Croatia & Montenegro

Plitvice Lakes National Park is the oldest national park in Southeast Europe and the largest national park in Croatia. The national park was founded in 1949 and is situated in the mountainous karst area of central Croatia.  The park area extends over 73,350 acres.

The national park is world famous for its lakes arranged in cascades. Currently, 16 lakes can be seen from the surface. The lakes are all interconnected and follow the water flow. They are separated by natural dams of travertine, which is deposited by the action of moss, algae, and bacteria, which yield beautiful waterfalls throughout the park.

The lakes are renowned for their distinctive colors, ranging from azure to green, grey or blue. The colors change constantly depending on the quantity of minerals or organisms in the water and the angle of sunlight.