Croatia · Dalmatia

Podgora

Directions

Jezero Podgora

Podgora is one of the six Baćina lakes that are joined to one another by narrow channels, in the karst country just outside Ploče, near the mouth of the Neretva. A boat or a kayak can pass from it into the neighbouring lakes, and the walking and cycling path around the group runs along its shores.

How it formed

Like the rest of the group, Podgora lies in a karst cryptodepression whose floor is below sea level while the water surface stands just above it. Springs and underground channels feed the lakes, and the water drains on towards the sea near Ploče; a tunnel finished in 1938, which carries the floodwater of the Vrgorac field to the sea, lowered all the lakes.

Visit

Swimming

No reliable information

Tips

The Baćina lakes lie a few kilometres from Ploče, just off the main road between Makarska and Dubrovnik; the viewpoint car park on the main road fills quickly in high summer, while the lakeside is usually quieter. A walking and cycling path links the six joined lakes, with benches, springs and information boards about the dragonflies, amphibians, reptiles and birds that live here.

A ride in a lađa, the traditional Neretva boat, takes you across all six lakes, and kayaks and paddleboards reach the quiet coves and small beaches. The main bathing spots are near the Mindel spring; in summer the lakes are a few degrees warmer than the sea, so the swimming season starts early and lasts long.