Plitvice Veliki Slap

Veliki Slap, the “great waterfall”, is the tallest waterfall in the Plitvice Lakes National Park, a 78-metre drop of the Plitvica stream into the lowermost of the park’s lakes, and it sits at the northern, lower end of the system. Because it is fed by a separate stream rather than the chain of lakes, it carries water year-round, and it is one of the most reliable single sights in the park.

The waterfall is reached from the lower lakes, the section of Plitvice that drops in a narrow limestone canyon, and a viewpoint at its base gives the full height of the drop. The spray from the fall keeps the surrounding rock green with moss even in the driest summer, and the path up the lower canyon passes several smaller falls and tufa barriers on the way.

Veliki Slap is on the standard lower-lakes loop and is reached from Entrance 1, the lower entrance to the park. Because the lower lakes are the narrowest and most spectacular section of the canyon, this part of the park is the most crowded, so go early in the first entry slot.

For photographers, the full drop of Veliki Slap is best in soft light, and a neutral-density filter smooths the falling water. Take the lower-lakes path for the series of falls leading up to it, and allow a half-day for the lower section alone.

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