We patterned our trip with Topdeck Travel's Balkan Itinerary but removed some places we did not want to see, and added a few more stops we are interested in. We are also inspired by Souvenir Chronicles about driving around the Balkans by car and they were very nice to answer our initial questions about driving a rental car around this area. 

When I started searching about this trip like - how the roads are, especially driving thru Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, appropriate visas, border crossings and checkpoints or other important parts of the road trip we wanted to know, there's only a few blogs that discusses it in detail how is it really like driving this region. Below is our Balkan road trip map, I deleted some of the stops we did, but only pinned the major cities of the countries we've had the pleasure of driving. We did the Balkans for at least 18 days and added Budapest and Krakow at the beginning and end of the trip (total of 25 days). 

Our Balkan Itinerary

ALMOST THERE - I suppose, is the perfect description of this day. Yes, this was a failed attempt too see Plitvice National Park. No words can describe how sad we were and unlucky that the dreary weather enveloped the mountainous national park. We drove from Split to Karlovac County for about 3 hours and stopped by at Krka National Park on our way here. The day started out to be cloudy. At first, I was thinking and feeling positive that the day would brighten up and the skies would eventually clear out. Sadly, luck is not on our side this time. You can't have a perfect trip, right?  We originally planned to stay two nights here so we can explore the park for a whole day. 

When we woke up the next day, I was feeling hopeful that the weather might actually change. This is what I thought the highlight of our trip - at least for me (for Brock it was going to Dubrovnik and swimming the Adriatic Coast). I dreamed, envisioned and desired to see this place how it should suppose to be - blue skies, cotton candy clouds, clean and clear turquoise water with the famous cascading waterfalls. THIS IS NOT THE CASE FOR THIS DAY. The weather forecast was "rain all day long", for the whole time we planned to stay. 

We did try to drive to the park's entrance only to find out that - the walking trails are flooded, the cold water is gushing out like flood waters, the once so clear water turned out to be pouring rain and muddy water. Some of the areas are even blocked for tourists and there is only one trail you can use. We packed for summer clothes since we thought our road trip is our last hurrah for the summer! We were not prepared for the cold, rainy and gushing cold water - we simply did not bring clothes for this kind of weather change. It is an unexpected scenario but lessons are learned because of this. In case you are wondering what Plitivce National Park looks like, or how I envisioned it, see this link. On the bright side, the entrance fee was half the price. Nevertheless, we decided not to go because this is not how I planned to enjoy this scenic place. We wanted to see it as perfect as it could be. Ever imagined or dreamed of something you really want to see? This is for me. I know this place is like a fairytale wonderland and this pouring rain takes the magic out of this place. 

For now, all I can do is treasure what we saw despite the circumstances. We decided to leave that morning and escape the bad weather conditions at Plitvice, instead we drove to Slovenia earlier than we planned. We gained another day in Slovenia and was able to visit more off-the-beaten path destinations plus a quick stop and lunch in Italy!

Who would have thought that we are going to add Italy on our road trip adventure? I guess, we are not-so-unlucky after all. After this failed attempt and almost-there experience, we definitely decided that we are going to see this place if we are visiting Europe again, even if we are going out our way to just see this. For now, this elusive Plitvice Lakes would be kept on hold but our burning desire to see this place will not falter. 

Categories: Europe, Croatia, Balkan Road Trip 

We decided to stop by Krka National Park on our way to Plitvice National Park from Split. It is just an hour away from Split and perfect for a day trip if you are tired of enjoying the islands and wants to have a change of scenery. This place is on our way to where we wanted to go, so it was a no brainer to drive and stop by here. We are blown away and mesmerized by the magic of this wonderland. 

The national park got its name from Krka River which occupies two thirds of the park. The main attraction of the park is the stunning waterfalls. The water around this area is clean and clear. During summer time, you can swim at the waterfalls area. We were prepared to change to our bathing suits but since it rained, the water is high and the weather wasn't cooperating either. On the bright side, we got to enjoy the wooden trails and walk paths around the park.

Visiting this place was a nice change from usual Croatian coastal towns, rocky beaches and the sparkling blue sea. This place just proves that Croatia has it all - from the mountains, the coast, vast forest, historic towns and scenic landscapes that will definitely makes you want to visit Croatia right now. If you haven't been, definitely add it on your list. Posting these pictures reminded me of this beautiful country, and all I could think of right at this moment, is to jump on a plane again and visit this wonderland of a place! Nothing really beats the serene beauty of nature.