Bacina Lakes

The Bacina lakes are seven connected karst lakes behind the coast north of Ploce, fed from below by springs and sitting only a little above sea level. Around the turn of the twentieth century the Austro-Hungarian authorities cut a tunnel through to the sea to control flooding, which lowered the lakes and changed their ecology, though they remain fresh water. They are warm in summer and swum in, with eels, mullet and carp in them and a good deal of birdlife on the reedy edges. Paths and a cycling route run around the shores and boats can be hired.

Highlights

• Seven connected karst lakes - fed by springs from below.
• A tunnel to the sea - cut for drainage in the Austro-Hungarian period, still there.
• A lowered water level - the consequence of that tunnel.
• Warm swimming and birdlife - the way the lakes are used now.

When to go

May to September for swimming; spring and autumn for birds. Half a day.

Before you go

The lakes sit beside a busy road and a port town, which is visible from parts of the shore. Access points are informal. Mosquitoes are heavy in the evening. Facilities are limited to a few seasonal places.

Nearby

The Neretva delta is south-east; Gradac and the Makarska riviera are up the coast.

Key facts