A brilliant day at the Park - We booked our trip to Plitvice National Park and Lakes through Trip Advisor having seen favourable reviews on Google. I had casually taken a look at things to do that would get us out of the city and this seemed like a great tour. I didn’t really do too much research about the Park as I wanted it to be a bit of a surprise as to what the unique features of the area were and so I was looking for our guide to explain a little about the park and its history etc. and was just hoping for a nice memorable day away on our vacation (to break up the time we had otherwise allotted to exploring the city itself). To say I wasn’t disappointed with the day we had would be an understatement. We were taken on our Tour by Karlo… owner of Bespoke Croatia Tours. He was a seemingly nice chap who initially made contact with us by WhatsApp to discuss our pending tour. Karlo spoke exceptionally good English and communicated with us very well (from the Pre trip WhatsApp messages he sent us). Prior to attending he explained a few key things about our tour and kept in touch to answer any questions that i had. When we were eventually collected at our hotel and went on our trip it’s needless to say that Karlo was the same in person as he was on messenger. Very articulate, knowledgeable and a really nice guy. He made our trip into the most amazing day out possible. Not only was his knowledge and the information that he offered about the area, informative and interesting, but he had been extremely thoughtful in planning our trip to ensure that every single aspect of the day was just right. And in many things the experience we received was above and beyond what i would hope to expect. The Mercedes car he arrived to pick us up in was new, clean and of a very good standard. Exceptionally comfortable, spacious and tidy. His driving also was impeccable (we had previously taken a trip in Slovenia, which whilst lovely in general, the minibus ride we had felt like an extract from the movie “Taken”). Throughout the journey to the park we chatted about Croatia, the Park itself, the local area and about life in general. As I have said, Karlo was a really personable guy and we felt super at ease in his company. When we got to Plitvice we were not disappointed either. The park is stunning. I won’t say too much about that (perhaps some folks are like me and want to be “wowed” by the surprise), but what I will say is that you won’t be disappointed by the Park itself I don’t think. Prior to our trip Karlo had generously prepared some food for us - initially as it was a rather early start (6am) he had prepared a selection of warm traditional Croatian dumplings for our breakfast, which were delicious. Along with this he had thought to bag us up some sweet and savoury snacks to eat during the walking section of our tour. And lastly he had thoughtfully prepared a picnic lunch for us consisting of traditional Croatian charcuterie style Cured Meat / Cheeses / Sausage. Not only was the selection really, really tasty and lovely (which of course was fab in itself) but we were also surprised to learn that much of what had been packed had been provided / made by Karlo and his family too. Home cured meats and churirzo style sausages along with a tasty chutney preserve that went well really with the flatbreads that Karlo had brought along. We even sat and had a cup of red wine at the Park during lunch that Karlo had thoughtfully brought along. This was a brilliant, brilliant day and I wanted to write this (probably very verbose) review as it’s easy to take all of the effort and additional (not necessarily often thought of) touches that Karlo thought to include for granted. Karlo is a brilliant guide but more importantly he is such a lovely chap, that I wanted to leave him a nice review by way of our heartfelt thanks. If this review serves as a prompt and recommendation for anyone looking to book with Karlo - please do. I am happy to talk to anyone about our day if that helps too… I could not heap enough praise on Bespoke Croatia tours and you won’t be disappointed with a day in Karl’s company. Hope this review is helpful.

Experience, scenery, guide (Karlo Bespoke Croatia): do yourself a favour & book - Words can't describe this spectacular place. Karlo was the best guide, looked after me on this day & supplies every thing you need. The whole experience cannot be missed.

Don’t Pass This Up! - This is a spectacular National Park and Karlo was an outstanding guide. He goes beyond to personalize your experience and his knowledge and enthusiasm makes the experience even more enjoyable. If you are looking for a day of incredible views and amazing scenery I highly recommend visiting Plitvice with Karlo. It was the highlight of our trip.

Stop searching and just….BOOK IT! - Karlo was quick to respond from my first contact with him. He is very good at staying in communication up to the day of your excursion. We were picked up promptly at 8 as expected. From the beginning, we felt very comfortable with Karlo and knew we were going to have a great day. Despite it pouring rain the entire day we had a blast! Karlo brought us sandwiches with prosciutto made from his family farm to keep our energy up. He adjusted the hike to our desires and made sure to take plenty of pictures of us along the way. The car rides passed like a breeze with Karlo’s witty banter-he is a great conversationalist! This day was definitely a highlight of our 3 week trip to Europe and one of the best excursions we have ever planned in our 30 years of international travel.

The very best - This tour with Karlo met, no it exceeded, all of our expectations. We started the tour as clients but ended it as friends. Karlo tailored the walking over varied terrain to meet our pace and needs. We learned so much about the history and morphology of the park’s varied and exquisite features. On the trip to the park and on the return to Zagreb, we learned much about the country and about Zagreb. And Karlo shared his own life story and that of his family as did we to him. One of many of the special features of this tour was his sharing of mostly homemade and utterly delicious charcuterie at a picnic spot in the park. He also provided spectacular weather for us ( we know Karlo will get this reference). Karlo is definitely one of the very best tour guides we have encountered on our many years of touring throughout our years of seeing the world.

The best tour. - We did two tours with Karlo from Bespoke Croatia and we had a phenomenal time. Two couples from the U.S. Karlo s English is excellent and what a nice genuine gentleman. Reliable and knowledgeable, he took us through Zagreb and it's History. On the second day we had requested to visit Plivice National Park an all day tour from Lagreb. The vehicle he provided was top notch and the visit was amazing. He treated us to a lovely lunch of the local fares. We recommend him very highly.

Never miss Croatia - One of the most caring person I ever met. Since he picked us up in Pula to driving us to Zagreb and then showing us the wonderful paradise in Plitvice. Super host, super guide and super person. My family and I enjoyed a lot knowing all the croatian culture from a very studied person like Karlo. And, as a plus, we enjoyed the most in the picnic he offered us in Plitvice with local and farm to table food. Amazing! Karlo is the right person if you go to Croatia and want to know it detailed! Thanks Karlo!

Top Tour with Top Guide - I got the trip as a gift from a friend. That was an incredibly successful surprise. Carlo is a great guide, we were able to talk wonderfully and he brings you closer to Croatia as it is. We were out all day, had a lot of fun and lots of great experiences. Thank you so much!

Amazing trip - Very amazing trip, the lakes we visited fantastic, beautiful and more than we imagined. Our guide Karlo was excellent , knowledgeable and helpful, he has done more than we expected.

One of the greatest experience in Croatia. - Karlo is experienced and professional, very informative and everything can be tailored. We asked for a pick up in Split, Karlo prepared snacks and cold sports drinks for us. We had a guided walk and beautiful photos were took inside Plitvice lakes national park, a little picnic with homemade ham and cheese also amazed us. Before heading to Zagreb, we made a stop in Rastoke, whole journey was safe and wonderful. I really recommend this route or vice versa for people who want to transfer between Split and Zagreb and visit Plitvice lakes.