The lower lakes.
After having seen the so-called upper lakes, today I decided to go for the lower ones, walking on a path with a estimated duration of about 4-5 hours. I always knew that this kind of estimation do not consider people with a fast pace like me but on the other side I’m also aware that I partly compensate this factor, stopping a lot for taking pictures.
However, in the end, I thought I didn’t have to hurry to complete it so, I took it easy this morning and I waited for the little morning shower to end.
The path I decided to follow is called “C” and it starts with a ride on the park bus needed to take me to the beginning of the walking itinerary, since it is close to the first entrance to the park and I was closer to the second one. From there it starts and as yesterday the itinerary goes through different lakes and gives the chance to have beautiful view of waterfalls. Sometimes they’re very small but so numerous that the final composition is absolutely magic especially when waterfalls and streams are mixed to the vegetation.
During the path there is a stop for a cave where they’re supposed to live bats and for this reason, visitors can enter only at ‘their own risk’. I took it (the risk) but no sign of bats or any other animal.
If I didn’t have the chance to meet the bats, it should be said that I saw some other example of local fauna. Not considering the ubiquitous ducks also very well represented in my photo gallery I saw a absolutely astounding fire salamander (Salamandra Salamandra). It has an incredible black skin with shiny yellow spot. I took many pics and also a video but, when other people were passing next to me I was pretending to shooting at something else. It wasn’t jealousy but fear for the possibility that some ignorant stupid tourist could have harmed it. Unfortunately you never know.
The big waterfall.
To see the big waterfall (veliki slap in local language) you need to do a little detour from the main path. This was the only moment in two days of visit in which I was actually surrounded by other visitors. By the way, I have to say that most of the visitors are Chinese. I can say 70%. Maybe is an holiday period there. For what it regards the waterfall, yes, it is for sure the highest in the park since is 78 meters high, but it is surely not the most beautiful. For example, there are much nicer glimpses on the way from the big waterfall to the ferry. This part of the itinerary is mainly on wooden paths (like the one of the cover photo of this post) and it goes through three small lakes. At end of the three it started to rain but it was quite short shower, just the time for a coffee and a slice of strudel. Right after I took the ferry that cross the kale Kozjak, the biggest of the park. From the small dock there are several paths starting and I realised that actually the “C” I was following overlapped exactly the “E” I did yesterday so I decided to go totally on my own ignoring signs so to get new perspectives on the waterfalls. During this walk I saw a second salamander, and then I thought it should be quite a common encounter to do in the park. Time for a bunch of pictures and videos and I decided that my visit to Plitvice could have been considered completed.
Talking about videos, here is a full one recapping what I saw in Plitvice.
Tomorrow it is again time to move since I have to put Zadar in my Radar… (this horrible word play is not mine, I borrowed it from an advert I saw some time ago…). See you tomorrow then. For now, if you like, take a look at the gallery including pictures taken in both days of visit.
