Croatia: Krka National Park

There are so many incredible places to see in Croatia that we had a really hard time narrowing down what we wanted to do while in port in Split. We knew we wanted to wander around Split, but we also wanted to spend some time seeing more of the Croatian landscape. I don't know how many blog post and pins I've seen of Croatia's famed Plitvice Lakes…and while it was something we both wanted to see, the drive from Split would have given us only a day at the lakes and no time for exploring Split itself. So, when we heard there was another beautiful national park just an hour from port, we jumped at the chance to spend the morning there!

Krka National Park, while smaller than Plitvice Lakes, still offers lush green forests, turquoise wading pools, and dozens of rushing waterfalls. Krka is also noted as being less crowded...a quality much appreciated on very tour-heavy vacations. Thankfully we were able to separate ourselves from the tour group and wandered off to explore on our own. After making a quick bathroom stop, we started making our way through the park via the over-water wooden paths that wind through the forest in all directions. The sound of the rushing water was so soothing and the scenery was exactly what we hoped it would be...gorgeous! Since we visited in early May, the temps were cooler, so we weren't pummeled with heat and humidity during our leisurely 4km walk (took us roughly 1 hour to do with lots of photography stops). The walking path above the water was almost always covered by trees making the stroll even more enjoyable.

Throughout the park there were dozens of waterfalls popping up behind every stream, but it wasn't until the end of our walk through the park that the grand finale falls made its appearance. Amidst a giant blue pool was a slurry of beautiful waterfalls, all covered in moss and rushing swiftly under a long footbridge dozens of happy tourists were wandering across. Had it been warmer, I'm sure we'd have seen many of them wading in the pool at the foot of the falls (another slight difference between Plitvice & Krka...you can swim in the waterfalls here!). After enjoying the falls and snapping a gagillion photos, we grabbed a snack at the restaurant near the exit and then hopped the bus back to Split to spend the rest of the day exploring Diocletian's palace. If you can't make it to Plitvice Lakes, I'm here to tell you that Krka National Park is a lovely compromise. I'm so glad we were able to take in one of Croatia's natural wonders!

More from Croatia to come!

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