Ruth and the sunset at the island of Dhiffushi, Maldives.
Where are Kevin and Ruth now? Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

Where are Kevin and Ruth going next? Kuwait City, Kuwait on March 31st.

Sunday, October 24, 2021

Slunj, Croatia... the town with 23 different waterfalls!

We had arrived in Slunj late afternoon on Friday, so we didn't go out exploring at that time. And then Saturday morning it poured with rain all morning. They called for clearing skies around lunchtime, so as soon as the rain stopped around 11:30am, we headed out to see what there was to see.

And there was definitely stuff to see! It's hard to figure out why this area isn't more well known.

From the reading I've done, it's because Slunj is so close to Plitvice National Park and the park is such a popular one that Slunj often gets overlooked in favor of the park. But then I read reports from people who had been to both Slunj and the park who think that Slunj is actually the better option.

So, what's the attraction? 

Well, I read that the town of Slunj (also known as Rastoke) has 23 different waterfalls running through the town itself!

It's a really pretty area!

A house beside the falls.

There is water flowing everywhere.

Scenery along the way.

There are some old mills that used to take advantage of the flow of water.

More water.

And more.

We walked a trail downriver, but there wasn't much more that way.

But looking back, we saw this view!

Then we walked to the other side of the bridge. Almost every home on that side had a waterfall flowing from underneath the house itself!

Wow.



Ruth and the waterfalls.

Can I say "wow" again...?



We went back to Max to have a late lunch and then went back into town to follow a trail that goes upstream. 

Slunj also has the remains of a 13th century castle.

Really pretty walk upstream.

It was a little muddy in places because of all the rain we had that morning.

Through the forest.


And, back to the castle.

What a great place to explore. We could have spent quite a lot of time here, and wouldn't mind returning someday. There are a lot of hiking and biking trails in the surrounding area.

Oh, I meant to show you where we are parked. It's nothing special, but in an area where the only RV Park is a dump (and charges €20 a night!), and wild camping is against the law...

...it's really welcoming to come across a sign like this!

And that's it... it's just a small parking lot, and we were the only ones there for our two night stay.

Today, we are going to the very popular, and therefor somewhat expensive Plitvice Lakes National Park to do some hiking. As always, full story tomorrow!

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18 comments:

  1. Wonderful photography of an incredibly scenic place I'd never heard of. Even on a sloppy overcast day, Slunj looks utterly enchanting.

    (BTW, I don't think Kevin gets nearly enough compliments on his photos - they're really, really good!)

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    1. The fall colours sure did make it look so much better, even on an overcast day. We love finding these little hidden gems and showing everyone that there is more to a country than just the main tourist locations that everyone seems to gravitate to.

      Thank you so much for appreciating Kevin's work on his photos, he really does have a good eye for his compositions and he quite fussy about them.

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  2. If the waterfalls are this nice in fall, I wonder what they look like with spring runoff.

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    1. I was looking at some pictures of the falls in the spring and there is definitely a fair bit of water coming over them but the scenery around them isn't as picturesque because it lacks the leaves on the trees, unless you can get a picture of them with a blanket of snow. I think I like the falls colours and a little less water.

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  3. Replies
    1. It certainly is! We definitely enjoyed our day wandering along the river on both sides and in both directions, there always seemed to be something pretty to see.

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  4. Your photo with the :wow: comment really took my breath away. Magnificent!

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    1. So glad that you enjoyed it! The waterfalls there were really picturesque as you can see. :-)

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  5. What a fabulous town.
    Reminds me of Uruapan

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    1. Yes, now that you mention it, it is rather like Uruapan/ The difference between them is that these waterfalls were all in their natural state and had mills and houses around them, whereas the ones in Uruapan were in a forest setting and some of the falls there were man made, Still both were very picturesque and we loved both places.

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  6. Love the beautiful, colorful photographs of the area plus all those waterfalls!!!!!

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    1. Thank you Connie and Barry, we are so glad that you enjoyed the photos. :-)

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  7. Wow wow wow! That is one of the most beautiful cities I have ever seen...the fall foliage made it even more gorgeous, but the waterfalls are simply spectacular. Lucky you!

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    1. It was just a small town but yes, it was definitely beautiful. One of the other beautiful places that we enjoyed was when we walked through the small town of Giethoorn, Netherlands with it's beautiful houses and colourful gardens with the canals weaving through them. Agreed the fall colours made the experience even prettier. We can only imagine what it would have been like had we had a blue sky and sunshine but we were still very happy with our day. :-)

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  8. Spectacular! Wonder if all these streams flood? Also makes me wonder if the architect Frank Lloyd Wright knew about this town when he designed Fallingwater in Pennsylvania. It is built over a waterfall.

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    1. It really was spectacular, and the fall foliage just added to the beauty. I checked on line and yes, the streams do sometimes flood but from the pictures I have seen the buildings all seem to be built high enough that the flooding doesn't affect them.

      From reading through the information on Fallingwater, there is no indication that Frank Lloyd Wright got the design idea from this little town although I could definitely understand if he did.

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  9. Wow is right! The fall colors are amazing as is all that water!! Great find, including your overnight stay!!

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    1. Yep, lots of wow's were said as we walked around and looked at all the pretty waterfalls and the beautiful fall colours. I can definitely see us coming back to this area again sometime.

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