still good to stay at a nearby town to save you some drive time. In the last few years, bed and breakfast and hostels have opened near Plitivce, allowing for some easy access and a wide variety of pricing options to suit your needs. Most people will be visiting Plitvice from Zadar or Zagreb, which are both roughly an hour and a half away.
As for Krka, the nearest major town is Sibenik which is only a half hour drive away. Most people who visit Krka are in Split or Zadar, also an hour and a half away.
The line for the ferries to cross the Plitvice Lakes. At least the ferry cost comes with your ticket.
And if you don't have a car, staying in the nearby town means you don't have to pay for overpriced tours and have easier access to the first buses that leave in the morning. Which means you can:
Get there early
This universal rule applies to all major attractions as most people hate waking up early. Plitvice is so popular, that this only helps so much. The lakes opens at 7 A.M. but lines start forming half an hour before opening. So if you're in a nearby town, its easier to make it out early enough to be at the head of the line (since you only have to drag yourself out of bed by 6 A.M). Of course even the earliest buses will get you there at opening at the earliest. The car is helpful here for this case.
Krka opens at 8, but the lines aren't so busy in the morning. The main draw of Krka is to swim by the waterfalls (you can't even swim in them), so people will show up starting at 9 when its a bit waremr. So if you get there at 8 - 8:30, the crowds will be more limited for the first hour. Buses to Krka from Sibenik don't start until 9 which doesn't help. But this is a good time to talk to your hostel or hotel and see if there are any early private shuttles going to Krka as it's certainly worth the money. Then you can simply bus back to save some dough.
Here's a picture of that crystal clear water to balance out all the crowds
There's no way to truly avoid the crowds during the high season, but following these tips will certainly help. Also, here's some quick points to make the most of your trip when you're fighting the human waves.
- Go with a group to Plitvice. You'll be stuck waiting in lines for ferries or buses at the park. There's no quiet serenity to be had so might as well enjoy some conversation while you wait.
- Plan to spend roughly 3 hours in Krka. The walking route is only 2 km long and the only thing you can really do is swim or pay for an overpriced boat ride. It's hard to relax with the crowds so 3 hours is all the time I can recommend there unless you have a car.
- If you don'tswim at Krka or have a car, there's little else to do at the park which is pretty steep for a $29 entry fee during the high season.
- Swimming it not allowed at Plitvice so you'll have to go to Krka for that. On the brightside there are a lot of walking trails at Plitvice.
- Bring food. Not only does it save you money but at least you'll have something to do while waiting in those lines.