Most of those who have visited or who will visit Medjugorje, the site Kravice waterfalls will definitely stay in memory. Kravica Waterfalls are a first-class natural phenomenon that we can freely classified into the top of the charts most visited destinations by all pilgrims to Medjugorje. What is it? It is a geomorphological phenomenon - where are, within the steeply cut river valley Trebizat in place of one large fault, the vertical direction to the direction of the river valley, formed a waterfalls with a height of about 28 meters, and the width of about 400 meters. Especially interesting is the rock known as travertine or bigar that actually builds the whole foundation of the falls. All visitors to Kravica waterfalls can see the travertine already in the walls of the same name catering facility located on the northeast side of the large lake below the falls. Travertine is a type of sedimentary rock formed by biochemical processes with the help of algae, bacteria and CO2 gas through the Pleistocene time, and to everyone who has been seen at least once, it will be recognizable by its spongious structure with innumerable holes and small tubes. Besides travertine slopes on both side of the falls and the lake also builds sedimentary limestone rocks of Late Cretaceous age. What is very interesting is that in these limestones can be observed numerous fossils of extinct shells rudists who have a specific elongated pipy shape. A very numerous cross sections of rudists we can seen best in the right lateral cutting of access road when we go down from the parking area to the falls. In addition to waterfalls, lakes, and all of these rocks, a very significant factor contributing to the great feeling of pleasure the presence by waterfalls is the vegetation that grows along the banks of lakes and around the Waterfalls. This vegetation type belongs to the true Mediterranean vegetation and thus going from the parking all the way to the waterfalls we can meet plants fig (Ficus carica), pomegranate (Punica granatum), pines (Pinus pinea), Juniper (Juniperus oxycedrus), cypress (Cupressus sempervirens), zelenika (Phillyrea latifolia), vrisak (Satureja horvatii, S.montana), sage (Salvia officinalis), etc. However, as most special plant, which most contributes with its smell to relaxation and calmness in this place, we can mention konopljika shrub (Vites agnus-castus), whose bushes grow right next to the lake. This plant is special by having a sedative effect as well as a tranquilizer used even by the ancient Greeks and Romans. All of these mentioned factors, with their effect on the feeling of pleasure culminate in the summer months, especially during the month of August, when all the plants are in full development and the water temperature is high enough to enable swimming.
HOW TO GET THERE: 20 minute long drive from Medjugorje
View from the road above - on the northeast side of the waterfalls
Late Cretaceous limestones on right side cutted road when we going from parking area down to the waterfalls
Look on the fossils - many cross-sections of extinct mesozoic shells RUDISTS
Rudists - closer
New access footpath (summer 2012) - just behind the parking area - to the southwest
New access footpath (summer 2012)
View of southeastern part of lake
View from east to west side of lake and waterfalls
Zoom to west part of waterfalls
Većini onih, koji su posjetili ili će posjetiti Međugorje, lokalitet vodopadi Kravice će svakako ostati u lijepom sjećanju. Vodopadi Kravice su prvoklasni prirodni fenomen kojeg slobodno možemo svrstati u sami vrh ljestvice najposjećenijih odredišta svih hodočasnika u Međugorje. O čemu se radi ? Riječ je o geomorfološkom fenomenu – gdje su se unutar strmo usječene doline rijeke Trebižat na mjestu jednog velikog rasjeda, smjera okomitog na smjer doline rijeke, formirali slapovi koji imaju visinu oko 28 m, te širinu oko 400 m. Posebna zanimljivost jest stijena poznatija kao sedra ili bigar koja zapravo izgrađuje cijeli temelj slapova. Svi posjetitelji slapova Kravice sedru mogu vidjeti već u zidovima istoimenog ugostiteljskog objekta smještenog na sjeveroistočnoj strani velikog jezera ispod slapova. Sedra je vrsta sedimentne stijene nastala biokemijskim procesima uz pomoć algi, bakterija i plina CO2 kroz razdoblje pleistocena, a svima koji su je barem jednom vidjeli prepoznatljiva je po svojoj šupljikavoj strukturi s bezbroj rupica i malih cjevčica. Osim sedre padine s obje strane slapova i jezera izgrađuju također sedimentne stijene vapnenci gornjokredne starosti. Ono što je vrlo zanimljivo da se u ovim vapnencima mogu zamijetiti brojni fosili izumrlih školjki tzv.rudisti koji imaju specifičan izdužen cjevast oblik. Vrlo brojne presjeke rudista najbolje možemo vidjeti u bočnom desnom zasjeku pristupne ceste kad se spuštamo od parkinga prema slapovima. Uz slapove, jezero i sve ove stijene, vrlo značajan faktor koji doprinosti velikom osjećaju ugode prisustva uz slapove jest vegetacija koja raste uz obale jezera i okolo vodopada. Ova vegetacija spada u tip prave mediteranske vegetacije pa tako spuštanjem od parkinga pa sve do slapova možemo susresti biljke smokvu ( Ficus carica), šipak ( Punica granatum ), piniju ( Pinus pinea), smreku ( Juniperus oxycedrus), čempres ( Cupressus sempervirens), zeleniku (Phillyrea latifolia), vrisak ( Satureja horvatii, S.montana), kadulja ( Salvia officinalis ) itd. Ipak kao najposebniju biljku, koja svojim mirisom najviše doprinosi opuštenosti i smirenosti na ovom mjestu, možemo navesti konopljiku (Vites agnus-castus) čiji grmovi rastu neposredno uz jezero. Ova biljka je posebna po tome što ima djelovanje kao sedativ te se kao umirijuće sredstvo koristili čak i stari Grci te Rimljani. Svi ovi navedeni faktori sa svojim djelovanjem na osjećaj ugode kulminiraju u ljetnim mjesecima posebice tijekom mjeseca kolovoza kad su sve biljke u punini razvoja a i temperatura vode dovoljno visoka da omogućava kupanje.
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