People who are living near the sea or those coming to the Adriatic coast for a vacation probably would love to have a small boat to discover all the hidden coves, islands or beaches. Across the Adriatic you can find lots of places that are just waiting to be discovered. We are lucky because we have a small boat so we decided to look for the secrets of Croatian national park Kornati. We started our trip from Zadar harbor, we passed under the bridge that is connecting islands of Ugljan and Pašman and only two hours of sailing in rough seas was separating us from the real adventure. This group of islands is located in central Adriatic and it is the meeting place of the islands in Zadar’s and Šibenik’s archipelago. National park Kornati has 89 islands, islets and rocks. Every part of this natural beauty has something special and because of that it is also called heaven for boaties.
Of course swimming in this crystal clear sea is a must and it would be a big mistake to visit Kornati and don’t dive into that magical world. Diving in this part of the Adriatic provides an unforgettable scene. To experience at least a part of this unique feeling all you need is a snorkel and the mask because the view from the surface is impressive as well. Once we arrived to the one of the islands we wanted to climb up to see if there’s any truth in the claim that the view from the belvedere is breathtaking. It is not really hard to climb up but it was over thirty degrees Celsius so hat and sunscreen with a high SPF is required because there is very little shade on Kornati – you could even say that it is totally absent. It is difficult to single out one among the many vantage points on these islands. I can’t say one is more exciting than others. Metlina is the highest peak but there are also Opat, Ravni Žakan and Litnji vrh from where you can have a truly unique view.
After a day of swimming and sunbathing somewhere on the islands of Kornati you will probably get hungry. Here you can find around twenty restaurants and taverns where the hosts will be very happy to prepare a local dish for you. If you like to go fishing maybe you can catch something and just ask them to prepare your catch for you. Fish specialties are something every guest wants to try but if you will have a chance try the lamb too. It will satisfy the appetites of the most demanding guests.
Maybe some of you have already visited this part of the Adriatic with a boat and you will agree with me that the best place to spend a night is cove Mir in Natural Park Telašćica. This cove is situated south west of Dugi Otok and it is very near the national park Kornati. It is known as one of the largest and best protected natural harbors on the Adriatic coast and that’s why we decided to stay there a bit longer. If you don’t have your own boat you can get here from Zadar and Šibenik. During the summer there are lots of day trips to choose from. For travelers who prefer active vacation this is a perfect destination because you can explore the island by bikes and it is also a perfect area for trekking.
Salt lake Mir is one more thing that is making this place even more special. It is 900 m long, 6 m deep and the water is salty because its underground channels are connected with the sea. During the summer temperature of this lake can reach 30 degrees.
On the outer side of the bay Telašćica you will see the cliffs over 160 meters high so your trip must include these rocks. This is an area with interesting flora and fauna and tourists get very excited when they see dolphins that are often passing by.
More than 2500 hours of sunshine a year, great sea temperatures and indescribable nature are the best invitations to all who have not yet visited this, as many call it, true paradise on earth.
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Looks like a beautiful spot and your photos are excellent. I particularly like the first one. Lovely post.
Thank you Jane. 🙂