Where Are the Plitvice Lakes?

Plitvice Lakes is Croatia oldest and largest national park, established in 1949 and designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979. The park features 16 interconnected lakes arranged in a stepped series at elevations from 503 to 636 metres, connected by over 90 waterfalls and cascades. The lakes owe their stunning turquoise, green, and blue colours to the minerals in the karst limestone, algae, and the angle of sunlight. The travertine (calcium carbonate) barriers that create the terraced lake system are still actively growing: dissolved calcium carbonate precipitates on moss, algae, and bacteria, building natural dams at a rate of about 1 cm per year. The park covers 296.85 square kilometres of forested mountainous terrain harbouring bears, wolves, lynx, and over 160 bird species. About 1.5 million tourists visit annually, walking along boardwalks and paths that wind above and alongside the lakes.