Planning a short stay in Croatia. First stop Zagreb and then onto Split. Can I get Plitvice Park easily by bus from Split?

Yes, you can get to the park from Split by bus. Try GetByBus.com or BusCroatia.com.

The park is closer to Zagreb, though, than it is to Split.

There is at least one company offering a day excursion between Zagreb and Split that gets you from town to town and stops in the park for a few hours. Google it if interested. You can't really do that yourself by bus without spending a night at the park. (There are park hotels.)

I would think you could get by bus from Zagreb to the Plitvice Lakes and then go on to Split afterwards, BUT one note of caution: When I visited the area, it was easy to GET to the Plitvice Lakes by bus, but I read that there were no guarantees that a bus would stop there to pick people up when you are ready to leave because they might not have room. That was some time ago (2009) and I don’t know if that was actually true, nor do I know whether more recent reports that the bus seats can be reserved is true. You might want to see if you can find out.

The Plitvice Lakes are magnificent, so I hope you are able to find a way to visit them! Not only are the lakes connected by travertine waterfall formations, each lake has unique microbiota, and as a result, the lakes are different colors. The best way to see that is, IMO, to make a single, long loop through the park -- something on the order of 6 hours or more (including time for the boat that connects the lower and upper lakes), and by all means, start at the lowest part of the park so you are facing the falls as you proceed. Staying in the area for a night might give your more flexibility to visit the park and manage transportation.

Hope that helps!