Krka National Park in Half a Day

Krka National Park is not as popular as the well known Plitvice Lakes National Park, but I found that to be a bonus. Fewer crowds! We travelled to Krka in mid May, so do take that into account as this may not be the case if you travel in July or August.

There are plenty of tours that leave from Split, Zadar, Trogir, and Omis. However, if you have a car, I suggest going on your own. This gives you freedom to come and go as you please. We explored Krka as a half-day trip on our way from Plitvice Lakes to Split. Although this didn’t allow us to see the whole park, we were able to visit the iconic Skradinski Buk waterfall.

There are two entrances to Krka: Skadrin and Lozovac. The most popular of the two is Skradin. From Skadrin, you will have to take a ferry (included in the park price) through the park to reach Skradinski Buk. If you have a whole day, this may be an option, but due to our schedule we chose the entrance closer to the waterfall. Lozovac parking is free; there are restrooms and restaurants to enjoy, as well. From the parking lot, you can either get on the free shuttle that will take you down to the park entrance or walk down using the gravel path. The shuttle runs every 15-20 min, so we chose the foot path. You can find this path up and to the left of the shuttle parking. The path is fairly steep and varies between small pebbles and larger rocks. Appropriate footwear is helpful!

When you reach the bottom of the path, go to the left on the road. You’ll find the boardwalk marking the start of the trail up ahead on your right.

The yellow path on the map represents the primarily boardwalk path that goes over the water surrounding you in the beauty of Krka.

Although the entire path is beautiful, I have marked two spots in which you with find those Instagram worthy views. The teal triangle is the famous Skradinski Buk waterfall that you find all over Pinterest. It is here that you are allowed to swim.

Do note that only during months of June-August are you allowed to swim unbothered. All the other months, there is a life guard that prevents you from venturing out too far.

There are also plenty of facilities near Skradinski Buk including: toilets, beer vendors, outdoor restaurant, and souvenir stands! Definitely a fun spot to hang out for a bit. There is also a smaller waterfall off to the left of the path right before you reach the vendors. The water is freezing, but a great photo spot!

From Skradinski Buk, you continue across the bridge and you’ll reach the Cascades! Get your camera ready again!

From the cascades, you will reach another visitor area with toilets and snack vendors. There is an overlook from here that has incredible views overlooking the cascades. From here you have reached the end of the scenic trails. Follow the paved path back to the entrance to catch the shuttle or the gravel trail back to your car!

Overall we spent about 3 hours in Krka National Park. While you could easily spend a full day and add the ferry rides to the other parts of the park, a half day trip for a swim with a beautiful view is a great break between Split and Dubrovnik or the islands!