Plitvice Lakes
The Great Odyssey:
The border between Budapest and Croatia was closed so we had to backtrack and boy were there a lot of road bumps. Our route was as follows:
Budapest back to Vienna->Zagreb, Croatia -> GOD KNOWS WHERE (after our bus was HIT by another bus and we were delayed an hour, we found out from the only man on the bus who spoke english that this bus did not stop where we needed to go). If the same border situation occurs on your trip, I recommend spending the extra money for the plane.
Our bus dropped us off on the side of the road in Rakovica..in the dark, so we strapped on our backpacks and started walking. Luckily there was a big sign pointing to our destination House Ivana. I can’t recommend this place enough! We were greeted by Ivana, an adorably spunky lady who was so so sweet. Our rooms were very stylish and modern with smart tvs and a beautiful balcony view of the mountains. Ivana’s family was having a bbq and invited us down for food. They were all so fun and friendly, I have nothing but fond memories from our stay there. Check out House Ivana for yourselves here.
If you just want the highlights of our entire Croatia leg check out the Run Down, but you definitely don’t wanna miss the pictures of Plitvice!
Day 2 (or 24 in Europe): The Most Beautiful Place on Earth
When we found out there wasn’t much in the way of public transport to Plitvice National Park, Ivana offered to lend us her car for the day. The park is about a 15 min drive from the guesthouse. SHE IS THE BEST LADY:)
Anyone who has searched Croatia usually comes across pictures of the gorgeous Plitvice National Park. When we went it wasn’t the greenest season and it was still one of the most stunning places we had come across on our trip. You don’t really need to be in shape or have a map to hike these beautiful grounds, but we spent almost a whole day hiking there so make sure to come prepared with snacks and good shoes for walking.
I’ll let the pics speak for themselves, and leave you with a quote from my travel journal about my experience of the park:
“I can’t even convey an ounce of beauty that our naked eyes encountered..The power of the waterfalls,the steadiness of the lakes, the mass of the mountains…We knew in that moment, this was the most beautiful place in the world.”
There is a small fee to enter the park and it can get pretty packed with tourists so I suggest getting there any time before 10 am so you aren’t stuck behind anyone. We were blessed to be there in off season so we had a lot of privacy on our hikes which is great if you want to stop and take pics, which you MUST DO! (or at least I would haha). For more information about rates, transportation and operating hours you can check out this site:
https://www.visit-croatia.co.uk/croatia-
destinations/plitvice-lakes/
