National Geographic Special - The World\'s Most Beautiful Places

plitvice

lakes

CROATIA

Lace-like veils of water, limestone ramparts,

and the delicate fall of vegetation frame

the 16 Plitvice Lakes, the enchanting cen-

terpiece of Croatia’s largest national park.

Each is a mesmerizing and ever changing

shade of green, blue, or gray, depending

on the play of sunlight and the precise

mineral and organic content of the water.

Each lake feeds slowly into another over

the course of five miles (8 km), separated

by natural, slow-growing banks of calcified

moss and algae.

DON’T MISS

The five-hour “H” itinerary is a network of trails,

mostly on wooden boardwalks, that traverses the

park and provides an all-embracing insight into the

region’s luminescent lakes, waterfalls, canyons, and

surrounding beech woods.

One of the 16 Plitvice Lakes, featuring vivid coloring

caused by a high mineral content

49 RIVERS & SHORES