Waterfalls near Split: Croatia and Bosnia in one day

Guests ask for "a waterfall day" without knowing there are four completely different answers within driving distance of Split. Some are national parks with boardwalks. One is a swimming waterfall in Bosnia. One is a sinkhole you look into from a cliff edge.

Plitvice Lakes: the big one

Sixteen terraced lakes, 92 named waterfalls, UNESCO since 1979. Veliki Slap drops 78 metres at the lower lakes. This is the waterfall trip people picture when they say Croatia.

From Split: 130 km, about 2 hours 50 minutes each way. You need a full day and a 07:00 departure in July or August. Entry in high season runs €35 to €40 for adults. Buy online; the ticket queue at the gate can cost you an hour.

Swimming is banned. Photography is not. Bring grippy shoes, not flip-flops.

Krka: closer, shorter

Skradinski Buk is an 800-metre cascade of travertine steps near Skradin. One contained waterfall system rather than a whole valley like Plitvice.

From Split: 85 km, about 1 hour 30 each way. You can combine Krka with Trogir old town in the same day and still be back for dinner. High-season entry is around €30.

Swimming at the main falls has been banned since 2021. Do not plan on it.

Kravica: the Bosnia waterfall you can swim under

Kravica Waterfall (Vodopad Kravica) sits 40 km south of Mostar near the town of Ljubuški. The main fall is about 25 metres high over a horseshoe cliff. There is a swimming area in the pool below. Summer water temperature is pleasant.

From Split: you drive to Mostar first (about 2 hours 45), visit the old bridge, then add 45 minutes to Kravica. Total day is 10 to 11 hours. You cross the Bosnia border twice. Passports required.

This is the waterfall day for guests who want to swim and do not mind a border crossing. We often pair Kravica with Mostar on private [Bosnia day trips](/bih-tour/).

Imotski Red Lake: not a classic waterfall, still worth it

Crveno jezero is a sinkhole lake 240 metres below the rim. Water enters through underground channels. It is not a cascade you walk beside, but the scale is absurd and most Split visitors have never heard of it.

From Split: 75 km, under 1 hour 15. Combine with Blue Lake and a wine stop in the Imotski hills. Half-day or full-day depending on lunch.

Which waterfall for which guest

First visit to Croatia, want the famous photo: Plitvice.

Family with young kids, limited patience for driving: Krka plus Trogir.

Want to swim under a fall and see Ottoman Mostar: Kravica on a Bosnia day.

Already did Plitvice and Krka, want something odd: Imotski.

Practical note on timing

Every waterfall destination gets crowded between 10:00 and 14:00 in summer. The fix is the same everywhere: leave Split early or arrive after 15:00. A private car makes the early start possible without a 06:30 hotel pickup for forty strangers.