Krka National Park – the sunniest waterfalls in Croatia

During your stay in the Mediterranean Village of San Antonio, treat yourself with a day trip to the nearby Krka National Park, a unique natural phenomenon, only 45 minutes away by car. Discover the natural beauty of this unique ecosystem near Šibenik by exploring the hiking and biking trails or taking on a boat trip.

River Submerged by the Sea

Krka National Park is one of the seven national parks in Croatia.  It covers an area of ​​over 100 square meters, and is named after the river springing from foothills of Dinara Mountain chain, flowing all the way into the Adriatic.  The area around the national park abounds in brackish water, an area where river meets the ocean, often described as an estuary where a part of the river is literally submerged by the sea.  This area has seen a 100 meter rise in the sea level due to the continuous process that had began ten thousand years ago.

The national park consists of 7 travertine waterfalls surrounded by karst beauty: Bilušića buk, Brljan, Manojlovac, Rošnjak, Miljacka, Roš and Skradinski buk waterfalls. Manojlovac is the highest waterfall whose travertine barriers reach over 32 meters, while Skradinski buk is the longest containing 17 waterfalls whose cascades consist of travertine barriers, islands and lakes.

Summer is ideal for visiting the national park, especially to take a dip and refresh in the crystal clear water.

What Makes Krka Waterfalls Eye-Catching?  

Krka River is a network of karst rapids, underwater covers, rapids and barriers. Krka is surrounded by hard rocks that once formed the seabed. The entire area of ​​the Dinarides consists of carbonate rocks formed by the deposition of shells. The solubility of carbonate rocks in water has enabled fracturing, a process in which water corrodes carbonate rocks. Cracks would form and water could no longer be retained, thus forming caves and pits. The reverse process had been happening too and it involved the excretion of calcium carbonate created by stalactites and recognizable tufa in the Krka National Park.

Krka waterfalls owe their unique shape to the fast current, uniquely shaped slopes and the specific structure of the riverbed.

Did You Know?

• The hard rocks surrounding Krka River used to form the seabed.
• Krka is home to the Jaruga hydroelectric power plant, built in 1895. As such, it was the first hydroelectric power plant built in Europe and the second oldest in the world, the first one being the  hydroelectric power plant at Niagara Falls, being finished only 3 days earlier.
• Along with Plitvice Lakes, the Krka National Park is the only national park in Croatia with lakes and waterfalls.
• Skradinski buk on the River is the longest travertine barrier in Europe.
• Krka earned its national park status in 1985 and became the seventh national park in Croatia.
• Krka National Park belongs to one of the sunniest areas in Croatia with an average of 2,647 hours of sunshine a year

Educational and Bike Trails

During a day trip to the Krka National Park, discover the rich flora and fauna while exploring cultural and historical sights on some of the educational trails that include: Skradinski buk (1,900 m), Roš Waterfall (1,360 m) and the Krka Monastery (2,100 m). Most trails contain lookouts located on the top of stone fortifications, such as the ones found at Bilušić buk, Brljan waterfall and in Krnići Gornji.

Take advantage of Krka Bike, a network of cycling paths with a total length of 388 kilometers. The trails are circularly designed to avoid using the same trail on a return leg used on the outgoing leg from the starting point. The park contains a total of 12 bike trails, of which 3 are classified as Mountain Bike, 3 as the Road and 6 labelled as Track, which are best suited for the recreational, family type of ride. The trails are marked with quality cyclo-tourist signage, while the materials with photos, maps and GPS coordinates are provided as well.

Boat Trips

A special attraction included by all boat trip excursion packages is the island of Visovac, a unique site in the Krka National Park and of vital significance to Croatia’s natural and cultural heritage. The island contains a monastery and a church built by Franciscan monks in the 15th and 16th centuries, remarkable for rich collection of historical books, archaeological collections of historical church vestments and utensils.  Collections of sacral artifacts were systematically delivered to Visovac from the war-torn areas during the Turkish invasions. Hence, Visovac was attributed as one the key contributors in preserving the Croatian national identity throughout history.

• Excursion duration: from 1.5h to 4h
• Locations: Visovac, Roš Waterfall, Krka Monastery, Torka and fortifications Trošenj and Nečven.
• Itinerary: in addition to the Franciscan monastery, church and museum on the island of Visovac, the trip also includes a tour of Skradinski buk and Roš waterfall. Some tours include a visit to the monasteries of Krka and the fortifications of Trošenj and Nečven, the spiritual centers of Orthodox believers located at the extension of the river Krka called Carigradska Draga

Etno Presentation

At the premises of the renovated mills within the Krka National Park, step back in time and witness the way of life in the old rural world through crafts such as grinding cereals, washing and tucking cloths, weaving bags and floor mats, forging horseshoes, plowing, sowing, screwing and traditional preparing of food. The mills in the Krka National Park present the plants from the pre-industrial era on Krka River and as such are an important part of the history of rural architecture.