“Landscape photography is the supreme test of the photographer - and often the supreme disappointment."
Ansel Adams .
Plitvice Lakes
Plitvice Lakes National Park (Croatian: Nacionalni park Plitvička jezera,is the oldest national park in Southeast Europe and the largest national park in Croatia.The national park was founded in 1949. The national park is world famous for its lakes arranged in cascades. Currently, 16 lakes can be seen from the surface. These lakes are a result of the confluence of several small rivers and subterranean karst rivers. The lakes are all interconnected and follow the water flow. They are separated by natural dams of travertine, which is deposited by the action of moss, algae, and bacteria. The particularly sensitive travertine barriers are the result of an interplay between water, air and plants. The encrusted plants and bacteria accumulate on top of each other, forming travertine barriers which grow at the rate of about 1 cm per year.
The sixteen lakes are separated into an upper and lower cluster formed by runoff from the mountains, descending from an altitude of 636 to 503 m. Waterfalls connect the lakes, and the tallest waterfall is Veliki Slap at 70 meters tall. The Plitvice lakes area boasts a large variety of interesting and colorful flora and fauna.
The Plitvice Lakes national park is heavily forested, mainly with beech, spruce, and fir trees, and features a mixture of Alpine and Mediterranean vegetation. It has a notably wide variety of plant communities, due to its range of microclimates, differing soils and varying levels of altitude.
The area is also home to an extremely wide variety of animal and bird species. Rare fauna such as the European brown bear, wolf, eagle, owl, lynx, wild cat and capercaillie can be found there, along with many more common species. At least 126 species of birds have been recorded there, of which 70 have been recorded as breeding there.
Visitors can enjoy walking and hiking the many pathways and trails, or exploring the lakes by boat. The park itself has 3 hotels (Jezero,Plitvice andBellevue) and a campsite, otherwise visitors can find accommodation at any of the number of villages and cities nearby.
The Park is open daily all year round, with longer opening hours during summer (usually 7am to 8pm).
Official website
The sixteen lakes are separated into an upper and lower cluster formed by runoff from the mountains, descending from an altitude of 636 to 503 m. Waterfalls connect the lakes, and the tallest waterfall is Veliki Slap at 70 meters tall. The Plitvice lakes area boasts a large variety of interesting and colorful flora and fauna.
The Plitvice Lakes national park is heavily forested, mainly with beech, spruce, and fir trees, and features a mixture of Alpine and Mediterranean vegetation. It has a notably wide variety of plant communities, due to its range of microclimates, differing soils and varying levels of altitude.
The area is also home to an extremely wide variety of animal and bird species. Rare fauna such as the European brown bear, wolf, eagle, owl, lynx, wild cat and capercaillie can be found there, along with many more common species. At least 126 species of birds have been recorded there, of which 70 have been recorded as breeding there.
Visitors can enjoy walking and hiking the many pathways and trails, or exploring the lakes by boat. The park itself has 3 hotels (Jezero,Plitvice andBellevue) and a campsite, otherwise visitors can find accommodation at any of the number of villages and cities nearby.
The Park is open daily all year round, with longer opening hours during summer (usually 7am to 8pm).
Official website
