Croatia Travel Blog

Plitvice National Park’s 16 turquoise lakes are so clean and luminous that you want to jump right in. Alas. Swimming is forbidden in Plitvice Lakes National Park. As a tour guide once explained to me, “The lakes are also a resevoir for drinking water! We just can’t allow swimming”.

I assumed that the only alternative for swimming in a Croatian National Park was Krka Waterfalls where a swimming area is roped off right next to the crashing waterfalls. Now, The Guardian has set me straight. A reader’s suggestion yesterday pointed out that you can swim just a few kilometers north of the National Park. The Korana river flows into Plitvice Lakes National Park and is just as inviting on a hot day as Plitvice’s sparkling lakes. Just outside the village of Korana, villagers have even placed a small ladder next to a tree to make it easier to dive into crystal clear river.

Given the heat wave now sweeping Croatia, I can imagine that there will be quite a line leading up to that ladder!

See more about Plitvice Lakes National Park.