We started our morning off with looking for penguins once again. We didn’t even have to venture too far, as the parking lot near our hotel had a few for us to enjoy.
After getting a few more penguin photos, we headed back into Simon’s Town to get some breakfast. As we’d loved the Lighthouse Cafe for dinner the night before, it seemed like a great idea to stop there for breakfast.
It was a beautiful day, so at first we thought about sitting outside, but we soon caught sight of baboons in the area and opted to not take our chances. We sat in the windows enjoying looking out but at least feeling a little more protected.
I had a cappuccino and eggs benedict. It all tasted really good and we were happy with our choice. We did see some bikers sit outside and they weren’t bothered by the baboons, so it might have been okay, but we still felt a little more secure inside.
After breakfast we took off to drive towards the Cape of Good Hope. We opted to go ahead and pay to go into the National Park to be able to drive all the way down to the point.
As we were coming into the park we spotted something large and dark on the horizon. Sure enough as we got closer we spotted our first ostrich! It was the first larger animal we’d spotted, so we were definitely excited.
We continued to enjoy the gorgeous landscape and good weather. A little further into the park we spotted some zebra hiding under a tree and then down along the coast we saw some Eland (a type of large antelope). We were so excited to see so many new types of animals on our drive. We saw a couple of bontebok (darker antelope) in the distance before heading to the coast to stop for a quick walk.
It was a beautiful sunny day, so we enjoyed some time along the water. I unfortunately managed to slip hopping on rocks, but other than a cracked phone screen and some wet shoes was thankfully alright. My mom came to the rescue with some extra shoes.
Then we went to see the point. We opted to ride the funicular up the hill and enjoyed spectacular coastal views and the fun lighthouse. It was very windy at that particular spot, so clear why some wanted to initially name it Cape of Storms instead of Cape of Good Hope. Still, it was sunny and beautiful that day, so we enjoyed it to the fullest.
Back at the car we opted to stop briefly at the visitor’s center before heading on to our final destination of the day. I got a couple of fun photos outside the visitor’s center.
We started making the drive back up the point and along the coast. We stopped for some snacks at one point, but otherwise just continued on the road.
We arrived in Hermanus in the late afternoon and the weather was turning. It began to rain as we were taking our bags out of the car and heading into our hotel. We stayed at the Nautilus Guest House, a charming bed and breakfast style place along the coast.
After settling into our rooms, we threw on rain jackets and opted to brave the bad weather in hopes of seeing Hermanus’s main attraction.
The town is called the Whale Watching Capitol of the world. It is supposed to be a perfect place to see Southern Right Whales, especially in South African winter (June-August).
We didn’t bother booking any kind of boating excursion, instead opting to just walk along the coast and see what was visible. The rain was coming down pretty hard, but we just bundled up to cope.
Sure enough, after a while of walking, we finally spotted what we’d been looking for. A Southern Right Whale was leaping out of the water, doing spectacular moves to show off. We enjoyed watching for a while. Such an amazing sight to get to enjoy, even on the shore.
At long last, soaked to the bone, we headed back to the hotel to get a little rest and dry off before dinner.
That evening, we again ventured out into the rain. We had bad luck on finding a restaurant initially. One of the places we’d thought about trying we saw along the coast while walking, and as they had primarily outdoor seating, they were closing up for the day. The second was closed as well for renovations or something. So we settled at the Fisherman’s Cottage.
It was a super cute little restaurant. As the name suggests, it was originally a fisherman’s house in the 1800s but was turned into a restaurant in the late 1990s. They had a fire going which we actually appreciated after all of the rain and cool weather of the afternoon.
We shared some arancini and a vegan beetroot Tarte Tatin to start. Everything tasted amazing. I had the Moorish Mutton Curry, which was absolutely delicious. Perhaps one of my favorite dishes of the trip. We finished off with an apple Tarte Tatin, also vegan with coconut ice cream. All in all a fabulous meal in a great location!
Finished up with our food, we walked back to the restaurant. I finished the day with a soaky bath and some rooibos tea, the perfect thing while continuing to listen to the rain outside.
So it was beautiful and sunny when I got up in the morning. I was actually already sweating just walking over to breakfast in my long sleeves and long pants (which was what I’d been instructed to wear to be more covered up during my jungle trek).
I had breakfast at the hotel: toast, eggs, and pancakes as well as some pineapple and some fruits I don’t know the names of, but ones that were clearly picked from trees right at the hotel grounds. Apparently the same ones the monkeys like to snack on when they come visit the hotel grounds.
Then I was picked up and driven over to the national park entrance. I paid my fee and then met my guide to go trekking. I was the only one signed up that day, so got a private tour. I would have preferred a group especially after the fun I had in Khao Yai, but I nonetheless wasn’t going to turn down the opportunity to go into the jungle.
We started out on a nice wide flat trail. My guide pointed out lizards, insects, spiders, plants and more.
The trail then took us down along the river which was absolutely beautiful.
After a while walking on that trail we arrived at a little rest area with restrooms and a covered shelter. We took a short break and ran into a little dusky tree monkey there. He was clearly very comfortable with people, grabbing chips from the little snack stand, climbing on people, grooming my guide. He tried to bite me actually, so I gave him a wide berth after that and was definitely glad I’d been wearing pants so his teeth didn’t break my skin.
We took off again into the jungle, this time heading on a very narrow windy up and down trail along the river. It was very pretty. We saw some more monkeys: macaques and more dusky tree monkeys.
Probably thirty minutes along that trail it started to rain. I initially thought it would just be a sprinkle, but it became a steady downpour. I tucked my phone away in my dry bag I’d thankfully thought to bring as my pack for the day. I didn’t have time to tuck it in the little waterproof case since I wanted to protect everything else in my bag. Hence why my photos are somewhat lacking for the rest of this post.
The guide and I kept going. I think he and I both thought it would stop or slow down at some point, but just continued coming down harder and harder. The trail became pretty slippery in places and I went down hard on my bum in a puddle of mud at one point.
We stopped at a place along the river and the guide told me I could swim if I wanted. My suit was in my bag of course, and figured it wasn’t worth opening at that point. But as I was pretty much soaked from head to toe anyways and could use a chance to wash off some of the mud I went ahead and went in about waist deep. With the clothes on I didn’t feel comfortable enough actually swimming, but did feel nice to get some of the muck off my body.
My guide gave me some oranges to eat. I think it’s normally where he stops for lunch on the route, but as the rain was still coming down so hard there just wasn’t a good way to eat easily. He asked if I was okay going back a little early. The trails were really becoming hard and the wildlife just wasn’t able to be spotted super easily.
I agreed maybe turning back was for the best. So we started back along the trail, clambering up muddy inclines and carefully going down steep and slippery descents. I did get one leech on my leg, but it didn’t seem to break the skin before I caught it. Otherwise I was okay, even without leech socks on.
We stopped back at the shelter where the monkey was. My guide gave me some fried rice and eggs to eat and some pineapple he chopped up fresh. He then asked if I drank coffee. He made a fire and then a few minutes later brought me over some coffee in a little bamboo cup he’d made with a stir stick. I’d seen him chopping some bamboo when we stopped. I went ahead and tucked it away to take home as a souvenir.
After lunch we headed back down the trail, thankfully the flat and wide part that was easier to do. But even that had become super slippery and muddy. It had basically just become a pathway for water at that point.
We got back to the park headquarters and I just walked back to the hotel rather than waiting for a ride since we were early. It was very close, and honestly at that point I couldn’t get anymore wet than I already was.
At the hotel I showered with my clothes on to get all the dirt and grime off before taking them off to try to dry out. Everything actually was dry by morning other than my tennis shoes. Thankfully I wasn’t planning on doing anymore hikes or trekking so I figured I’d be fine with sandals and could let them dry out the next day.
I had a lazy afternoon on the deck of my place drinking some more coffee and admiring the birds and squirrels in the trees as the rain slowed. No more monkeys sadly, but it was still very beautiful and peaceful.
Again, my restaurant options were limited in the park area. Since I was disappointed with the Thai food I had the day before, I opted to get pizza instead at Chao Pizzeria. The location at least was beautiful right along the river. I had one with olives, mushrooms, ham, and artichokes on it. It was pretty good overall, definitely hit the spot after such a crazy day.
I then went back to the hotel for the night. It had finally stopped raining. I scanned the area for anything interesting as it was getting dark and saw a couple frogs but nothing else too interesting. Headed to bed, exhausted from the busy day, but ready to go on to some beaches and islands the next day.
I began my morning in Khao Yai National Park with breakfast at my guest house. Greenleaf Guest House has a small restaurant attached, so they offered food you could order. I had eggs, toast, fruit, and coffee.
After filling up, our group hopped on the back of the truck and took off for the park with our guide, a different one than the day before.
We stopped at the park gates. Apparently they need names of anyone entering the park submitted ahead of time online, and our guide had done so, but technology being what it is, it hadn’t gone through. We entered our names in her phone again and waited before finally being granted access.
The roads wound up into the mountains through beautiful lush jungle. Even as someone who had visited beautiful tropical locations before, I was in awe of the gorgeous scenery.
A few minutes up the road, we stopped pretty quickly, our guide noticing a snake in some bushes on the side of the road. Somehow she’d managed to see it from her spot in the passenger seat. We were all quite impressed with her skills.
It was an Oriental Whipsnake, named for its slim body and crested eyes. Our guide tried to pull it out of the bushes to look at more closely but eventually had to just let it continue on its way as it had slithered out of her reach.
We continued driving onwards, keeping our eyes peeled for more wildlife.
At the top of the mountains we stopped at a viewpoint. Our guide passed out leech socks. To anyone not familiar with leech socks (I definitely wasn’t before this trip) they are small cloth sacks the size of your foot that you slide on like a sock over your socks and the bottom of your pant leg. You then fasten them to keep them tight around your leg, thereby preventing leeches from crawling under your pant legs and finding a place to feed. As it was becoming the wet season in Thailand, leeches were more of a problem so it was important to take precautions.
After some pictures at the viewpoint and securing our socks in place, we continued driving. We stopped at the visitor’s center and had a look around and a short break. Our guide gave us some mango sticky rice in banana leaf as a snack to prepare for our upcoming hike. Then we were back on the road again.
We stopped for a view of a Great Hornbill. As someone who’s gotten into birding lately, I was definitely thrilled to get to add such a beautiful species to my life list.
We did a little more driving and looking for species from the car, but sadly weren’t able to see much else. Our guide then had us stop at a trailhead and we began walking into the jungle.
Our first animal spotted was a Cardamom Mountains Pricklenape, a very unique looking lizard. Our guide kept joking about him wearing eyeshadow since he does have a dark coloring around his eyes.
We kept walking further into the trees. I was at the back, but suddenly the entire group froze. Everyone ahead of me was open-mouthed. As I crept a bit closer, I caught a glimpse of a large black furry form. Before I could even think to raise my camera, it bolted into the trees.
At first I was unable to even comprehend what I’d seen. My brain was trying to register monkey, but I knew the largest monkeys in the area weren’t that big.
Our guide, who was also still in some shock, said it was a juvenile Sun Bear. In all her years at the park, she said she’d never seen one that close before.
We waited for a bit while our guide called her boss and told him. He was nearby and came to look around and see if he could find the bear again. Sadly no luck.
Our guide had calmed down some, but she was still a little shaken. Admittedly to come face to face to such a large and dangerous animal, had to be a shocking experience. As I hadn’t gotten as good of a look and hadn’t even realized what I was looking at until after it was gone, I wasn’t quite so scared.
We continued on our walk, stopping to look at some different insects and bugs. We also spotted some claw marks left from a Sun Bear in the area.
We took a break at a large tree… well I say tree but really it was just where a tree had been before vines had strangled it. Now the vines remained like a giant cage. We climbed through them, amazed at how large they were.
The group sat and ate some snacks. Our guide had gone to scope ahead, leaving us alone. We sat chatting for a bit before we became intrigued by something inching along the ground. It looked like a little dark colored worm, moving in a strange manner, inching and wriggling and then standing on one end and stretching towards us. We were all quite curious.
Our guide returned and we asked her about the strange creature. She told us to move away as that was a leech and the reason it was moving towards us was because it could sense us and was looking to feed.
Thoroughly freaked out we all backed away and followed our guide onwards. It definitely wasn’t like leeches I’d seen in movies.
A few minutes later while looking at something I felt a strange sensation on my finger. It felt like playing with a straw as a child, pressing it to your skin and sucking. Sure enough when I looked down there was a leech clinging to my hand.
I immediately began to panic. I’ll admit, it was not my finest moment.
My guide flicked the leech away and looked at my hand. The little beast hadn’t broken the skin thankfully. She said it was unlikely they would as finger pads have pretty thick skin on them.
Needless to say I kept my arms closer to my body from then on out, worried about brushing against vegetation and having another tiny hitchhiker join me for a ride.
The jungle soon cleared and we came into a large grassland type area. We saw some elephant footprints and dung, but sadly no elephants.
In the middle of the grassland was a watch tower to look for animals. So we climbed up and took a look around. No luck at spotting anything big, though we did admire some swift nests built under the tower.
At last, we came to the end of the trail. The truck met us there and drove us to a restaurant in the park where we had lunch. I went ahead and ordered Pad Thai again, though it wasn’t nearly as good as the day before. Our group enjoyed our food and some fresh watermelon, chatting and sharing pictures with one another. Sadly, no one had managed to get a picture of the Sun Bear before it took off.
With some time remaining for our lunch break, we wandered around the restaurant area a little. I ordered an iced milk tea. I also admired a Sambar (a type of deer) lying near the rest area.
Our guide had set up her scope near a bird nest up front, keeping an eye out for the mama bird to come back. Sure enough, a Long Tailed Broadbill soon showed up. We admired her colors through the scope.
As we were getting pictures of the bird, there was a commotion behind us. Turning around, we saw a monkey with something in his mouth quickly climbing up to the roof of the restaurant. Apparently the sneaky macaque had snuck down, grabbed someone’s food and then quickly headed back up to hide on the roof out of reach.
We had a good time sitting and watching him for a bit, before our guide told us it was time to go. The monkey we’d seen earlier sat at the exit, seemingly watching us leave. He really was prime entertainment.
On the road we drove around a little bit, seeing a juvenile Red Muntjac and its mother. We also saw a large Asian Water Monitor Lizard, though our guide assured us it was actually more of a medium size.
We stopped at a waterfall, hiking down into the canyon to get a better look and take some pictures. Sadly, there is no swimming allowed in the park, but it was still beautiful.
After that the leech socks were finally able to come off as we would be spending the remainder of our trip in the back of the truck.
Apparently evenings are a good time to spot wildlife, so the tour concluded with a drive along some of the roads keeping an eye out for monkeys and elephants.
But after only a short time of driving, our driver pulled over and our guide asked us to hop out quickly. The driver went and grabbed something out of the road using a piece of cloth. He came over to where we were standing on the side of the road and put down the biggest scorpion I’d ever seen. Looking it up later it was a type of Giant Forest Scorpion. Thanks to their large size and bright green color they are very a bit easier to spot crossing the road, so our guide thought it would be a fun thing for us to see, and we’d save it from being run over too.
Our guide let us get some pictures, even turning it around so we could get a better angle. She’s definitely a braver woman than I.
After we were done photographing the scorpion, we hopped back in the truck and continued driving. And before too long we started spotting monkeys. Lots and lots of Pig-Tailed Macaques hanging out along the road. Most of them know that tourists often have food and make easy pickings. Our guide had warned us ahead of time to have food and even sodas tucked away if we didn’t want monkeys in the truck stealing from us. We got to admire them from a safe distance, especially laughing at one larger male who would block traffic to check if there was anything worth taking.
The sun was beginning to go down, so unfortunately we did eventually turn around and head back towards the exit of the park. No elephants spotted.
I was at the back of the truck, so I was staring down the road behind us. I noticed a fuzzy black head poking out of a bush towards the side of the road. My mind immediately jumped to a dog based on the size, and knowing there were plenty of feral dogs in Thailand, I just assumed one had made its home in the park. But as I started to laugh about it to the group, I watched a bear look both ways before heading out of the bushes. And behind the bear were two little black cubs. Sadly by the time I realized, I didn’t get a picture, and only one other person in the group saw it. I apologized for not realizing sooner it was a bear, as I’m used to American bears which are much bigger. Still, I was thrilled to know I’d seen not one but four sun bears in my time in the park. I missed a porcupine others spotted at the front of the truck later, so it was definitely luck of the draw sometimes on spotting wildlife.
We headed back to the guest house for the night. As most of us had to pack or were leaving by train that night, we didn’t hang out as long in the evening, but did enjoy dinner together before heading back to get working on packing our bags, ready for another adventure in the day ahead. I would miss Khao Yai, but definitely looked forward to something new the next day.
After getting up and having breakfast at my hotel in Bangkok, I called for a Grab car to take me to the train station. My next destination for the trip was Khao Yai National Park.
I had booked a train to Pak Chong, the town nearest to the main park entrance.
I’d heard all kinds of rumors about Thai trains always being delayed, having problems, slower than driving, etc. I had none of those problems, so I was actually pretty happy with my first train experience.
Now, I love national parks, but unfortunately they are one type of tourist destination where you really need to have a car. I did manage to visit a national park in Croatia without a car… but from my research, this just really wouldn’t be feasible for Khao Yai. I already hate driving in my own country, and can’t even fathom what it would be like to drive in Thailand with crazy traffic and the fact they drive on the other side of the road from what we’re used to in the states. So, since renting a car or motorbike was not something I was willing to consider, I opted instead to hire a tour company to take me into the park. I knew there were trails you weren’t supposed to access without a guide anyways (I guess some tourists got lost in the jungle at night at some point and sadly ruined it for everyone). So it seemed like a good option to go with that.
Settling on the tour company option, I ended up hiring Greenleaf Guesthouse and Tours. Initially I was just going to use them to do the tour, but I ended up deciding to also use their accommodations for simplicity’s sake. This would be a little change from my usual type of place though, as the guesthouse was less of a hotel and more of a backpackers retreat. Very basic, only a bed and small bathroom. No AC. No hot water.
Still, the driver picked me up at the train station and took me and a few others over to the guest house. When I’d contacted the guest house a couple weeks before they’d said no one else was signed up to tour on that day, and I might end up having to pay more for a private tour just by myself. But thankfully a few others did end up signing up last minute so I was able to do a half day and full day tour for a much lower price and with other people to adventure with. Though I love solo travel, it does get a little lonely sometimes, so a group tour can be a nice change of pace.
We were dropped off at the guesthouse and had a little time to get ready for the half day tour. Once I’d gathered my stuff and made sure I was appropriately dressed in long pants and closed-toed shoes, I headed to the restaurant area out front of the guesthouse. I went ahead and ordered lunch before we took off, doing chicken and cashews with rice which was really delicious.
Having been fed, we loaded onto an open-backed truck and set off down the windy roads. We stopped briefly at a huge golden statue of a monk. Apparently he had turned salt water on one of the Thai islands into freshwater and therefore was very revered and had the statue built in his honor.
Back in the truck, we were offered some chips as a snack and then headed to our next destination: the Ban Tha Chang spring.
Everyone shed their clothes and jumped in the water to enjoy cooling down after time out in the heat. Our guide even built a makeshift changing room for anyone who needed it and most of us spent the time just relaxing and cooling off.
The water was so refreshing and felt amazing. Our guide pointed out a few more natural wonders to us such as a golden orbweaver spider in the trees (too far away to get a decent picture) before we hopped back in the truck again.
In the parking lot, our guide had found a huge millipede and had fun showing it off to us. He let those who felt brave enough hold it. My appreciation of bugs and insects has come a long ways, but I still am not fond of critters crawling on me so I opted to pass.
Before too long we pulled over at a temple called Wat Sa Nam Sai. We walked around the grounds a bit, and our guide showed us some local insects such as the weaver ants that build their homes by sewing leaves together. Our guide then handed us masks to put on our faces and flashlights and led us to some stairs heading deep into the earth.
We passed hanging tree roots and descended into the dark depths. At the bottom of the stairs, we saw several branching caverns and a Buddha statue, and we heard some squeaking noises.
This Buddhist temple also had a cave as a part of their complex. The monks use it to meditate, coming down and sitting in the complete darkness and relative silence and using it to empty their minds. But other residents have made themselves at home alongside the monks. These were thousands of small bats.
Our guide showed us various bats, two different species. He explained more about them to us while we wandered through the caves. He did at one point lead us back into the furthest depths and asked us turn off our flashlights and fall quiet, seeing what the monks must experience when they meditate. It truly was pitch blackness, darker than anything I’ve experienced before.
The bats kept fluttering around us. Our guide did mention that sometimes the young ones will bump into you. I didn’t personally have any hit me, but they definitely came pretty close. I’m not a person who’s scared of bats, so personally I found it to be an amazing experience.
Back out of the cave we removed our masks. Apparently sometimes there’s fungus that grows in bat guano, so it was just a precaution. We jumped back on the truck and headed off down the road.
We stopped at another cave, though our guide warned us we weren’t going in, and certainly wouldn’t want to even if we could. Apparently while there had been a hundred thousand bats in the previous cave, there were more than two million in the current one.
Instead, we took woven mats and went and sat in the nearby fields. Our guide offered some fresh pineapple and binoculars and we waited as the sun went down. Hawks were beginning to gather, knowing what was coming. And indeed as the sun sank lower, bats began to emerge from the cave from two separate entrances. Millions upon millions poured forth, flying in clouds through the sky.
I’ve put pictures below, but truly they can’t capture the experience. The noise of millions of wings flapping, of little bat sounds, the hawks swooping down to get dinner. It was a marvel to experience and something I’ll likely never forget.
After the clouds of bats were beginning to disperse, our guide had us go and stand along the road facing some trees. The sun had almost fully sunk at this point, so it was getting very dark. We stood very still and quiet, and then sure enough a few bats began to fly out towards us. One girl on the tour freaked out a little and had me trade places with her so I was more in the middle of the fray. I stood there letting the bats fly past me, hearing their wings flap and their little squeaks as they avoided colliding with me. Apparently these were the same ones we saw earlier. They take a route out of the cave and through the trees every night and our guide has memorized their route and enjoys putting his groups in that experience.
At last, our guide called it a night, though one of our members realized she’d dropped her phone somewhere. We formed a search party and combed the field we’d been sitting in and thankfully were able to find it.
Our guide made two last stops, one to show us the fireflies, and another at the local 7 eleven to pick up any needed supplies for the next day (apparently a couple people didn’t have good insect repellent).
Back at our guesthouse we had dinner together. I ordered the Pad Thai. I’d been putting it off, not wanting to be too much of a stereotypical tourist. It actually ended up being the best Pad Thai I had on the trip, so I was very glad I had it when I did.
Me and a couple others chatted for a while before finally heading to bed. The guesthouse rooms were indeed very basic, but after a tiring day like the one I’d had it didn’t really matter. I took a cold shower, turned on my bedroom fan and collapsed into bed, ready for the next day, and looking forward to even more adventures.
From Split I had planned to head to another one of Croatia’s most famous places. Now, before I picked up some local guide books, I’d never heard of it. But it turns out it is a UNESCO World Heritage site and pretty famous place in the country. Pictures of it made me eager to make it a stop on my trip. Which was how I ended up heading to Plitvice Lakes National Park.
For those like me who have never heard of it, let me just tell you it’s a beautiful natural area with sixteen lakes that cascade through a limestone canyon. The park provides several trails and boardwalks around the lakes, shuttle service, and boats to get across sections.
Of course, first I had to get to the park, which is inland. So I caught a bus from Split heading in that direction, enjoying the beautiful countryside along the way. The company I used was a smaller Croatian company called Promet Makarska. It was the only time I used their service, which I ended up being very glad of. They made several stops along the way with breaks. Which was nice for using the bathroom or grabbing food if you wanted, but did result in the trip taking longer than I’d expected. And of course, being the off season the park closed at 4, not letting anyone in after 3 PM.
The only good news was the bus staff were very kind. I knew my hotel was slightly outside of the park in a town called Mukinje. It was a slight walk to the park, meaning if the bus dropped me off in the park, I’d have to walk back to my hotel, and then back to the park again. Which was unlikely to happen in the amount of time I had. But, when I asked the staff if it was possible to stop in Mukinje instead they very kindly agreed and even warned me when my stop came.
I walked to my room for the night which was Eva Luxury Rooms & Apartments. I met with the owner who let me in and then dumped my stuff as quickly as I could, grabbing what I thought I’d need for my time in the park and then took off running hoping to make it to the entrance before 3. It was probably around 2:30 by that time.
To my relief, the walk was mostly downhill, so I was able to go quickly and arrived in time to show my two day ticket I’d already purchased and get in the gate.
The weather was perfect. Sunny and clear. I was so unbelievably happy that I’d made it in time to spend a short time enjoying the natural beauty of the park.
I took one of the boats over to the far shore and began to work my way around the lower lakes. The lower ones have some of the more impressive parts, including the Veliki Slap (Great Waterfall), the biggest in the park.
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As someone whose last two trips had been to Colombia and Costa Rica, I wasn’t too sure how impressive the Veliki Slap might be. It’s definitely not the biggest waterfall I’d seen, but was still very beautiful and actually larger than I think I’d anticipated. The lakes themselves were crystalline, the canyon that housed them impressive. My only regret was that as it was early spring, most of the trees were still bare. I definitely hope to go back some day when things are more lush.
Having finished the trail, I caught a park shuttle from Entrance 1 back to Entrance 2, which was closer to my hotel. I then hiked back to my room and had a relaxing rest of the afternoon, doing some laundry and having some coffee.
Unfortunately options for dinner were extremely limited. Without a car I was forced to rely on what was nearby. The town I was in was puny, and while the park itself has a few restaurants, many were closed for the season, and I wasn’t sure I wanted to hike through the dark woods anyways.
So I settled on going to Bistro Vučnica one of the parks restaurants that was actually located in my town, and was supposed to be a little more budget than some of the other options.
I had pizza, which was at least filling and enjoyed a local lemon radler (beer with sparkling lemonade… it’s actually one of my favorite types of drinks). Though it was probably my most mediocre meal of the trip, I knew that that was part of the experience, and I was at the park to enjoy the nature rather than the culture like some of the other places I’d chosen.
From the restaurant I headed back for some good sleep, exhausted from all my hiking. I was excited for another day ahead enjoying the beauty of Croatia’s natural wonders.
To Roam the Roads of Lands Remote 