We will be arriving the night before so we can get an early start - arriving before the tour groups is one tip I have gathered from here, but are there anymore?
What route/order should we follow to avoid the crowds? We%26#39;re fit and would like to see as much as possible.
Should we bring food/are their picnic areas? What about restaurants on site for lunch?
As a guide, we will be there early September.
Also, how long will it take to drive from Plitvice to Zadar - I understand it%26#39;s about 65km, but is it a winding road?
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I will just comment on the distance from Plitvice to Zadar. It is definitely farther than 65km. If you look on viamichelin.com it will give you trip details and roads you will have to take. It looks like to me that it is more like 140km and part of the trip will be taken on the Autoceste, Croatia%26#39;s toll road.
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Well that will be me trusting the Lonely Planet guide!!! So about 2.5 hours for 140 km???
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That would sound about right.
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I was in Plitvice Lakes just over a week ago. My biggest tip is to take good walking shoes %26amp; water.
For further information have a look at my trip report and photographs on the links below :-
tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowTopic-g294453-i1554-k2…
…google.com/Welshtraveller111/…
Enjoy your stay!
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Thanks Welshtraveller for posting your review, with no offence intended we are looking for some tips on how to avoid people like you - i.e. the coach crowds who arrive en-mass.
From the looks of things the wooden walkways are quite narrow and we want to avoid getting stuck behind a big group.
I understand the main trails are about 18 km, how feasible is it to get round all of this in a day?
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Hi Chinkle,
We were at the Plitvice Lakes in May. It is possible to do both the lower and upper lakes in one day. Look for the %26quot;K%26quot; trail, which we did, and add on extra spurs or loops as needed to get down to the lakes%26#39; edges.
There are places to eat, huge picnic areas, that add to the zoo-like atmosphere. It is almost impossible to get away from the crowds on the lower lakes, or on trails that are on the water. The exception is a very nice stretch from P3 to St4 (you%26#39;ll see this on the map) where there were very few people.
It took us about seven hours to walk almost everything, and may have taken longer if it had not started to rain steadily later in the day. To avoid the crowds we had a picnic on a grassy mound high above an upper lake where it was secluded and peaceful.
Apparently the light on the lower lakes is best early in the day--it was overcast to start so I can%26#39;t comment. And be careful on the wooden walkways. They are uneven and at one point a woman coming the other way tripped and split open her lip. Stop to gawk is the lesson.
JQ
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I arrived at 6pm, go to the Canteen and have early dinner.
Stroll to the Park entrance and notice that the ticket office already closed.
Walk down and I have the whole park to myself (except may be a few couples holding hands).
I walk/skirt around the lower lake and spend about 2 hours hiking till night fall.
Then, I walk back in the darkness back to my car which is parked at the Hotel/Canteen.
No tour group and free entrance.
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Hi Chinkle! Have you visited the lakes meanwhile? We will be visiting them this Tuesday (same as you, arriving in the evening before, leaving the day after), so any tips would be welcome! Regards, Dimitri
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Hi
We spent about six hours in the park in total. One of the park staff recommended route %26quot;E%26quot; for the upper lakes which was reasonably comprehensive. We then switched to %26quot;K%26quot; (I think) for the lower lakes.
They were very beautiful, but it seems hard to get away from the crowds as the walking platforms are narrow and people bunch up at the key spots for taking photos.
Also we found it quite tiring as you need to keep watching your feet so as not to trip up. Take it as it comes rather than expecting a great wilderness adventure. We took our own food, which made it easier to rest when/where we wanted.
We stayed in the small village of Korana the night before.
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