Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Šibenik, where you'll wait about an hour for the 11:15 bus to the park. (Šibenik-Krka buses
also depart at 13:00 and 14:00.) The last return bus from Krka to Šibenik departs at 17:00.
As always, confirm all of these connections locally. Alternatively, consider paying for an
excursion
from Split (or other cities in Dalmatia), which includes door-to-door transporta-
tion andthe parkentrance fee; this often doesn'tcost much more than doingit onyourown,
but you'll have to stick to a set itinerary.
Visiting the National Park:
The national park sprawls over 42 square miles, with five
entrances;assumingyourinterestistheSkradinskiBukwaterfall,youcanignoreallbuttwo
of them. The most efficient entrance for most travelers is the
Lozovac entrance
(“Šibenik”
exit from A-1 expressway, then a 7-mile, 15-minute drive). Here you'll find a large and free
parking lot, and you can take a shuttle bus straight down to the waterfalls (leaves every 15
minutes or so, 10-minute ride on a very twisty and steep road). If you have more time and
would prefer to approach the falls by boat, you can use the
Skradin entrance
(“Skradin”
exit from A-1, then a 3-mile, 5-minute drive). From the glassy new visitors center here, you
can hop on an hourly boat for the 20-minute trip to Skradinski Buk (included in your park
ticket; boats depart every 2 hours off-season, Oct-April).
Skradinski Buk:
OnceatSkradinskiBuk,you'llfindaroughlycircular,1.5-mileboard-
walk path that takes you up, down, and around the various cascades, through forests, over
gurgling streams, and to a variety of thrilling viewpoints. Near the top of the falls—where
the shuttle bus from Lozovac arrives—is a restaurant, an “ethno village” (with a few houses
displaying traditional lifestyles), and a large terrace with free WCs and grand views of the
falls. Near the bottom of the falls—where the boat from Skradin arrives—is a pay WC pop-
ular with swimmers, a large outdoor eating area (mostly table-service restaurants and a few
snack stands), and the bridge that cuts across the pool at the bottom of the falls. From this
bridge, you'll spot people enjoying the park's most popular activity: swimming near the
falls.
Swimmers
are allowed only in this one, large pool at the bottom of the final cascade.
While swimming is permitted, it's not exactly encouraged; there are no lifeguards, no real
beach, no showers, and no official changing rooms (you have several options: wear your
swimsuittothepark;payasmallfeetochangeinthecrampedWC100yardsawayfromthe
pool; or awkwardly change into your suit under a towel...or do as many Europeans do, and
just skip the towel). When you're ready to get in, make your way across the uneven, root-
embedded ground and find a place to gingerly slip in. The water can be chilly, and you'll
smell the fishy aroma from the pounding spray, but it's generally clean. As you wade into
the pool, watch your footing—the same travertine dams that create those grand waterfalls
can be very treacherous to walk on, with uneven surfaces (which can literally vary by sev-
eralfeetfromonesteptothenext),occasional sharpedges,andslipperymoss.Onceyou've