Plitvice Lakes is the oldest and largest national park in the Republic of Croatia. The park is located in the mountains of Croatia, between the Mala Capella Range in the west and northwest and the Laika Plejovica Range in the southeast. Administratively, the park belongs to two states: Lika-Seng (90.7%) and Karlovac (9.3%).
With its unique natural beauty, the area has always been a haven for nature and was already declared Croatia’s first national park on April 8, 1949. The process of making tufa, tufa, or travertine, as a result of barrier construction and the unique universal value that led to the creation of the lake, was recognized internationally on October 26, 1979, by Plymouth Lake. The UNESCO World Heritage List expanded the boundaries of the national park in 1997, and today covers less than 300 km.
The park is mainly covered with forest vegetation and small areas of grassland. The lakes, the most attractive part of the park, cover less than 1% of the total park area.
This lake system is named and consists of several unnamed small lakes. Due to the geological substrate and the characteristic water geological conditions, the lake system is divided into upper and lower lakes. The twelve upper lakes are Prozansko Gesero, Siginovac, Okruljac, Batinovac, Veliko Gesero, Malo Gesero, Weir, Galovac, Milino Gesero, Grodinsko Gesero, Burgetti and Kozak. These lakes are formed on invincible dolomite rock and have larger and softer beaches than the lower lakes. The lower lakes, consisting of the lakes Milanovac, Gavanovac, Kaluserovac, and Novakovic Broad, are made of a permeable limestone substrate and cut into a deep canyon with slopes. The lake ends at Sastavchi, a spectacular waterfall, where the Korana River flows to the bottom of the waterfall.
Plitvice Lakes National Park offers visitors seven different routes and four climbing routes to visit the lake system. The park is open to visitors throughout the year. All visitors should follow the instructions listed on the information boards, keep marked trails and leave no trace of their trip, i.e. littering, or marking nature, or committing destructive acts.