A Morning in Krka National Park, Croatia

On the way from Istria to Dalmatia, we spent the night in the coastal city of Zadar before continuing our road trip to Krka National Park and nearby Šibenik.

Both Zadar and Šibenik are excellent places to stay if you want to visit Krka National Park, respectively located less than 60 minutes and 15 minutes by car from the park. It’s also an easy day trip from Split, Croatia’s second-largest city. I would suggest, however, to stay as close to the park as possible, just so you can get there early in the morning.

Series of waterfalls in Krka National Park

A Walk and a Swim in Krka National Park

We arrived around 10 am, which was already too late. Dozens of buses had arrived before us and the parking lots were filling up fast as well. Just like Plitvice Lakes National Park (more on that in another blog post), Krka National Park is at its most beautiful and quietest in the early morning.

Waterfall and lake in Krka National Park

Krka National Park covers a large area of forests, lakes and rivers and has no less than five entrances. Its one main attraction, however, is the Skradinski Buk waterfall. To get there, you can either opt to enter via the Skradin entrance or the Lozovac entrance, both easily reached from the A-1 expressway. My suggestion would be to enter through the Lozovac entrance, from where you can simply walk down to the waterfall and boardwalk.

Still lake in Krka National Park

The 2.5-kilometer (1.5-mile) boardwalk circles around lakes, across rivers, through forests and past small waterfalls and is a pretty amazing walk. When we were there, though, the boardwalk was super-crowded. It was like a traffic jam of people—again, make sure to visit early in the morning to avoid those crowds.

Bridge near the Skradinski Buk waterfall

After an hour or so of scenic walking and snapping photos, we arrived at Krka National Park’s main attraction, the spectacular Skradinski Buk waterfall. This huge waterfall is actually a concentrated series of smaller waterfalls. What’s so great about this place is the fact that it’s allowed to swim in the pool after the waterfall. Although we didn’t have any swimming clothes nor towels, we couldn’t resist the urge to jump in as well—probably the most scenic and refreshing swimming we’ve ever done.

Swimming at the Skradinski Buk waterfall

Additional reading: The Sheer Beauty of Plitvice Lakes National Park

Swimming in Krka National Park

Near Skradinski Buk, there are plenty of visitor facilities, including pay toilets, an outdoor restaurant, drink stands—beer in a national park is awesome!—and souvenir shops.

Skradinski Buk waterfall, Krka National Park

In addition to this one amazing waterfall and the scenic boardwalk, Krka National Park consists of many other, different areas. There are various hiking trails and waterfalls, as well as an old monastery and Roman ruins.

Cascades in Krka National Park

In total, we spent about three hours in Krka National Park, including the boardwalk and a fabulous swim at Skradinski Buk. I feel like that was sufficient. All in all, Krka National Park is definitely worth a visit, a pleasant stop on the way between Istria and Dalmatia. Although it’s like a less-famous sister of Plitvice Lakes National Park, I think it is equally as beautiful. Just make sure—I can’t stress it enough—to visit early in the morning!

Entry to Krka National Park was provided to us by the helpful folks of the Croatian National Tourist Board. All opinions are, of course, my own.