The Green Mediterranean: Plitvice Lakes & Krka National Park, Croatia (Photos)

It’s that photo everyone has captured; a single Instagram post that will initiate a journey to an entirely new continent.

The shot:

Plitvice Lakes,  Croatia by Sean Parker Photography – Sean met us in Croatia!

With Taylor Michael Burk, a no-big-deal [he’s a big deal] travel photographer at my side, a set of tissues, and a picnic pack, I rose twice before sunrise to do day trips from Split.

Tell me these views weren’t worth it:

Krka National Park, Croatia via @StephBeTravel — that’s meeeee :)

Plitvice Lakes National Park, Croatia via @TaylorMichaelBurk

Plitvice Lakes National Park, Croatia via Sean Parker Photography 

How to Do Piltvice Lakes & Krka National Park

I spent about twenty days in Croatia this summer (it’s that good) and weighed my options in touring through the green mediterranean.

Either rent a car and indulge in a luxury hotel near Plitvice and another near Krka National Park, or do day trips from a major city such as Split. Taylor and I chose the latter for a few reasons.

The parks open and close so you can’t shoot at sunrise and sunset anyways. Furthermore, exhausted from my full-time traveler lifestyle, there was little convincing needed to get me to stay in one place. It’s nice to take a break from repacking nightly, and actually knowing how to get back to you place at night.

We did both tours the company Adriatic-4-You. It was pretty good. I’d spend a week at each park if I could, but since it wasn’t an option, having someone to drive to-and-fro was nice.

Adriatic-4-You does private and group tours, catering to your budget.

We stayed at the 101 Dalmatian Design Hostel, first booked through Life Before Work – Yacht Life , Croatia.  After hanging out with the LBW crew for a week and a half of Yacht Life (booked through a tour operator), we wrapped up our experience at 101. The new design hostel offers the cleanliness and trendiness of a hotel with the livelihood of a hostel. Having a home base, we could leave our stuff in between our intense day trips and opt for homemade cooking for a change. I spent a lot of time at that hostel and would definitely recommend it.

While our actual time in Split doing the day trips was short, it was immensely memorable. The iconic views are worth more than a shot.

At Krka National Park, you can go for a swim in parts of the falls. Others are sectioned off, exclusive to the birds and the bees.

Krka National Park, Croatia via @StephBeTravel 

Krka National Park, Croatia via @TaylorMicahelBurk

In Plitvice Lakes National Park, most of the waters are untouchable. With the exception of an optional canoe ride and boat transfer, most of the park is reserved for the trees and sunshine.

Plitvice Lakes National Park, Croatia via @StephBeTravel 

I really liked that. I like that despite the crowds lining up to see God’s gifts to our world, it was beyond our ability to touch. It reminds us of our mutual love for the natural earth and our overwhelming need to protect it.

Let’s keep places like this, looking like this.

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S H O P

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