Plitvicka Jezera - put this on your "WE MUST SEE THIS" list

This is a UNESCO world heritage site; I had no idea it even existed. The lakes and waterfalls are like no other anywhere else, and you should come and see these if you possibly can. If you like nature, and are coming to Europe, come and see this place. An umbrella is not essential! Good walking boots are very useful.

We took the free shuttle bus from the campsite Borje at 1030 and got to the national park around 1100 and were in the park at 1118 according to our tickets. We spent the next seven hours walking, except for about 40 minutes for lunch and another forty minutes on the electric boat across one of the lakes, and the road train home.

You don't have to be very fit to enjoy the place, but to walk around the whole area you do need stamina, and be prepared to walk for several hours, and bring a packed lunch and fluids. We were well prepared and also had an umbrella and waterproof coats.

The walkways are mostly wooden, and usually built just over the lakes or at times over rapidly running water like this one. The park does get a huge volume of visitors, and at times the walkways are crowded, especially nearer to the entrances.

The area around the large waterfall was very congested.

From above the walkways produce lovely curves over the water, and the water itself is a lovely blue hue from the limestone and the calcium encrusted karsts in the water, which are responsible for the changing pattern of the waterways as they are built up by the creatures living in the water.

I think we walked about 10 miles, maybe less since a lot was up hills or down. The walkways and the paths are superb and take you on a journey of discovery; there are so many different levels of lakes and so many waterfalls that it dos get a bit confusing and disorientating. But the walk is very enjoyable, even if you do get a bit lost.

A little like entering another world, where everything is lush and there are carp infested clear water pools of fast running water. There are millions of fish visible at the edges, and in fast flowing areas too.