Active travel in Croatia

What there is to see

The sixteen lakes split into 12 upper and 4 lower, covering about 2 km² of water. Prošćansko (68 hectares, 37 m deep, 639 m altitude) and Kozjak (47 m deep) hold roughly 80 percent of the water; no other lake exceeds 25 m in depth. Water flows down 133 m from Prošćansko to Novakovića Brod (503 m altitude, under 0.4 hectares, 3 m deep). Veliki Slap, fed by the Plitvica stream, is Croatia's tallest waterfall at 78 m (sources also cite an 87 m total drop, 67 m main). Its flow swings from 80 L/s in dry spells to 4,000 L/s. Veliki Prštavac pours from Lake Galovac across a broad mossy face. The Tomićevo Pogledalo viewpoint, opened in 2024, looks across five lakes, reached by trail from Lake Okrugljak. The travertine dams that create the cascades grow about 1 cm a year from algae, bacteria and moss.

Walking here

Eight marked routes lettered A, B, C, E, F, H and K run from 3 km to 18 km, taking two and a half to eight hours. Trails A, B and C start at Entrance 1; E, F and H start at Entrance 2. Program A covers 3.5 km in 2–3 hours through the Lower Lakes and Veliki Slap. Program B adds the Kozjak boat and bridge over 4 km in 3–4 hours. Program C runs 8 km in 4–5 hours across both lower and upper lakes. Trail F (4.6 km) and trails A and B all come in under three hours. Trail H is a five-hour circuit of upper and lower lakes from Entrance 2, using the panoramic train to Prošćansko. Program K is a full-day hike without the boat or shuttle. Boardwalks run directly over the water; keep to them.

Michal Klajban · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Getting there and moving around

The park lies roughly halfway between Zagreb and Zadar and is reached only by road via the E65, E71 and D1. Zagreb is 130 km away, 1 hr 50 min to 2 hrs 40 min by car; Zadar is 1 hr 45 min to 2 hrs 40 min; Split is 3 hrs 30 min to 5 hrs 50 min. Intercity buses run from all three, stopping on both sides of the road near Entrance 1 and Entrance 2. The nearest airport is Zadar (120–130 km); Zagreb Airport is 140 km and Split 230 km. Inside the park, the entrance ticket includes the electric boat across Lake Kozjak and the panoramic shuttle train, which link the trail networks and cut walking distances. Entrance 1 sits at 44.905280, 15.611835 and Entrance 2 at 44.881796, 15.622529. Parking is separate: €2 per hour from 1 June to 30 September, €1.50 otherwise.

Michal Klajban · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Fees, seasons and when to come

The park opens 365 days a year, 8am to 3pm, with gate ticket sales ending at 1pm. Adult tickets for 2026 (unchanged from 2025) are €10 in November–March, €23 in April–May and October, and €40 in June–September. In peak summer months a ticket for entry after 4pm costs €25. Children under 7 enter free; ages 7–18, students and visitors with over 50 percent disability pay reduced rates. The ticket covers all trails and boardwalks, the Lake Kozjak boat, the shuttle train and visitor insurance. Daily numbers are capped, so book online in advance for June to September. From 1 November to 1 April conditions change fast and individual trails or vehicle access may be closed. Late April to early June and October give lower crowds, full trail access and strong waterfall flow; midsummer is busiest, with the 2024 total of 1,492,994 visitors concentrated in those months.