Plitvice Lakes National Park

Wearing: Mango playsuit (similar here), Sol Sana sandals.

After our road trip through Turkey came to an end we flew from Kayseri to Istanbul, Istanbul to Zagreb and drove from Zagreb to Plitvice Lakes National Park. Yet another early morning start to our new Croatian road trip well before the sun came up, but when it did we were met with a thick, beautifully eerie fog that glowed across the freeways and countryside. We were already being rewarded for our sleepless anticipation.

I have visited Croatia three times before over the years but only to the main destinations of Split, Dubrovnik and some islands. We decided to hire a car again after our time in Turkey made us realise it was our preferred mode of travelling and sightseeing. I highly recommend this to anyone wanting to see more of Croatia, or more of any foreign country to be honest (depending on road safety, travel partners, costs etc of course). It allows for more time, more destinations, more pulling over on the side of the road for any random view or fruit stall, less organised tour groups and less worries about public transport and luggage.

If we attempted to travel to Plitvice from Split or Zagreb with a tour group or public transport it would have taken hours upon hours to get there, arriving later in the morning which means being met with hours of waiting in line. Then you might be lucky enough to momentarily see the hint of a waterfall through a maze of tourists heads, selfie sticks and iPhones being thrown around.

Plitvice Lakes National Park is is the oldest national park in Southeast Europe, and the largest national park in Croatia. The massive stretch of parkland boasts luscious greenery, and beautifully clear blue lakes with cascading waterfalls. We were lucky enough to experience a rainbow across the Big Waterfall and rowing a boat underneath another. After spending the previous week in airports, planes and driving across inland barren landscapes this was a fresh breath of nature’s air.

I am dreaming of being able to visit again during the depths of winter… google image search to know what I’m talking about!

Photos by myself and James Thompson