Plitvice Lakes National Park
🇭🇷 Croatia
Balkans, Croatia 415 spp. recorded
Plitvice Lakes National Park is a protected temperate forest and wetland reserve in the mountainous interior of Croatia. Its landscape features cascading travertine lakes linked by waterfalls, winding wooden boardwalks, and dense beech and fir woodlands. Unlike standard mountain reserves, its vast network of terraced water systems creates a rare freshwater habitat that supports a specialized aquatic and woodland ecosystem.
44.849° N 15.574° E
🦜 Nature
185 Species sighted
7,093 Verified sightings From 2019 to 2026
Jun Best month
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
📊 Most Spotted
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
📊 Most Spotted
📊 Most Spotted
⭐ Iconic Species
🌙 Most active after dark
+ 319 more species with insufficient data
Recent sightings in Plitvice Lakes National Park
LIVEiNaturalistSighting Calendar
How many species you'd see in a day
11Jan
9.4Feb
26Mar
32Apr
34May
42Jun
36Jul
38Aug
26Sep
26Oct
23Nov
—
No data
DecSighting Zones
Warmer areas are where all species together are recorded most often.
🏕️ Experience
Essentials
Climate
Temp °C Rain mm
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
0.0 Moderate
Wallace's Line Score
How good is this park for seeing wildlife? 🦜
Biodiversity
GoodHow rich is the wildlife?
3.0
Species by taxon
🦅 Birds 282
🐒 Mammals 87
🦎 Reptiles 33
🐸 Amphibians 13
415 Total Species
828 Global average across 316 parks
20 Threatened 52 Endemic
🔭
Sighting
GoodHow likely to see animals?
3.0
🎯
Top-12 Avg Probability
74% 📊
Coverage (101 species at ≥5% of 415 in the inventory)
24% 🔀
Taxon variety in top 12 (9 bird, 2 reptile, 1 amphibian)
54% 🔭
Species per 10 outings (distinct species a visitor would meet over 10 outings — effort held equal across parks)
64 🌟
Iconic-group species (≥15%) (every species from the 19 iconic groups — monkeys, cats, toucans, macaws, sloths, crocodilians… — not just the 4 highlighted above)
0 ⭐
High-prob species (>40%)
26 🏕️
Experience
Very goodHow easy and pleasant is the visit?
3.5
Climate Harsh Low
Entrance Paid Low
Tourism Medium Medium
Trails Moderate Medium
World Heritage Yes Bonus
What visitors say
I had been to Plitvice Lakes National Park once before in 2016, but only saw about half of the park since the person I was accompanied with did not feel well.
Between the killer fish, the adorable ducks, the undetonated—possibly non-existent—landmines, the fragile karst and tufa, and the grizzly bears that ghosted me, I spent a very memorable day trekking along the wooden boardwalks at Plitvice Lakes National Park.
After researching Plitvice Lakes, we’d initially decided that 40€ each was too much to pay to visit a National Park.
When researching things to do in Split, we would inevitably happen upon information and pictures about Plitvice Lakes National Park.
Before you go
What animals can you see in Plitvice Lakes National Park?
415 species
Plitvice Lakes National Park has 415 recorded vertebrate species. The ones wildlife watchers report most often on a given day are Chaffinch (about 90%), Great Tit (about 90%), Tessellated Water Snake (about 90%), European Robin (about 80%) and Eurasian Blackbird (about 80%). Among mammals, the most-seen is Bank Vole (about 40%); among amphibians, Fire Salamander (about 80%).
When is the best time to visit Plitvice Lakes National Park for wildlife?
April and May
In those months the park's 12 most-seen species average about 80% on a given day, against about 60% in July.
Can you see a Eurasian Beaver in Plitvice Lakes National Park?
Yes
About 40% of wildlife watchers report a Eurasian Beaver sighting in Plitvice Lakes National Park on a given day, based on 14 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is April (about 70%).
Can you see a Tessellated Water Snake in Plitvice Lakes National Park?
Yes
About 90% of wildlife watchers report a Tessellated Water Snake sighting in Plitvice Lakes National Park on a given day, based on 126 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is May to August (about 90%).
Where in Plitvice Lakes National Park is wildlife easiest to see?
Around South Kozjak lake and forest
The richest sighting zone is around South Kozjak lake and forest, followed by Lower lakes/Kozjak north, ranked by how many of the park's headline animals visitors can expect to see in each. See the zones on the map.
Is Plitvice Lakes National Park good for wildlife watching?
3.0 out of 5
On the Wallace's Line Score, Plitvice Lakes National Park rates 3.0/5: 292nd of 316 parks worldwide and 20th in Europe. 30 of its species are reported by about 40% or more of wildlife watchers on a given day.
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