Having visited Krka National Park. I wanted to share some tips I think would be helpful for anyone looking to visit the park. Hopefully making your holiday planning a little easier!
Where To Stay:
I would recommend staying in the old quaint town of Šibenik if you are thinking about visiting Krka National Park. Šibenik’s close proximity to the park – a mere 20 min drive is ideal. You’ll find this town situated on an inland coast, thanks to Croatia’s weird but wonderful coastal formation. (St Anthony’s Channel connects Šibenik with the Adriatic Sea and is also a popular natural tourist attraction). With Sibenik’s cobbled, maze like streets this is a beautiful little town to explore.
How To Get There:
Public bus is a popular way of getting to Krka National Park from Sibenik. Be sure to catch the morning bus at 09:00 as there isn’t a frequent service to and from the park. The bus station is easy enough to find and the bus is a very reasonable price. The tourist information can be found along the harbour front promenade where you can ask for the bus timetable.
Arriving At Krka:
Note that there are two main entrances to the Krka national park when travelling by bus. The first stop is at a large car park – Entrance Lozovac. Here you can take a shuttle bus down the windy road to the park. If you’re not keen on heights this might not be the option for you.
The next stop will appear to be in the middle of a little town named Skradin. Generally if you just get off and follow the crowd back through the town you should be okay. You should end up at a little harbour. Here you can get a boat up the river to the park – very scenic and beautiful. You can pay for your ticket once you get to the park. So feel free to get straight on the boat to save yourself time queuing up this end.
Return Bus:
Return boat times can be slightly harder to judge (17:30 is the last return boat during the summer). Your best bet, if you are unsure, is to just walk across to the other side of the park where the path splits into two directions. One way will take you on the walking route and the other will take you to the parks shuttle bus stop. From here you can catch the shuttle bus back up to the main bus stop, which is where you will be able catch the return bus back to Šibenik.
Costs and Tips:
Entry to the park is only 110Kuna – roughly £11!
Toilets ask for a small charge so have some spare change.
Expect food, drink and souvenir stalls! Unfortunately they get everywhere!
Make sure to bring a pair of ‘Aqua shoes’ with you with a decent hard sole. You will inevitably find yourself clambering over a number of submerged rocks when going for a swim in the waterfalls. These shoes are relatively cheap and will make your experience of the park a lot more enjoyable and comfortable – not having to worry too much about what you’re going to be stepping on.
Valuables:
If there are only two of you and you’re worried about leaving your valuables alone whilst swimming in the waterfall, then I would suggest investing in some dry bags. Ensure that these are big enough to fit your backpacks in. There are a number of small islands on the far left hand side of the main pool, which is a perfect place to put your valuables while you swim! Using your dry bags to protect your belongings, you can wade out to one of these islands. You can leave them by the tree roots and keep an eye on them when you go for a swim. It worked perfectly for us as we went in August and there were hundreds of people in and around the main pool. Also the little island we choose provided a nice little seat when not swimming.
Chasing Waterfalls:
The main highlight of Krka is Skradinski Buk, a collection of 17 waterfalls, which you can experience on an hour-long walking loop. This walk will take along wooden boardwalks, which connects various spits of land. You will walk on top on emerald water and see hundreds of fish and fauna. The 800m long series of waterfalls ends by tumbling down into the lower lake, which is where you can take a dip.
If you have more time than one day, there is more to explore in Krka so please do keep on researching!
Excuse my HUGE mosquito bite in the below picture!!
