Hundreds of thousands of visitors will not want to miss the wonder that is the Plitvice Lakes National Park in Lika this year. Many of them will enter the park itself through Rakovica, which is the northern entrance, mostly unaware that they are in the centre of what's called the Plitvice Valleys, an amazing destination in and of itself, worth exploring for its beauty alone and the potential for a "green vacation".

That's why the Tourist Board of Rakovica Municipality decided to create a lively promo video which shows the visitors from all over the world how beautiful the Plitvice Valleys are. Their goal is to make the visitors to Plitvice Lakes (which remains the biggest attraction in the region and one of the most significant tourist attractions in Croatia) stay at least one day longer and get to know the region better, not just the National Park.

In Rakovica and smaller places in Plitvice Valleys you can ride horses or bicycles (one of those activities requires you have carrots, the other one doesn't - make sure you come prepared!), investigate the underground world of caves, hang out with deer, enjoy adrenaline sports and home-made food, visit numerous historic attractions and the beautiful Korana River. You can do all that while staying at one of many amazing accommodations that have been built in Plitvice Valleys over the past several years.

Mira Špoljarić, Rakovica Tourist board director said that the promotional video was the final product of their promotional activities, and that now they're working hard at branding Plitvice Valleys as a place you should not just go through on your way to the Lakes, rather stay for a couple of days. The visitors seem to recognize those efforts, and for many years Rakovica has been the most popular tourist destination in Karlovac county, all thanks to the hard work on the quality and activities, which is what the video shows too.

The extraordinary natural beauty of Plitvice Lakes have always attracted nature lovers, and on April 8, 1949, it was proclaimed the first national park in Croatia. Thanks to its "outstanding natural beauty, and the undisturbed production of travertine (tufa) through chemical and biological action”, Plitvice Lakes was recognized by UNESCO on October 26, 1979, and this year, will also celebrate 40 years since its entry into the World Heritage List, reports Poslovni.hr on April 4, 2019. 

The park lies between the mountain range of Mala Kapela and Plješevica, in the Lika-Senj County (90.7 percent) and Karlovac County (9.3 percent). In 1997, the area of the park expanded and the surface area was slightly smaller than 300 square kilometers. The park is mostly covered with forest vegetation, a smaller part of grasslands, and the most interesting and attractive part of the lakes for tourists occupy just under one percent of the surface. The system consists of 16 named and several smaller, cascading lakes.

The system is divided into Upper and Lower Lakes. The lakes end with the stunning Sastavci waterfall, at the foot of which begins the flow of the Korana River. The National Park offers visitors lake tours and four hiking trails and is open throughout the year. For the park’s 70th birthday, many activities and benefits for visitors have been organized - four thematic weeks (geology and forest, cultural heritage and history, flora and fauna, water and sedge) and a series of 70 stories about the values and park's attractions that will be published throughout the year.

From April 22 to 28, 2019, there will be promotional prices on tickets, which are considerably cheaper than usual. Namely, adult tickets will cost 50 kuna; students can get in for 30 kuna, and children from 7 to 18 years of age for 20 kuna. And better yet? For this special birthday year, the famous park has also launched online ticket sales. 

For Plitvice Lake’s 70th birthday, a panel discussion on water protection will be held in the Congress Hall of the Lake hotel on Friday.

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