How to plan your visit to Krka National Park
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Krka National Park, the little sibling of Plitvice National Park, is also a must if you like beautiful waterfalls and lush green forests. The park extends over 109 km² and although there are several sights to see, the majority of people only visit one tiny part being Skradinski Buk, the most popular sight where you can swim near the waterfalls.
When I was planning my visit I found it quite hard to get the right info and therefore I was also only able to visit Skradinksi Buk. Due to some misinformation about the public transport I also had to rush my visit which was a real pity. With this guide I hope to give some extra information and advice so you can fully enjoy this amazing National Park.
How to get there
Krka National park can either be reached by car or bus. There are several daytours organised from Split or other cities which often include a visit to the town of Šibenik but just as with Plitvice National Park I would recommend on going there on your own, either by rental car or public transport.
By Bus
From the major cities you can take a bus that will take you to the little town of Skradin. There you can buy an entry ticket for the park which includes the ferry that will take you on a scenic ride to Skradinski Buk. You can also buy your tickets online. Then you can board the boat directly with your printed ticket or barcode on your smartphone.
From Zagreb
From Zadar
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From Split
From Šibenik
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By car
If you want to be more flexible you can hire a car in one of the major cities. The park is easy accessible via the highway (tolls). You can choose to either go to Skradin or Lozovac. (More about those entrances later)
From Zagreb
From Zadar
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From Split
From Šibenik
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What to visit and where to enter
The park has different entrances for the different attractions and unlike at Plitvice it's not possible to do it all on foot. Below I will explain how to get to the main attractions of Skradinski Buk, Visovac island and Roški Slap.
Skradinski Buk
Skradinski Buk is the largest travertine cascade system in Europe with a width of about 100 m and 400m in length. It consists of 17 steps along the Krka river and the total difference in height between the first and the last falls is 47.7m.
To visit Skradinski Buk you can either go to Skradin or Lozovac. Lozovac is the nearest entrance and has the biggest parking lot which is free of charge. During the months of April to October there are free shuttle buses to bring you to the Skradinski Buk trail near the museum and Ethno village. Outside of these months you can enter the park with your car. If you prefer to walk in the fresh air, taking in the scent of pine trees and the nearby river, you can also walk the short trail instead of taking the bus. The entrance to the trail is just next to the main reception area.
If you'd like a more scenic route into the park then you can opt for the Skradin entrance. There is a parking near the ticket office which costs 10 Kn/h (€ 1.35/h).
At the ticket office you can buy your entrance ticket which will also give you access to the ferry that will take you to Skradinski Buk (only available from April to October). The ferry ride takes about 30 minutes and leaves every hour on the hour from Skradin town to Skradinski Buk and on the half hour from Skradinski Buk to Skradin town. (Be sure to arrive on time as places are limited per boat). The waterfalls are a 5 minute walk from the ferry pier.
Another option from Skradin is to hike or bike the 3.4km trail from Skradinksi Most (Skradin Bridge) to Skradinksi Buk. Entrance tickets can be bought at the Skradin Bridge office.
As I mentioned before the Skradinski Buk waterfall is the most popular attraction of the park and you can go for a swim in the lake there. Because of that Skradinski Buk can get quite crowded, especially in summer, so be aware of that. I would also recommend bringing swimming shoes as there are a lot of sharp rocks in the water and it will be more comfortable to enter the lake. You can discover the lower falls of Skradinski Buk on a one-way loop trail of about 1.9 km. Depending on the entrance you came from, you can enter the trail either from the large wooden bridge or through the Ethno village (Lozovac entrance). Alongside the trail are several info panels with some educational facts about the geology and biology of the falls.
Visovac island and Roški Slap
At Skradinski Buk you take an excursion to visit Visovac island and Roški Slap by boat. This excursion is not included in the standard ticket and must be purchased as an extra, either at one of the entrances or at the Skradinksi Buk Office. This 3,5 hour tour will first take you to Visovac island where you have 30 minutes to visit the island and the Franciscan monastery. Then the boat continues to Roški Slap where you can stroll around the lake and enjoy the views of the waterfall for one hour. There is also a staircase that takes you all the way up to the Oziđana Pećina cave, a prehistorical locality where many traces of human settlement have been found. The best view over the Necklaces (series of banded rapids) can be seen from up there.
If you don't have that much time, you can also opt for just an excursion to Visovac Island. That tour takes 2 hours instead of 4 hours.
If you want to explore Roški Slap by yourself you can also go there by car. The ride from Skradin to Roški Slap takes you through some very nice scenery and will take about 40 minutes. The only downside is you can not visit Visovac island but you can still see it from the shore, best view from Visovac Viewpoint.
I did not visit it myself but I heard that the road to Roški Slap is not that well indicated so calculate some extra time in case you get lost :-)
Hike or bike one of the many trails
Next to the few trails I already mentioned to reach Skradinski Buk, there is a vast network of walking and cyclying trails. If you want to discover the National Park in a different way then this is definitely a must.
For a list of the different hiking trails and viewpoints click here.
An overview of the cycling routes can be found here.
Tickets
At the ticket office you can buy your entry ticket and choose between the different excursion possibilities to be added to your ticket.
f.e. You want to visit Skradinsi Buk and Visovac island in June. You then buy a ticket for the park which costs 200Kn + a ticket for the boat ride to Visovac island which costs 100Kn = 300Kn in total.
Entrance tickets
| Category | JAN/FEB/MAR NOV/DEC |
APRIL/MAY OCT |
JUNE/JULY AUG/SEPT |
| Individual adults | 30Kn (€ 4.05) |
100Kn (€ 13.51) |
200Kn (€ 27.00) |
| Individual children(7-18) | 20Kn (€ 2.70) |
80Kn (€ 10.81) |
120Kn (€ 16.20) |
| Children(-7) | Free | Free | Free |
Boat excursions
| Category | Starting point | Visited sites | Return point | Duration | Price |
| Individual adults | Skradinski Buk | Visovac (30 min) | Skradinski Buk | 2 hours | 100Kn (€ 13.51) |
| Srkadinski Buk | Visovac (30 min) & Roški Slap (90 min) |
Skradinski Buk | 4 hours | 130Kn (€ 17.56) | |
| Roški Slap | Krka monastery (30 min), Medieval fortress of Trošenj & Nečven (views from boat) |
Roški Slap | 2.5 hours | 100Kn (€ 13.51) | |
| Individual children (4-18) | Skradinski Buk | Visovac (30 min) | Skradinski Buk | 2 hours | 70Kn (€ 9.46) |
| Srkadinski Buk | Visovac (30 min) & Roški Slap (90 min) |
Skradinski Buk | 4 hours | 90Kn (€ 12.16) | |
| Roški Slap | Krka monastery (30 min), Medieval fortress of Trošenj & Nečven (views from boat) |
Roški Slap | 2.5 hours | 70Kn (€ 9.46) | |
| Individual children (-4) | Free |
There are a few other options if you f.e. just want to visit Roški Slap or other places or if you want a three day entrance. For more info on those prices you can consult the price list on the Krka website.
Best time to visit
Krka National park can be visited all year round but if you want to have a swim near the Skradinski Buk falls, and not feel like a sardine, the best time to visit would be in the shoulder season, preferably May to mid-June or mid-September to early October. Then the water is still not too cold and the park is not that crowded. In winter there are not that many visitors and if you like a polar swim you can enjoy a quick dip and probably have the lake all to yourself. Do take into account that the shuttle buses from Lozovac, the boat from Skradin and excursion boats don't operate in winter. If you have the flexibility, avoid going to Skradinski Buk in July or August as it gets totally crowded and you will have to queue all your way over the boardwalk trail with no time to really enjoy the views let alone take any pictures.
Tips & tricks
- Come early, if possible stay overnight in Skradin so you can enjoy the nice little town and take the first ferry in the morning.
- Bring swimming shoes as there are a lot of sharp rocks in the water
- The loop trail at Skradinksi Buk is a nice boardwalk so you just need comfortable walking shoes
- If you want to do some hiking on the other trails hiking boots are recommended
Useful links
- Price List 2019-2020
- Skradinski Buk map
- Roški Slap map
- Hiking trails and viewpoints
- Bicycle catalogue
- Park entrances
- Working hours
*There may be some affiliate links on this page, which means when you click them I get a small percentage of the purchase at no extra cost to you. This allows me to keep sharing great travel tips, so feel free to click away!*
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