We left Split and headed north towards Zagreb, but we had planned to stop on the way at Plitvice Lakes National Park.
We had been told this is one of the great natural wonders and national treasures of Croatia and well worth a visit.
It is the largest and oldest national park in the country, covering more than 300 square kilometres and containing about 18 lakes and many waterfalls. It is now registered as a UNESCO World Heritage site.
There are rules in this park. No swimming, despite the fact that the lakes are stunningly beautiful and the water extremely clear.
But this is one of the reasons for keeping it pristine – the water is so clean, it is good enough to drink, and people are encouraged to fill their water bottles. But swimming, paddling and so on are not permitted.
We started our tour of the park by walking down to the largest waterfall which was spectacular.
We walked along wooden plank boardwalks. The split planks were made from wood gathered from chestnut trees.
Immediately, we were aware as we walked through the park of the purity of the water and lushness of the vegetation on the banks with woodland slopes filled by deciduous and evergreen trees.
What was most impressive was the infrastructure throughout the park: wide paths, well-maintained walls and edges.
We could not help compare it to Canadian parks and thought there was a distinct absence of warning signs and safety barriers.
The Croatians realize there are risks involved in walking beside waterfalls and lakes but they see no need to spoil the experience by over-zealous installation of barriers and safety screens and signage warning of potential dangers.
Our amble around the park was delightful, a refreshing, invigorating stroll in a beautiful and unspoiled nature park.
In addition to a ban of swimming, there is also a ban of feeding ducks and fish. Theses creatures have plenty to eat in their natural habitat and our guide told us it would be over-protective to feed them and would actually lead to their demise.
After a 90 minute walk, we arrived at a place where we were able to take a gentle boat ride to the second station where our bus was waiting to take us to our hotel. The boat was electric powered and glided silently over the surface of the lake and it gave us a wonderful serene and tranquil ride.
Tomorrow we will be going to Zagreb.
