Day 172: Saturday 6 September – Croatia: Plitvićka Jezera National Park, by Ken

There was heavy rain overnight that that improved marginally to a heavy drizzle and dark overcast at daybreak. The drizzle persisted as we set off in Smarty for the Plitvice Lakes National Park, about 7km from the camping ground. Half-way there the drizzle turned to heavy rain and we seriously considered turning back. However, our guide book described the park as Croatia’s biggest single attraction with an 8km string of sixteen lakes with water cascading down waterfalls between them. We had our waterproof jackets and tramping boots with us as well as the free Auto Trail umbrella that came with Mabel (or was it a very expensive umbrella that came with a free motorhome?). We decided to press on.

It was quite miserable as we left Smarty at the car park to Entrance 1 at the lower end of the falls and made our way through the rain to the ticket office where we paid our entrance charge of 55Kn each. 

A Reflective Smarty In The Car Park

We followed a path that took us down to a lookout from where we could just make out through the mist and rain Veliki Slap, literally ‘the big waterfall’ on the other side of the valley with water cascading 78 metres into the Korana river. We could also just see the much lower Sastavci falls where water flowed from the lowest lake into the river.

Veliki Slap Seen Through The Rain (Just!)

Veliki Slap and Sastavci Falls

We took a track down to river level and then a boardwalk across the lower lake. At the end we had the choice of turning left or right. We opted for the boardwalk to the right that would take us to the foot of the Veliki Slap. It didn’t! We managed to progress about 100 metres to a point where water was cascading over the boardwalk. 

Boardwalk

Water Halts Progress To Veliki Slap

The water wasn’t too deep and we pressed on a short way. But then the boardwalk descended via a series of steps that were completely under water. Everyone else was turning around at that point and we followed suit continuing past the boardwalk across the lake where we came to a series of steps alongside a waterfall. Here the water was flowing down the steps. We managed to get past the falls without getting water in our boots.

But We Managed To Get Up Here OK

A bit further on the boardwalk gave way to a path, at least we assumed it was usually a path, today it was under water. Again, it wasn’t deep enough to get into our boots and we pressed on joining a boardwalk that was above the water level and took us across the base of some falls. 

Singing In The Rain (On A Path That Was Under Water)

Jane At Boardwalk At Base Of Falls

A flight of steps took us up the side of the falls, this too was partially under water but we got to the top OK. From there the boardwalk was partially submerged, but the water wasn’t too deep. The boardwalk gave way to a path that was under water that got deeper as we moved along it. We were very keen to press on and get to Lake Kozak, the largest of the lakes, where there was a ferry that would take us further south. However, the water suddenly got deeper and inundated our boots. Ahead we could see the water was even deeper and cascading across the path.  Further ahead still were the next falls and people were climbing the steps alongside knee deep in water.

It was still raining hard and presumably water levels would rise still further. It all began to feel dangerous and we made the decision to turn back walking through water that by then was well over the tops of our boots. We wondered why the park people were allowing people down there at all, it wouldn’t take much of an error for someone to fall off the paths or boardwalks into fast flowing water and over falls. We retraced our steps back over the boardwalks and up the side of the valley. 

This Is Where we Decided To Turn Back

Because Our Boots Were Full Of Water!

When we reached the top there was a length of red bunting tied across the track, presumably signifying it was closed, and rightly so. However, there were no park staff there and people were ducking under the bunting and heading on down.

We Thought This Meant The Track Was Now Closed - Not That Anyone Was Taking Any Notice

Boardwalk We Had Crossed Below Falls Shortly Before we Turned Back

We took a path southwards along the top of the valley cliffs to the terminus of a land train that ran to the southern end of the lake system at Labudovac falls. There was quite a queue waiting for the next train. Inured to finding our right place in the queue we checked which was the front and then made our way to the back. The train arrived – a  large Mercedes 4WD ‘bus’ towing two covered trailers fitted with passenger seats. As the train stopped there was a mad free-for-all to get on. It was then we learnt that Croatians don’t queue, it was every man (and woman) for themselves. Fortunately we were considerably bigger than most of the people in the queue and had no problem getting on board once we realised what the rules (or lack of them) were.

'Trains'

It was quiet a steamy ride with everyone on board having been out in the rain for a while. We took the train to the end of the road where we found the rain was even heavier. Jane was feeling peckish and we stopped at a café for her to get a ham and cheese roll. The rain was no lighter when we emerged, but we decided to take a circular walk around the falls at the upper lake. Even on a grey and very wet afternoon it was an impressive sight. But how much nicer it would have been if the sun was shining.

One Of The Upper Falls

At Least The Boardwalks Weren't Under Water At The Top Of The Falls

Jane Impressed By My Arty Shot Of Falls

With A Knotted Handkerchief On His Head This Guy Had To Be British

By the time we arrived back at the land train stop we were beginning to feel cold. We were very wet in spite of our jackets and umbrella and our wet feet weren’t helping any. We decided to call it a day and took the train back to its northern terminus from where we walked back to Smarty.

Back at Mabel we fired up her heating, got out of our wet clothes and warmed up gradually. I passed on my mother’s trick of filling wet shoes with newspaper to help them dry out which Jane replicated with kitchen roll. We ate Bulgarian cheese on toast spread with Vegemite to impart some flavor and settled down for what remained of the afternoon. Jane started knitting me a pair of thick socks in purple (bit gay I thought) in anticipation of colder weather to come. I was rather hoping the cold, wet weather we had experienced in Croatia to date was unusual.

The camping ground was becoming rather cramped with camper vans beginning to fill the available spaces by parking, like us, at 90 degrees to the camping ground internal road. A German registered motorhome was parked alongside us. On his other side was room more than wide enough to accommodate a motorhome. We watched and listened with interest as a succession of German registered new arrivals tried to park next to him. No sooner had they turned off their engines than our next door neighbour jumped up and went outside to talk. Sometimes the exchanges were quite loud and sounded acrimonious. Each time the outcome was the new arrival moved on. We couldn’t understand what was bugging the man, but no-one got to park next to him.

We ate the remainder of the risotto for dinner after which we played a game of Bananagrams that I won.