I was not going to do a review on this well-known World Heritage Site, however I noticed that the last review was undertaken in 2018, so thought an update would be good.  We visited in October 2024 in the shoulder season.  All our research indicated that the best option for us due to time and maximising the views of waterfalls, was walk C and to leave from Entrance 1.  But more importantly to get there before 9.00am to avoid the crowds.  The Park opens at 7.00.  We had a hire car and left Zagreb around 6.00am with a short coffee stop at Rastoke village along the way, a small village with waterfalls cascading through the village and parks.  A pleasant stop.

Arriving at Entrance 1 around 8.15am, the carpark was still quite busy but easy to find a close carpark after picking up your automated ticket at the parking entrance. A short walk over the main road by a bridge takes you to the main office where we purchased 2 adult tickets for 46 Euro.  A separate office next door was selling maps for 3 Euro.  You don't need though, unless you want specifically for a memento as you just need to take a photo the map board.  The cost is for the entrance for the day, no matter what walk you choose.

Walk C took us to both the upper and lower lakes, which was an easy walk, although if you have mobility issues or use a wheelchair you would not be able to undertake due to the stairs and numerous wooden boardwalks and steps. (as any walk in the park). The day we choose to visit was sadly a very overcast day with slight drizzle.  It did not dampen the mood though and the colours of the autumn come through the surrounding vegetation which added its own mystique walking through the various falls.  We were still able to get a significant number of photographs with no other persons in it, however as the day grew, you could see the rise in the visitation and number of people in the park and in particular large tour groups.  Walk C encompassed a short boat trip from lower to upper lakes to the end of Station 3 where we jumped on a supplied bus to take us back to Station 1 and then a short walk back to the entrance for the full loop.  In total we walked about 8 kilometres quite comfortably for 2 people who do not have a high level of fitness.  The scenery was amazing and the way the park has been presented with the access and floorboards gives the impression you are walking along water and are part of the landscape.  It was an amazing experience, and this world heritage site visit was worth all the effort after seeing it as a screensaver on my computer as a teenager and adding it to my bucket list at time and wanting to visit the site many years ago.

On return back to the Entrance from bus station 1, you walk along the top of the gorge looking back down to the boardwalks you previously initially started from.  These were packed with visitors, so we were glad we started early. The carpark was completely full of Tour Buses and Cars filling every spot, cars circling waiting for a park, and it was only 12.30pm.  Parking was about 3 Euro and very reasonable.

It is a site we will come back to in other seasons, Spring, Winter and Summer to get different perspectives and experiences.  We will always make it early though and consider a start just after 7.00am. A visit to this Natual Site is highly recommended.