The wide fan
Streams dividing and rejoining between small islands, not one drop.
Bengt Oberger — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Alberto-g-rovi — CC BY 4.0 · Alberto-g-rovi — CC BY 4.0 · Alberto-g-rovi — CC BY 4.0
Croatia''s best-known waterfall after Plitvice, and the largest of the **Krka** river''s terraces: seventeen stepped levels carrying the water down about **46 metres** over 800 metres of river. It is not a single drop but a **wide fan** of streams that divide and rejoin between small islands and trees, so the effect is horizontal rather than vertical. Its formation is unusual. The water here is loaded with calcium carbonate dissolved out of the limestone, and when it is agitated and loses carbon dioxide the carbonate precipitates onto mosses and water plants and gradually petrifies them. The result is **barriers that grow by themselves** — travertine — rising a little every year. The waterfall is therefore **a structure built by plants**, not simply rock. The site is crossed by **boardwalks** and paths in a loop of about 1,900 metres, past old stone watermills, some of them working again for demonstration. Note: **swimming has been banned since 2021** — it was permitted before and many older guides still mention it. Note: **very crowded** in July and August; an early start is essential.
Streams dividing and rejoining between small islands, not one drop.
Old mills along the path, some working for demonstration.
A loop of about 1,900 metres running over and between the water.
Krka National Park — about 15 km north-east of Šibenik
**Plitvice is larger and unarguably more beautiful**: sixteen terraced turquoise lakes with waterfalls between them, UNESCO-listed and Croatia''s most famous natural site. But it is **further from the coast** (about two and a half hours from Šibenik), **dearer and more crowded**, and needs a full day and a lot of walking. **Krka is smaller and closer** — half an hour from Šibenik — can be done in half a day, and has the mills, the boats and the town of Skradin; it is the sensible choice if you are on the coast. ⚠ **Swimming is now banned at both** (Krka since 2021, Plitvice long before) — and that used to be Krka''s one advantage. With one day and based in Dalmatia: Krka. Travelling between Zagreb and the coast: Plitvice is on the way.
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