Tag: #waterfalls
Plitvice Lakes NP

Plitvice Lakes NP

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Plitvice Lakes NP

Away from the famous touristy Adriatic coast of Croatia, and in the heart of the country, lies one of the most stunning places in the entire Balkans region; and that is Plitvice Lakes NP. This NP has an extensive network of lakes and rivers connected together by majestic waterfalls of all sizes that will take your breath away! To truly enjoy this park, you’ve to hike around its different waterfalls and lakes to gain an appreciation of the entire network of waterbodies, so get your hiking boots ready:) However, as this NP is very popular with the locals and is easily accessible from different parts of the country, its famous hiking trails becomes very popular and crowded in the summer which can take away from the beauty of the place. Yet, don’t get discouraged because, in this blog, in addition to these famous trails, I’ll take you on a journey on one of the off-the-beaten-path trails in the park, in its lesser known part, that is truly stunning; albeit, a little bit strenuous…so lets start!

It is easy to plan your entire day at this stunning NP On Your Own and here I’ll give you some hints of how to do so. Our plan to visit Plitvice Lakes NP included going by bus from Zagreb and then head out of the park to Zadar (click to request info); hence, we faced a little logistical problem…where do we store our luggage while hiking in the park?

I did my research and found a place close to the park’s entrance where you can store you luggage for a fee (click to request info), and it was a life-saver; otherwise, I would have had to change my plans! Having this problem sorted out, we took an early bus from Zagreb to beat the crowds and it took nearly 2:30 hrs to arrive at entrance 1 of the NP. The park has a network of trails as you can see in the map.

Our initial plan was to start from entrance 2 of the park, hike trail “E” and them do a mountain trail that will take us to an amazing viewpoint. Unfortunately, the weather was bad that morning, rainy & foggy, so we changed our plans and decided to start from entrance 1 and hike the easy trail “A” (highlighted in the map), hoping that the weather will clear later during the day.

Trail “A” starts at entrance 1; its an easy and popular trail which makes it very crowded and it feels like walking more than hiking. The trail immediately takes you to the lower lakes in the park and you cross several bridges as you zigzag your way around these lakes.

Towards the halfway mark of the trail, you reach two small waterfalls which are nice, yet not that impressive especially in such kind of weather.

The trail takes around 2 hrs to complete and, by the time we finished, the weather cleared a bit and we decided to head to entrance 2 to start our true hiking adventure…the Medvedak hiking trail!

As you can see from this map, this trail is on the other side of the park, which is the off-the-beaten-path one, and its an 8km long trail (if taken all the way from entrance 2 to 1) and rises to an elevation of 889m. The trailhead (point 1) lies in a secluded area of the forest by the lakes.

From here, it’s a 3.85km uphill to point “3” which will take you approximately and hour to complete. From this point, you’ll start appreciating the stunning bird-eye views of the park and the waterfalls panorama that will unfold ahead of you! 

At this point, there is a detour of 1km uphill to reach Medvedak Osti, the highest point on the trail, to witness a stunning panoramic view of the entire park, so take this detour and you won’t regret it:) 

Unbelievable view…isn’t it!! So take your time, rest and have a picnic, and admire this beauty for as long as you want!

When you take the tough decision to head down, you’ll walk back to point “3” from which you’ll hike 2.5km to point “4”. At this point, you can either return to entrance 2 via the trail to points “2” and “1”, or continue for 2km to point “5” and entrance 1, which we did. Unfortunately, again, by the time we were halfway between points “3” and “4”, it started to rain again so had to hurry down before the trail gets slippery and couldn’t enjoy that part of the hike much.

It took around 3 hours to hike the entirety of this amazing trail and we reached entrance 1 on time for our bus to Zadar.

All in all, the scenery in this NP are out of this world, but it gets very crowded in the summer and to truly appreciate it, you have to head off-the-beaten-path to the less-explored part of the park and hike its trails…so enjoy:)
Otter Trail (Day 1)

Otter Trail (Day 1)

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[Stormsriver Mouth → Ngubu Hut] (4.8 km)

It is the big day, it is the day you have been planning and preparing for for maybe a year. I know you can’t hide your excitement that its finally here and that you’ll finally fulfill one of your bucket list dreams…so don’t! it is the first day of the Otter Trail & it deserves all the excitement you are feeling:) 

The first day of this famed trail is a nice introduction to the trail as it is the easiest of the 5 days. The total distance that you’ll hike today is only 4.8 km from Stormsriver Mouth to Ngubu hut which roughly takes 4.5 hours to complete, yet it’ll be as rewarding as every coming day of this masterpiece of a trail. And being a short day is an advantage as it’ll allow you time for last minute shopping & packing before taking your transport to Stormsriver Mouth, but don’t start later than 2pm (in the summer) to allow yourself time to enjoy all the highlights of this day bearing in mind that if you are based in George, it’ll take you around 3 hours to reach Stormsriver.

When reaching Stormsriver Mouth entrance there will be a designated road for the start of the Otter Trail where, at its end, your transport will drop you at the registration office. Here you’ll sign-in for the entire trail, and do all the necessary paperwork; in addition, they will give you valuable information about the trail, timings of each day, location of emergency exits & numbers to call, the location of the drinking water sources, and above all, a very good map of the trail and the, all important, tide chart (click to request info). After finishing the registration process, there is a preparation room on the opposite side of the street where you can make final adjustments to your backpack, weigh it, and fill your water bottles; and next to this room is the start of your adventure!!

All excited and ready for 5 days of absolute nature beauty away from civilization, then take a picture of this milestone of a step and start:)

The first part of the trail is a downhill hike through the lush green forest. In this part, you’ll be very excited and hike quickly on the sounds of birds & squirrels, then you’ll start getting a glimpse of the magnificent ocean through the thick trees.

You’ll continue hiking downhill for almost an hour till you reach a rocky beach.

At this point, you’ll find a lot of day hikers coming from the direction of the beach aiming for the waterfall which is the furthest they are allowed to go. Right after the beach is the Guano Caves. Often overlooked by hikers who are excited to reach the waterfall, this cave is definitely worth exploring. Although it’s a bit eerie to go inside, the adventurous spirit in you will encourage you to go inside and you’ll feel like a true explorer into the unknown with some amazing rock formations.

After taking your time exploring the cave, the next part of the trail will involve a lot of boulder-hopping along the coast. At first it’ll be physically demanding, but you’ll get the hang of it;

and after, approximately, 2 km from the start you’ll get closer and closer to the ocean and the roaring sound of the waves crashing into the rocks. Throughout this section you’ll find some wooden paths to help you navigate the rocks, but don’t let your enthusiasm to reach the waterfall make you forget that there are amazing pictures to be taken here…so take your time & lots of pictures:)

Just before the 3 km mark you’ll reach the waterfall. Whether the waterfall, itself, is at full force or not, it is still an amazing refreshing sight to admire and the natural pool below it will be a very welcome refresher, so put on your swim suit, unleash your spirit, and take a dip in this amazingly pure fresh water.

Now you are three quarters of the way to the hut so take your time, have a picnic, and don’t let the waterfall distract you from the opposite sight. So grab a comfy rock and relax with a view like no other…the endless ocean and the white washing waves!

Now you’ll realize that all the talk about the beauty of this trail is not exaggerated; and from now on, it’ll be all exclusive for you and your other fellow 11 hikers!!

The final section of this day will start by more boulder-hopping, then you’ll hike a bit uphill info the forest… and it’ll be only you…no more day hikers! Soon after 1 hour, you’ll reach the Ngubu hut and you’ll get a taste of the amazing nights to come.

Settle in, pick a bed for yourself, and get to know your fellow hikers, as they will be the only people you’ll see for 4 days:) At every hut, you’ll find drinking water, fire wood, bbq facilities, fire pits, and toilets, so prepare your first dinner & ENJOY:)
Otter Trail

Otter Trail

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The Otter Trail

It is the crown jewel of South Africa’s national park system, a dream for every nature lover and the one trail on every adventurer bucket list…it is the famed OTTER TRAIL!! 45 km of coastal and forest hiking in 5 days, starting from Stormriver Mouth to Nature Valley; involving: countless uphills, steep downhills, 4 nights sleeping in wilderness huts away from civilization, and, above all, 3 river crossings! All of this can be done independently and on your own…all it requires is some careful planning…So Lets Start the Adventure:)

Without question, the first step is to book your spot on this famed trail as only 12 people are allowed to start the hike per day! Depending on your group’s size, people sometimes need to book a year in advance to secure a spot, so the smaller the group, the higher chance to find a spot. I, personally, was lucky enough to find a spot only a month & half in advance, but they were the last remaining spots in the entire month! So plan ahead and be flexible with your dates.

The booking process itself is very easy and straightforward. You can do it in person, over the phone, or online and pay instantly with your credit card (click to request info).

One final note before setting your date, check the tide chart for the 4th day of your hike to see if you can reach the river crossing at low tide or not as this will play a major role in being able to finish the entire hike and what to pack. Remember, on that day you will need approximately 4.5 hours to reach the river and 2 hours after you cross to reach the hut.

Having booked your spot, the next important thing is to book your transport to & from the trail. Some people prefer to rent a car and leave it at Nature Valley rest camp and book a transport to Stormriver, but this way you’ll be incurring a 4-day rental cost without using the car while, also, leaving the car unattended for 4 nights. So, in my opinion, its best to book a transport from your hotel/hostel to Stormriver and on the last day from Nature Valley to your next adventure. To help you with this, there are two transport companies specialized in Otter Trail transfer, and I contacted both, but found one to be more professional & reliable than the other (click to request info). Booking with them, everything went smoothly from start to end and I, even, left my extra luggage with them till I finished the trail.

Finally, what to pack?? This is the most important preparation step as this will be all the stuff you will have for 5 days. Although you will be tempted to take everything you can, remember that you will carry all this stuff on your back for 45 km, so you have to know what do you exactly need, what your body needs, and, certainly, the weather. I prepared a simple packing list of the items needed based on my experience and if you need help with that, I can send it to you for free (click to request info).

P.S.: some fellow hikers might suggest that you have to train for the Otter Trail or you will not be able to make it…you don’t!! You just need to be moderately fit with a passion for hiking and adventure travel…so enjoy:) It is a once in a lifetime adventure that captures the true spirit of adventure independent travel!

Day 1  Stormriver → Ngubu Hut
Day 2  Ngubu Hut → Scott Hut
Day 3  Scott Hut → Oakhurst Hut
Day 4  Oakhurst Hut → Andre Hut
Day 5 Andre Hut → Nature Valley

Letchworth State Park

Letchworth State Park

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LETCHWORTH STATE PARK

One of the hidden gems of upstate New York is Letchworth state park & during the fall season this park becomes at its best. In this park you won’t only find amazing fall colors, but you will also be treated by a combination of nature’s best features: a canyon, nicknamed the Grand Canyon of the east, a lazy river, and roaring waterfalls!

The adventure in this park is different, in nature, as it doesn’t involve strenuous physical activities, but its more about an adventurous drive with scenic overlooks coupled with a number of short hikes to amazing views. So, in this blog post I’ll cover a day trip into this stunning park which will reward you with all what you can crave for; albeit, you can extend your trip here at your leisure as there some longer adventurous hikes with some with the best-located campgrounds in the state (click to request info).

Driving southwest from Syracuse, you will first take I-90, afterwards you will have two options to enter the park: The north & south entrances; depending on which entrance, you will take different driving routes (click to request info); however, if you ask for my recommendation I’ll definitely recommend to enter from the north end and drive the park road all the way to the south end for one simple reason: most of the park’s stunning highlights are at the south end so this way you will save the best for last and whenever you think that you saw it all…you will find more amazing sights ahead till you reach the south entrance.

When you enter from the north entrance, you will be greeted by a glimpse of fall colors, not that spectacular though, then the first overlook will be at Mount Morris Dam. If you are into engineering structures, then this overlook might be of interest to you; otherwise, continue driving.

 

Following the park road south, you will start driving away from the Genesee river with not much views to admire till you reach Highbanks recreation area. At Highbanks, you will get a glimpse of what this park has to offer, yet you will feel that these views are inaccessible because the road will continue to bend away from the Genesee which will frustrate you.

 

Driving south all the way to Gardeau, there won’t be much to see and even the drive itself will get a bit boring and you will not even think that there is canyon in this area! But keep driving as it’ll all change soon!

Approaching St. Helena area, the road will become narrower and more winding which will make the drive more adventurous and challenging till you reach the Great Bend area. Now you will, involuntarily, hit the brakes and park at the nearest parking area you will meet as you won’t believe what started to appear next to you! The canyon will get narrower & deeper, the forest thicker, the colors brighter, and the Genesee river meandering its way below you.

 

From this point onwards you will be in heaven!! The Great Bend itself is a sight to admire, how the river carves its way through massive rock cliffs & the force behind the rushing water are ones of nature’s miracles and if the sun is out that day, the reflection of the light on the tree leaves will offer a spectacular display of fall colors.

Starting at the Great Bend, the real adventure begins and, depending on your time, you can either start hiking the 7-mile gorge trail all the way to the south entrance, or combine driving & hiking by continuing your way south and joining the trail for short hikes at your leisure and back to your car for more driving (click to request info). Recommending the latter option, as the drive itself isn’t to be missed, continue your south route and after the Castile entrance you will start getting the views of the lower falls and feel the mist coming from them on your face!

 

Now you don’t have to follow specific trails or itineraries as you will be overwhelmed by all the beauty surrounding you and want to do it all!! So, set yourself free…drive, hike, play, admire, and take pictures, but always remember that you entered from the north entrance & still the best is to come:)

Whether you decided to drive or hike, ditch your car when your reach “Inspiration Point” lookout as from here the hike will be truly inspirational! At this lookout, you will stand face-to-face with the highest falls in the park: the “Middle Falls” with the mist in your face, you will get wet:) and if you were lucky, like me, a rainbow will come out from the bottom of the falls!

 

You will spend here much more time than you planned…I know that:) so be it…you can only see this once! Continue hiking the gorge trail as well as its tributaries to get closer to the falls till you reach the upper falls where you will find a railroad bridge above.

 

These falls are less spectacular, yet looking back at the middle falls will give you another perspective of this amazing SP.

 

I’m sure you won’t want to get out of the park till it is dark, and you shouldn’t! Enjoy every bit of sunlight here because as the sun comes down the colors change, and you want to take more & more pictures. When you are ready to leave, and depending on your destination, you can either head back to the north entrance or go out through the south one…so enjoy & have a safe trip!

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