Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
with the direction of the sunshine) and makes it highly basic, preventing the growth
of plant life (such as certain algae) that could cloud the water.
The park contains nearly 1,300 different species of plants. Wildlife found in the
park include deer, wolves, wildcats, lynx, wild boar, voles, otters, 350 species of but-
terflies,42typesofdragonflies,21speciesofbats,andmorethan160speciesofbirds
(including eagles, herons, owls, grouse, and storks). The lakes (and local menus) are
full of trout, and you'll also see smaller, red-finned fish called
klen
(“chub” in Eng-
lish). Perhaps most importantly, Plitvice is home to about 40 or 50 brown bears—a
species now extremely endangered in Europe. You'll see bears, the park's mascot,
plastered all over the tourist literature (and one scary representative in the lobby of
Hotel Jezero).
Walking briskly and with a few brief photo stops, figure at least an hour for the Lower
Lakes,aboutanhourfortheUpperLakes,andahalf-hourtoconnectthembyboat—though
it can take longer than this when the park is crowded, which it often is.
Lower Lakes (Donja Jezera)
The lower half of Plitvice's lakes are accessible from Entrance 1. If you start here, the route
marked
B
leads you along the boardwalks to Kozjak, the big lake that connects the Lower
and the Upper Lakes (described later).
Fromtheentrance,you'lldescendasteeppathwithlotsof
switchbacks,
aswellasthrill-
ing postcard views over the canyon of the Lower Lakes. As you reach the lakes and begin
to follow the boardwalks, you'll have great up-close views of the travertine formations that
make up Plitvice's many waterfalls. Count the trout. If you're tempted to throw in a line,
don't. Fishing is strictly forbidden.
