National Park Krka Waterfalls
National park Krka waterfalls is, after Plitvice lakes, the second most visited national park in Croatia, and one of the top Croatian sights. Especially in the recent years there has been a steep increase in the number of people visiting Krka.
Majority of visitors (>90%) visit Skradinski Buk which is the most famous spot inside the national park, but Krka national park actually has lots of other interesting spots to offer!
So, continue reading our post and check out all the beauties of Krka.
Table of Contents
What to see at Krka National Park
Skradinski Buk
As mentioned above Skradinski Buk is the most visited part of National park Krka, at Skradinski Buk there is a walking trail which takes about 2-3 hours, most of the trail is wooden planks, the trail has an elevation of about 50 metres. To get to Skradinski Buk you have to use the entrance Skradin (April – October) or entrance Lozovac. Note: During winter season when the boat is not sailing from Skradin, you can still buy a ticket at the national park office in Skradin or at the small shelter by the bridge in Skradin, but as there is not boat you will have to walk to Skradinski Buk which is about 3 km.
- Time to spend: ~ 2 – 4 hours
- Reachable by: car or bus (Skradin entrance)
- Open: whole year
Roški slap
This is a really beautiful spot further up the Krka river, at Roški slap there is a walking trail, several viewpoints and a 60 metre deep cave, you can read more about visiting Roski Slap here.
- Time to spend: ~ 1 – 2 hours
- Reachable by: car or boat from Skradinski Buk (Apr to Oct)
- Open: whole year (Parts closed from November to March)
Visovac
Catholic Monastery located on a very small “Mother of God Island” at the river Krka between Skradinski Buk and Roški slap.
- Time to spend: ~ 30 minutes
- Reachable by: boat excursion from Skradinski Buk or Roški slap or passenger boat from Stinice or Remetić which both can be reached by car
- Open: April to October
Krka Monastery
A Serbian Orthodox monastery which is still in use, you can read more about it here.
- Time to spend: ~ 30 minutes
- Reachable by: boat excursion (Apr to Oct) from Roški slap or by car
- Open: whole year
Burnum / Puljane
Burnum was a Roman legion camp and town, in the recent years a lot of archaeological work on the site has been done, uncovering several buildings.
The Roman military amphitheater which was heavily damaged by wars in the areas is currently being restored. Artefacts found by the excavation are exhibited at the Burnum Archaeological Collection in the center of Puljane.
- Time to spend: ~ 30 minutes
- Reachable by: car
- Open: whole year
Manojlovački Slap
Beautiful waterfalls located close to Burnum, to reach the parking you have to follow a narrow gravel road, from the parking you can walk to 3 different viewing platforms from where you can see the waterfalls. Personally, I think the Manojlovački waterfall is a real gem.
- Time to spend: ~ 30 – 60 minutes
- Reachable by: car
- Open: As there is no gate and no entrance fee to pay, you can basically visit it any time of year.
If you wish to see the whole national park, you would need minimum one day, as you also have some driving time between the locations I have mentioned above.
Getting to Krka
National park Krka is located near Šibenik in Dalmatia county, the easiest way to reach it is by car; along the highway there are clearly marked signs whether you arrive from north or south. As mentioned above, the most popular place to go is Skradinski Buk, which means you either have to drive to the entrance in Skradin and take the boat to Skradinski Buk from there (boat trip is included in the ticket price), or drive to the entrance in Lozovac. NOTE: there is a national park operated bus between Lozovac and Skradinski buk so you could choose to enter at one place and exit at the other, and then take the bus back to your car.
If you do not have a car at your disposal, you can also go to entrance Skradin by bus, you have buses from cities like Split, Trogir, Zadar etc. More information about buses to Krka you can find here.
Entrance and prices
There are 5 official entrances to the national park
- Skradin (Skradinski Buk) – April – November 15
- Lozovac (Skradinski Buk) – Whole year
- Roški Slap – Whole year
- Burnum / Puljane – Whole year
- Kistanje (Krka Monastery) – Whole year
Entrance fees
The admission varies depending on when you visit and what parts of the national park you visit:
Update: Below you can see the 2022 price list for visiting Krka waterfalls.
Important: The whole national park ticket does not include the boat from Skradin to Skradinski buk as well as the bus between Skradinski buk and Lozovac.
| Ticket category | Nov. – Mar. | Apr. – May. / Oct. | Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep | |
| Adult | Whole national park | 50 Kn | 100 Kn | 200 Kn (150 Kn after 4pm) |
| Child 7-18* | Whole national park | 30 Kn | 80 Kn | 120 Kn (90 Kn after 4pm) |
| Adult | Roški Slap | 50 kn | 50 Kn | 100 Kn |
| Child 7-18* | Roški Slap | 30 Kn | 40 Kn | 55 Kn |
| Adult | Kistanje, Burnum, Puljane | 40 Kn | 40 Kn | 40 Kn |
| Child 7-18* | Kistanje, Burnum, Puljane | 30 Kn | 30 Kn | 30 Kn |
*Individual students pay the price of a child 7- 18
Boat excursions are not included in the price, these have to be paid extra.
Walking trails – Hiking at Krka
The main walking trail in National park Krka is the educational trail at Skradinski Buk, a round trip on the trail which is mainly of wooden planks takes about 2 hours.
Near Roški slap there are several smaller hiking trails of 1.5 to 4 km length, but the top hiking trail is between Roški slap and Stinice where there is a 8.5 km educational hiking trail, the trail follows the river bank, which means you will experience stunning views and beautiful nature.
If you need advice about other hiking option, you should consult the park rangers, the national park was officially cleared for land mines in 2013, so that should not be any issue, but nevertheless consulting the rangers before just hiking around is mandatory.
When to visit National park Krka?
As mentioned above, most of the park is open to visitors all year long, having visited Krka several times at all seasons over the past years, I personally think the park is beautiful and worthwhile visiting at anytime, but this might be useful to know:
During summer season, especially July and August, you will of course encounter the largest crowds in the national park, which also means the walking trail might be quite full and you can end up having to wait for a seat in the restaurant or for the boat between Skradin and Skradinski Buk.
In the “shoulder season”, i.e. April – June and September – October there is less crowds.
During Autumn and winter, there is very few people at the national park, so if you like to enjoy the nature in peaceful surrounding and the colors of fall like it recently did, this is definitely the time to go.
IMPORTANT: From 2021, swimming at Krka National Park will be forbidden on most locations. The exceptions will be the three beaches by the Visovac Lake and the bottom of Roski Slap.
What to bring
- Anti mosquito spray, especially for early summer visit
- sunscreen is recommendable for a summer visit
- Footwear, walking trails are in good condition, so you can wear whatever, but i would recommend comfortable walking sneakers.
- Water and snacks, there are a few places in the park where you can refill a bottle, and of course also places where you can buy water. (Skradinski buk and Roški Slap)
- A good camera obviously
- Swimsuit and towel if planning to swim
Where to eat at Krka National Park
At Skradinski Buk there are several restaurants, prices are a bit more expensive than regular prices for the region, but remember that the money you pay for a meal helps preserving the national park. Also, in Skradin and by the parking in Lozovac, there are several places where you can have lunch.
If you visit Roški slap during summer season, there is a small ethno village with a few places where you can have lunch in beautiful surroundings.
Also, in general in the area of Krka waterfalls, you will find plenty of local restaurants and also a few vineyards serving food.
Staying overnight
As I live quite close to Krka, i have not stayed overnight in the area like I did many times at the Plitvice area, but if I should I would probably find something in Skradin, which I find to be a very charming small city, but this is just my personal opinion.
There are of course plenty of other options including a hotel by the entrance Lozovac and a small hotel by Roski Slap. Also there are a few smaller campsites in the vicinity of Krka national park, so finding sleepover options should not be a problem. Or you can find private accommodation in Skradin:
Sights and places nearby
If you are looking to combine a visit to Krka waterfalls with other places to see, I would recommend the old town and the fortresses in Sibenik, which is only about 15 km from Skradin. Also the fortress in Knin is something to consider. A bit further away you can also visit Zadar and some smaller coastal towns like e.g. Primosten.
National Park Krka FAQs
Only a small part at the bottom of the waterfalls is suitable for wheelchair, the rest of the park (Skradinski Buk) has either many steps or wooden walking trails.
Well, as the national park covers a large area, and there is no fence around it, it is, of course, possible to enter without using the official entrance, but this is, of course, illegal and you will get fined if you are caught in the act! Bear in mind the entrance fee is an important contribution to preserve this unique piece of nature.
Yes, you are allowed to bring your dog, but it has to be kept on a leash at all times and wear a muzzle on the bus or boats. An exception is Island Visovac where you can’t bring your dog.
For individual visitors, there is no need to buy tickets upfront, but if you are in a group of more than 15 people, you can call the sales office of the national park and book tickets.
Yes, you can buy a ticket online, but normally it’s not necessary.
Parking at the official parking lot at Lozovac is free of charge, in Skradin there are several parking lots charging about 7 kn per hour. At Roski slap there is a limited number of free parking spots.
As mentioned above, from 2021, swimming is forbidden on most locations at Krka National Park.
No, bike riding on the walking trails is prohibited, but you can ride your bike on paved and gravel roads in the vicinity of the national park.
I have a wheelchair user and am driving to the falls. Was hoping to do a boat trip around the falls the stop at the swimming part for a while. Will this be possible? If so where would be the best entrance to go to and boat trip to take thankyou
Dear Lisa,
Only a small part at the bottom of the waterfalls is suitable for wheelchair, the rest of the park (Skradinski Buk) has either many steps or wooden walking trails. You can find all locations of boat trip starting points on the map at the end of the blog post.
Best regards
Melani GBB Team