You’ve probably visited a waterfall before. So you know more or less what to expect: it may be taller or shorter, wider or thin. There’s probably a large main cascade, and sometimes a few extras above, below, or to the side. You hike up to it, spend a little while marveling at the spectacle, and then head back. That’s how it’s been for most of the waterfalls we’ve seen. So we were completely unprepared for the delightful experience of Plitvička Jezera National Park, which boasts at least hundreds or, depending how you count, more like thousands of cascades spread over a 9km stretch of lakes and streams.

The setting is a limestone karst terrain dotted with sinkholes everywhere you look. Through this landscape, a relatively small river carved out a deep canyon reaching down to a watertight dolomite base. More recently, the flowing water has deposited a series of tufa terraces which spread the water into a latticework of braided cascades that diverge and intersect endlessly as they descend. Vegetation ranging from small grasses to mature trees has established itself on the terrace edges and tussocks between the streamlets, giving the sense that you are walking through forest grown over natural miniature canals. Water, earth and air all combine in a unique combination, and through it an extensive network of curving boardwalks elevated just above the rushing water allows visitors to experience this wonderland seemingly from every possible viewpoint.

It is difficult to find the words to describe this experience, so we will tell the story below mostly through pictures.