[VIDEO] Imotski’s Amazing Blue & Red Lakes
- by croatiaweek
- in Travel
The small town of Imotski, situated in the Dalmatian Hinterland on the northern side of Biokovo, is home to a number of interesting tourist attractions.
Two of those are the Blue and Red Lakes.
The Red Lake is a sinkhole containing a karst lake and is known for its numerous caves and remarkably high cliffs, reaching over 241 metres above normal water level and continuing below the water level.
The total explored depth of this sinkhole is approximately 530 metres making it the third largest sinkhole in the world. Water drains out of the basin through underground waterways that descend below the level of the lake floor.
The sinkhole is named after the reddish-brown color of the surrounding cliffs, colored by iron oxides.
Because of its surroundings and the depth of the sinkhole, it is very difficult to throw a stone in the Red lake, so locals have a legend that says if you can throw a stone in the Red Lake you will soon get married.
Like the nearby Red Lake, the Blue Lake lies in a deep sinkhole possibly formed by the collapse of an enormous underground cave. The total depth from the upper rim is around 220 meters, while water depth varies with season. In spring, when the snow from surrounding mountains melts, it can reach 90 m, and in 1914 it reached 114 m, overflowing the southern rim. The lake is a popular destination for hiking and sight-seeing.
In 1907 a road was built descending to the lake. In 1942, an earthquake caused a large landfall resulting in the reduction of the lake’s depth.
Check out the video below as YouTubers Maja & Diano Jurić visit the lakes. Imotski is around an hours drive from Split.
