Bundt Cake Waterfalls & Dragonflies, Krka National Park 27 Comments

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We wake to a gloomy day and a half abandoned campsite. The hillsides behind the Marina Campsite are obscured by a wispy haze.  The distant mountains appeared to have been taken away in the night.  A bit like our fellow campers? We can’t help but wonder where everyone has vanished to. Despite our initial greeting at Marina Campsite and having to move (which by the way is still unoccupied), we are really enjoying our time here. Its not the best campsite but there is something quite nice about it. Maybe its rustic feel and the fact it is small, which is a change from the majority of large campsites we have visited. Shame the owners son is such a grump.

We spend the day relaxing and reading up on Serbia. By early evening, the stormy weather had passed, so we take a ride on Eor. We are based at Lozovac, which is the start of Krka national park.  So what better route than a circular ride around the perimeter of the park… stunning.  

view of the river

About half way along our route, round a bend through some overhanging trees we noticed an old wooden sign. Twisted and faded with time but you could just make out the camera symbol.  We parked up Eor and walked.
After about ten minutes the path ceased.  Breathtakingly, a viewing platform appeared, hanging out over a precipice of rock.  A little patio in the sky overlooking Krka river. We had the feeling that no one had been there for years. In front of us a sheer drop – to a river of the lushest blue. 

Krka National Park has an interesting landscape and history. In 1985, 26,935 acres (109 square kilometers) of the Krka River was granted national park status due to its abundance of fauna and flora (1022 plant species!), heritage sites and seven unusual waterfalls.

Travertine waterfalls, created by barriers made from limestone that settle in the water. Its also the place for electric! More than 120 years ago the first electricity flowed through wires. The genius behind this modern innovation was the Croatian Nikola Tesla, after whom Tesla electric cars are named. His innovation, made on the famous river Krka, was more than just a power plant. It was an entire electro energetic system with a complete cycle of producing, transmitting and distributing alternative current. All using wooden power lines to Sibenik, 10km away.

Roski Slap

There are several regions to the park. Skradin is the most popular, other areas are accessible either by paying for boat journeys or by going by road, which is what we did. The roads are brilliant condition with plenty lay-bys and stopping points. For anyone thinking of driving the route in a motorhome, the conditions are find and generally traffic free.  We went up to Roski Slap, the second most popular area. The water features are gentle, like long plains with little falls. But it’s a very pleasant area and at dusk, it is great to watch dragonflies dance around catching the last of the sun rays.

Our evening jaunt around the perimeters teases our taste buds for a visit to the park. 

The following morning we wake at 6.30, pack up, check out and head over to Losovac national park entrance. The car park is free from 7am until 8pm, with no overnight parking permitted. Worth noting that on our ride around the national park last night, we did spot several other parking options at difference site entrances. However, all the other car parks were private and charged around 100kn per day. This car park is a true national car park and free.

Dogs are permitted, so Mac n Tosh were well giddy. Armed with their water bowl and noses in sniff mode, we set off.  After paying our 100kn pp entrance fee we tootled over to the walking trail (shuttle bus also available).  The walk down to the trail head isn’t bad, a leisurely woodland stroll. By the time you’re down with the waterfall trail you’ve forgotten all about it. Until it’s time to head back to the park entrance, and you start ascending its uber steep path that seems to never end. It took us about 20 minutes. 

Water fall and Waterwheel

It truly is serene, myriad waterfalls visible as you walk a flat network of boardwalks and wooden bridges.  Numerous viewpoints, sweet scents of pine and the forest floor filling your nostrils.Our focus was the Skradinski Buk Trail, named after the park’s most impressive waterfall. To me the waterfall looked like an enormous glistening bundt cake, with it’s bulbous and layered texture.  With its 17 steps and cascades stretching to 400 meters wide, the outcome of the passionate meeting of the Krka and Cikola Rivers.

 

 

 

Krka is beautiful spot, famous for the water features – waterfalls, travertines, rivers and lakes. It’s massively popular and well worth the visit. We are the first walkers of the day and definitely a good choice as the number of people in the park jumped dramatically at around 10am. We had a couple of peaceful hours. They limit the number of people to the park to 10,000 per day. But, with one main trail on boardwalks and one swimming area – it gets pretty crowded.

Boardwalk & lake

The main circular board walk is about 3 km long. We managed to take over 3 hours to do this! It was so lovely we kept stopping to take photos, enjoying the huge number of dragonflies, frogs, fish, birds and of course the waterfalls. Most people were at the water front enjoying the swimming and cafes in the old water mills.

To be honest, the 3-4 hours we had to explore the park was more than enough. There are a few boat trips you can take that vary in time and visit other waterfalls, islands, fortress ruins and monasteries but its we managed to see most last night.  

Krka park done…now onward to Trogir!

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27 thoughts on “Bundt Cake Waterfalls & Dragonflies, Krka National Park”

  • Reply ↓
    Going Nomad

    Looks like an amazing place to visit and Craig’s pictures are amazing. I love the slow shutter speed for the waterfalls and the wide aperture for the insects. I have never been able to master my photo skills and will be putting my camera equipment up for sale to pick up a lightweight point and shoot, What camera / lenses does Craig use?

  • Reply ↓
    Suzanne Stratford

    We stayed at camp Marina in early May 2017. We found the owners amazing. I was under the impression the son was the boss.He was very accommodating. May be just a busy time of the year they work long hours in the season. I would certainly stay there again but not in peak season. Photos are amazing

  • Reply ↓
    Ray Davies

    Fantastic photos, was in Croatia last year, and was reading about krka park, but too far a drive from Dubrovnik, I’m guessing best place to visit the park would be if you was staying in Split ?
    Will you be watching the match tomorrow?
    Ray.

  • Reply ↓
    Robert Ellis

    Well luv there’s some cracking photos on here& everywhere seems spotless clean ,Those waterfalls are stunning you won’t find anymore like those gorgeous ,It’s no wonder they get so many visitors ,it makes you wonder what it would have been like before the Country was at war ,because you know it took a real pounding ,Lets hope there aren’t any more ,Been busy this last week ,played eighteen Hols of Golf still not lost it ,Then on Sunday played Bowls on Atherton Park ,life In the old boy yet ,How did I go on ,? how do you think ,WON of course ,Took a Fiver of them at GOLF that will buy some doggy bones & black puddings of Bury Market this w/end ,Whos this new fan I’ve got ,the Fire fly Bullfrog or Maureen ,Tell them to look me up in BENIDORM ,Luv to you All xxx Mac n Tosh woof woof xxx

  • Reply ↓
    Kelvin Collins

    Another great post with excellent pics, thank you. On the dog food question someone asked – our Polly was an Iams girl, but she’s coping on Lidl’s Premium, and it’s a fraction of the price.
    On money – there are now several good options for no conversion commission cards. We use Revolut and Starling.
    Cheers. KC

  • Reply ↓
    Maureen

    I love reading your blog and looking at your photo’s but I equally, love reading your dad’s comments. He is a legend! Tonight I read your post too soon as your dad is clearly out enjoying himself!

  • Reply ↓
    Paula

    Hello from Scotland! We were wondering about all things dog related as we prepare for our own travels. How do you manage food for Mac n Tosh? Whilst our pooch Spot will happily eat all manner of things, his stomach is sadly a little more particular. Are you able to source similar brands of food on your travels or are Mac n Tosh able to adapt as they travels?

    • Reply ↓
      Bumble Crew Post author

      Hey Paula, well Spot will surely enjoy the time on the road. Some countries you can find branded dog food at the vets but in other countries it is much more difficult. We tend to bring a few bags for our two and then buy Lidl. We usually incorporate the two rather than just switch, as it gives their digestion time to adjust.

  • Reply ↓
    Peter

    Hi guys, I interested to know how you manage cash on your extended travels. Presumably at the moment you are using Kuna but are Euros accepted. Do you just use ATM’s or mix credit card and cash purchases? Any problems anywhere?

    • Reply ↓
      Bumble Crew Post author

      As a rule of thumb Peter we use our Caxton card and withdraw cash for all day to day and small purchses. We use our Revolut card for petrol and Lidl shops, as this is the bulk of our spend. We like to have two cards…caxton and revolut then if we loose one, we have another to fall back on. We don’t use our uk bank cards as transaction fees and exchange rates are not great.

  • Reply ↓
    Jayne Pearson

    I like the fact you can take dogs in to the park. I don’t like leaving our two pooches in the motorhome for long periods of time, so this place will be perfect for our family outing.