Lakes, Waterfalls, and War
Words by Dalene Heck / Photo by Pete Heck
On frosted planks of chestnut we carefully stepped so as not to slip and tumble into the chilly blue/green water on either side. When available, we tread on dried crinkly leaves for better grip. Most of our walking minutes were spent with our heads down, paying attention to our footing, but stopping often to admire the incredible scenery before us.
Ivica chatted almost the entire time. He filled us in on the important aspects of Plitvice National Park, his nearby home, and the decorated and tragic history of the area.
“To know the park, you must know the war,” he said. Declared a national park in 1949, the whole surrounding area suffered blows from the Yugoslav Wars of the early 1990s. Ivica himself moved west with his family, taking jobs on cruise ships in Italy for five years to earn money. When the war ended, he returned to the area in 1995 to help with rebuilding. The park, less than two hours from the capital Zagreb, opened again a year after cleanup was done and paths were able to be reopened.
Now it is the most important national park in the country and can bring in more than 10,000 visitors a day during the busy summer months. We felt lucky to be here on a sunny November day, having much of the park to ourselves (in winter, the number of tourists is as little as 300 a day).
Throughout the park there are a multitude of waterfalls and lakes, the number varying yearly depending on the level of water. We saw ponds of crisp, pristine aquamarine, and sone entirely dried up holes. In the full ones, fish were plentiful unlike anything we had seen before. In some spots, chum lined up by the hundreds, thousands, crowded together in the shallow, warm waters, so thick they looked like weeds.
Brown bears live in the park as well, although their numbers are down. Scared off by bombs and mines during the war they followed many human refugees and migrated west. Some bears were found as far as Trentino, Italy.
Images of war understandably focus on the human suffering – not often do we hear of ravaged landscapes or displaced bears. Thankfully the damage to the Park wasn’t devastating, and thus soon brought some prosperity to an area that needed rebuilding.
As well as to give us, and almost one million other visitors a year, this:
Known simply as the “Large Waterfall”, the biggest one in the park stands at 78m high. Small cascades on the edge were just starting to show signs of winter freezing.
Many thanks to Ivica and the Croatian National Tourist Board for the complimentary tour.
Plitvice is one area I definitely want to visit! The colors of the water seem so amazing. Thanks for sharing your pictures and adventure with us.
Wow !!! That last photo took my breath away.
Great photos guys!! I love the flowing water ones and the first one. Very abstract. Love it!
Jeff
Thanks Jeff! Luckily there were very few tourists around so that we could get away with the slowing the shutter for the flowing water ones. 🙂
I have a trick for getting rid of tourists 🙂 It’s called a neutral density filter. A 10-stop filter will reduce the light by 10 stops so even in bright daylight you’ll need to take an exposure of 30 seconds or longer. Since the exposure time is so long the people walking in the photos rarely even register.
In my Glacier Melt photo this was a 30 second exposure. People were walking in and out of the picture:
http://bit.ly/sSDqWA
Here’s the filter I have:
http://bit.ly/uguXLT
🙂 Keep shooting! I love ’em!
Oh yeah! We have the filter and were using it, but we just had people walking up and down the wooden platforms, shaking them constantly! Finally, our guide offered to make them wait (I think the exposure was set for 25 secs!) 🙂
I agree with your mom, that last photo has sooo much mood to it! And the one above it is pretty cool, too. Okay, alright, they’re all good. Clearly I need to book a flight to Croatia asap. 🙂
Clearly you do! That park is a really amazing place, but I would warn against going in summer when it is apparently wall-to-wall people. We luckily had it almost to ourselves!
Every time I see a post on this place, I realize how much more I need to go there. These photos are exceptional, though.
Thanks Phil! A visit is highly recommended, a lot of beauty and a lot of history.
That looks like a beautiful place I love national parks I had no idea that there were bears there though.
Just brown bears in the park, and fewer than before, unfortunately! Probably why the fish are so overpopulated!
this looks like paradise. I must go here immediately.
I loved Croatia but only saw the coast. Photos like these make it clear that I need to go back and explore more of the interior!
Ah yes, the coast is beautiful, but there is so much more! Zagreb is also particularly awesome!
these photos are absolutely breathtaking. well done!
Thank you Maria!
More wonder of Croatia. you guys are persuading me with your enticing descriptions and photos that I must go there.
Good, then we’ve done our job! (Wait a minute….we just need Croatia to pay us for our work now…haha)
WOW! So very beautiful. I want to go there right now!
Do it! Right now! 🙂
Beautiful!
Totally loving your Croatia posts and pictures. Each one makes me want to visit there more. Without your posts I probably would never have put it on my list of places to visit.
Just wait until tomorrow (it’s our favorite post coming up) – a wrap-up of our favorite pictures!
Gorgeous! Love the waterfalls and the colours. Just shows there’s so much to Croatia beyond just the coastline.
There is SO much more than just the coastline, but many people forget that! 🙂
Love your photography work!
Thanks Sugah!
Wow — I had no idea something this cool existed in Croatia. I really do need to get there one day.
Amazing scenery. I didn’t know such beauty existed in Croatia. In the past there has been so much war. I guess it must be safe to travel through the country now. and so much to see. Interesting post and wonderful pics.
The Balkan area is now said to be one of the safest in Europe. A trip to Croatia is definitely worth it – it is an amazingly beautiful country!
The Balkans are now said to be one of the safest parts of Europe! They have some extraordinary scenery – we can’t wait to return some day!
This is definitely one of my MUST sees for this year!
I’m glad!! It is so beautiful. Try to go in the shoulder season if you can, we were lucky to be without many tourists, in summers it can be unbearable (so we’ve heard).
Great waterfall shots. I’m also a big fan of your reflection photos too. Nice work.
Like most I have seem primarily the coast in Croatia. I did spend two days in Zagreb and really wish I knew these lakes where there. I would have so done a day trip instead of sit in the cafes drinking beer (though that was nice at the time). I remember seeing some neat waterfalls in the river next to the train though.
The trip to Plitvice is definitely worth it, although beers in a cafe in Zagreb is also a nice alternative! We really enjoyed that city.
This park is just mesmerizing. Plitvice makes me realize how beautiful and wonderful nature is and I’m glad they’ve rebuilt this place after the war. The waterfalls are my personal favorite. Thank you fro sharing, this is truly amazing.
Slovenia is SO beautiful, I can’t wait to go back there and explore more!
Haha oopps I meant to write Croatia 😛
Looking up and lusting over Croatia…so much to see there!