It would truly seem like Plitvice lakes national park is most desirable in all seasons except for winter, we’re here to tell you a little bit about Plitvice lakes in its coldest season.
While travelling from Split to Plitvice lakes please note that it will be colder in the lakes in comparison to Split. It is after all surrounded by clear water. Dress appropriately to keep yourself warm and comfortable, and take care to wear shoes that are not slippery, as the pathways might be covered in snow. Not all of our famous Croatian Waterfalls and lakes will be available during this season. This is to protect the visitors, as not all areas of the park are safe to walk through at this time. These winter restrictions are applied from early November until April. The pathways you can walk trough in Plitvice national park in this period are Program A and Program B.
Program A:
This Plitvice lakes pathway takes about 2 – 3 hours to explore, the length is 3.500 m. Sights on this path include the ‘’Veliki slap’’ which is the largest waterfall in Plitvice national park, after this amazing sight the path continues on to ‘’Donjih jezera’’ with “Novakovića brod”, “Kaluđerovac”, “Gavanovac” and “Milanovac” until the last stop of our winter wonderland program “Kozjačkog most” where you climb along the east side of the canyon.
To put this into perspective, here is the compilation of sights:
Program B:
This Plitvice lakes program is about 4.000 m long and takes about 3 – 4 hours. It’s a circular pathway which takes to a walk through the limestone canyon of ‘’Donja jezera’’, after this scenic walk it’s time to take a short rest while still enjoying the sights with our electric boat across the largest lake ‘’Kozjak’’. Once you cross the lake you board the panoramic train and afterwards, walk through the east side of the canyon all the way to Entrance 1. This program covers the impressive “Veliki slap” and “Sastavke”, the pristine colours of “Novakovića brod”, “Kaluđerovac”, “Gavanovac” and “Milanovac”, as well as the vast “Kozjak” lake.
The sights are as follows:
I must admit as the author of this article I have convinced myself that I really need to see Plitvice Lakes in this winter wonderland light, and this is coming from someone that does not take well to the cold. There is a special kind of allure in visiting places offseason, certain privacy in enjoying this natural beauty without being pushed around by other eager visitors. The weather does make it a bit difficult to move around, but at least you won’t be in a large crowd of people, and experience will certainly be a unique one visiting this park.
To summarise, Plitvice national park which contains the most beautiful Croatia waterfalls and lakes is certainly worth visiting in the winter, the pros being seeing the park in a unique light as not a lot of people would embark on this adventure. The entry tickets are also less than half the price (60 HRK) then they are in the summer. The cons are obviously the cold, lack of access to the whole park and navigation through the paths if there is snow. Personally I’m still keen on going, but now that you have the information needed, decide for yourself whether or not this adventure is for you.