Plitvice Lakes day trip from Split: Private tour with boat ride
Skip the summer lines and glide across Plitvice’s shimmering lakes by boat
A day tour from Split to Plitvice Lakes National Park includes a professional English-speaking guide, a scenic 3-hour drive through Croatian countryside, a walk through the upper lakes, and a boat ride to the lower lakes where the Sastavci waterfalls drop into the Korana River canyon. The tour runs 10 to 11 hours and skips the entrance queues that build in summer months. National Park entry tickets are purchased separately.
Options for this experience
2 optionsStep-by-step itinerary
Tour Plitvice Lakes from Split
- Depart from Split in morning
- Enjoy scenic 3-hour drive
- Have morning coffee en route
- Walk through Upper Lakes woodlands
- Take boat trip to Lower Lakes
- See 78-meter-high Plitvice waterfalls
What’s included
- Professional guide in English.
- air-conditioned vehicle with pickup from Split.
- panoramic boat ride through the lower lakes.
- skip-the-line access to the national park entrance.
Times
- Every day 07:30
Before you book
Operated by Booker - travel agency
Prices and times updated 15 days ago
Traveler reviews
The experience
The drive from Split takes three hours through the Croatian countryside, with a stop for morning coffee along the way. You arrive at Plitvice Lakes National Park (the oldest and largest national park in Croatia), and your guide leads you on foot through the ancient woodlands bordering the upper lakes. The twelve upper lakes (Prošćansko, Ciginovac, Okrugljak and nine others) sit in a permeable limestone landscape where the water moves between them in a system that has shaped the park for centuries.
After walking the upper lake paths, you board a boat that carries you down to the lower lakes (Milanovac, Gavanovac, Kaluđerovac and Novakovića Brod), which sit in a deep canyon with steep limestone cliffs on either side. The boat ride ends at the Sastavci waterfalls, where the water drops 78 meters and the Korana River emerges from beneath the base of the falls. This is the moment the park is built around: the scale of the drop, the canyon walls, and the river springing out of the limestone.
The tour operates as a private booking for either one to two travelers or a group of three to seven, depending on which option you choose at checkout. Your guide speaks English throughout the day and handles the timing so you avoid the long entrance queues that form in summer. The vehicle is air-conditioned, which matters on the walking sections and the drive back to Split.
Is this one for you?Pick the private option if you want the guide to tailor the pace to your questions. Choose the shared group if you prefer to travel with others and split vehicle costs.
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Top questions
What happens if it rains?
It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund. Free cancellation up to 24 h before the start.
How long is the drive from Split to Plitvice Lakes?
The drive takes three hours each way through the Croatian countryside. You depart from Split in the morning and stop for coffee on the way to the national park.
What are the upper and lower lakes, and how are they different?
The upper lakes (twelve of them, including Prošćansko jezero and Veliko jezero) sit in a landscape where water flows between them naturally. The lower lakes (Milanovac, Gavanovac, Kaluđerovac and Novakovića Brod) are cut into a deep limestone canyon with steep cliffs, and they end at the Sastavci waterfalls where the Korana River emerges.
Do I walk the whole park or take the boat for part of it?
You walk through the upper lakes along the paths that cross between them, then board a boat that takes you down to the lower lakes and the waterfalls. The boat ride is included in the tour.
What is included in the tour price?
The tour includes a professional English-speaking guide, air-conditioned transport from Split, the boat ride through the lower lakes, and skip-the-line access to the park. National Park entry tickets are purchased separately and not included in the tour price.
Can I book this as a private tour for just two people, or does it have to be a larger group?
You can choose between a private tour for one to two travelers or a shared group tour for three to seven people. Both options depart from Split and follow the same route and itinerary.
How fit do I need to be for this tour?
The tour requires at least a moderate level of physical fitness because you walk the upper lake paths. Infants and small children can travel in a pram or stroller, and specialized infant seats are available in the vehicle.
Plitvice Lakes day trip from Split: Private tour with boat ride
10h–11h · EN
from US$ 861 per group
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