During this summer’s vacation, Milos and I spent time in Makarska and his home town of Crikvenica. While still in Makarska, we took a day trip up to Krka National Park, followed by an evening in Skradin. (Separate blog coming later.) The drive from Makarska was only about an hour and fifteen minutes. If you were staying in Split, it would probably be less than half an hour drive.
Krka is often compared to Plitvice Lakes National Park because of the waterfalls and lush natural foliage. One of the big differences with Krka is that you can actually swim at the base of the series of waterfalls. (There is no swimming allowed at Plitvice. I personally feel that Plitvice is more majestic and grandiose – it definitely requires more time to explore than Krka.)
When you first get to the park and enter from Lozovac, a bus will take you down the steep twisty road to the water and trails. (875 meters.) You can hike down on your own if you like, but the heat that day made walking in the sun truly unbearable.
We got there in the early afternoon, and walked the trails. Even though the weather had been quite hot (95F, or about 35C), it was quite comfortable under the shade of the many trees. The sound of the water everywhere was relaxing and energizing at the same time. There were fish in so many of the waters – I know my dad would love it!
After walking the trails, you are let out at the swimming area at the base of the falls. They do have the area roped off so that people can’t swim too close to the waterfall. (Safety, of course!) We met some very nice Italian girls with a waterproof camera who took a photo for us and sent it later via Facebook. It turned out great!
Overall, we were at the park for about four hours, which was a good amount of time to do the main trails and get in some swimming. There’s a lot more the park has to offer for folks who want to stay longer – boat expeditions to different parts of the lakes, for example. There’s even an old abbey on a picturesque small island. (I’d have wanted to visit it if we had had more time.)
Here are some photos from our afternoon at Krka!
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