National Park Kornati & Nature Park Telašćica
A journey through the secrets of a scattered archipelago
Overview
Departure from Vodice. Sailing through the Murter Sea to the SE entrance to the Kornati National Park and a tour of the lower part of the Kornati archipelago. Exit to the open sea by sailing along vertical cliffs, the "crown" of the Kornati islands that are the most striking phenomena of this National Park. Lunch on board. Continue cruise alongside the church of Our Lady of Tarac and the Fortress of Tureta towards the Telašćica Nature Park on Dugi Otok.
Docking in Telašćica Bay. Free time for swimming, sunbathing, and diving, a visit to the lookout point with an unforgettable view of the cliffs, a tour to the stone sculptures Skrače, a hiking trail on karst stone "circles", a walk around Salt Lake Mir or to check out the wild donkey reserve.
Return by the Kornati archipelago's upper route throughout the pass of Mala Proversa with archaeological finds from the Roman times, and sailing across the Žut and Sita island group. Drive on the south side of the island of Murter, through the fishing village of Tribunj. Return to Vodice.
* Please note that the scheduled route is subject to change due to the inclement weather.
Itinerary
Info | Time | Location |
---|---|---|
Check-in | until 9:00 | Port of Vodice |
Departure | 09:00 | Port of Vodice |
Arrival | 12:00 | Nature Park Telašćica |
Departure | 14:45 | Nature Park Telašćica |
Return | 17:30 | Port of Vodice |
Map of the excursion
Welcome to Vodice, the best transition point to start sightseeing the surrounding area. Due to the environment and the beautiful archipelago, the proximity of two national parks and the charming beauty of the city, the tourism here has a long tradition, about fifty years old, and as an industry, it meant tremendous development for the town.
The population once lived in the Vodice fields, which abound with fertile water sources and provide conditions for agriculture and settlement on the coast is associated with a growing fear of the Turkish threat.
The city, named after the water, lies on the sources of drinking water. In the past, its prosperity relied on the abundance of wells and the water trade. Today, two wells have been preserved in the square, below the parish church, as a monument to tradition.
Prvić is the first island to the mainland of Vodice, only 1000 m away. It is inhabited by two picturesque, typical Mediterranean villages with stone houses and alleys, Prvić Šepurine and Prvić Luka, with about two hundred inhabitants in each. Because of their authenticity, they are protected as a cultural entity.
The island abounds in gorgeous natural beaches and the gentle terrain, with the present traces of arable land that testify for the people of Prvić as valuable farmers who cultivated a wide range of overseas lands along with their own.
Passing through the waters of Vodice, we notice Logorun, an island in front of Tribunj, which the locals call Veliki Škoj. It is only 200 meters away from the mainland. It housed the world's first donkey reserve, an indigenous protected animal domesticated on the Dalmatian islands, coast and hinterland.
Donkeys are no longer on Logorun, but today it is possible to see them as one of the available attractions in the Telašćica Nature Park.
Passing the waters of Vodice, you will note the island of Tijat, an example of bare karst terrain with vegetation of typical Dalmatian macchia, which in the past was wooded and with arable land. It is estimated that there were about 2,500 olive trees on the island.
Vegetation impoverished by the cessation of human activity and the release of mouflon, wild sheep to uncontrolled grazing.
On the way to the Kornati, we will sail on the "Pučina", as they call the Murter Sea in the local Murter dialect. At these 200 kilometres, in the heart of the Šibenik archipelago, you will see beautiful horizons from all sides with the islands' outlines in the distance and feel the thrilling experience of the deep, sea expanse.
"Pučina" is exposed to forceful and sudden wind changes. The sea here reveals all its unpredictable nature, so here, in severe weather, sailors need special care.
We enter the Kornati through the Vrata od Opata Strait or the Gate of the Kornati. We consider the Kornati Gate a place between the southern part of Kornat and the island of Smokvica.
On this spot, we can notice an unusual top of the hill which has a characteristic ending resembling a shaved abbot's head. The hill was named after this feature (Vrata od Opata in the translation are Gate of the Abbot).
On the island of Klobučar with the highest cliff of 82 m, we can see the Kornati "crown" phenomenon for the first time.
Crowns or cliffs are a characteristic of offshore islands facing the open sea, formed by the cracking and disintegration of the Earth's crust when the African tectonic plate underlined the Eurasian. On the Kornati crowns, we observe the processes of abrasion, erosion and corrosion.
The longest crown of 1350 m is on Mani's island, and the deepest one descends 90 m into the sea depth on the isle of Piškera.
The uninhabited island of Rašip Veli is placed between the islands of Piškera, Mane, Rašipić and Rašip Mali. It is 64 m high and exceptional for its "crown" (cliff) which is almost 1100 m long and 62 m high. One of its rocks looks like a human head, which is why it is a unique attraction.
Kravljačica Bay is a bay on the island of Kornat in one of the most notable parts, near Tarac and Tureta. There are only a dozen fishing houses in it that are recently adapted for vacation.
Our Lady of Tarac on the island of Kornat is a one-nave late Romanesque church built on an early Christian basilica site, most probably from that older church's remains. Once a year, on the first Sunday in July, masses are held here. Then hundreds of boat anchors in the bay for blessing, which, in addition to religious significance, also is a tourist attraction.
Once upon a time, the feast was only agricultural, and only the field was blessed. As the farmers gradually turned to the sea and fishing, the blessing spread to the sea and ships.
On a tour of the Kornati, you will see Tureta, the best preserved of the Byzantine fortifications from the 6th century, the time of Justinian, built to protect and control navigation on the Adriatic Sea. Her military crew monitored the Kornati Channel.
On the islet of Vela Sestrica, the Tajer Lighthouse from 1876 can be seen, at an altitude of 47 m above sea level, creating the most romantic view from the Kornati National Park and the Telašćica Nature Park border.
Its white-red octagonal metal tower and the stone lighthouse building spread over an area of up to 500 square meters stand out from afar. It is one of the few lighthouses inhabited by the crew who operate it.
Telašćica Bay in the southeastern part of Dugi Otok is one of the largest and best-protected natural harbours on the Adriatic's eastern coast.
Its name comes from the Latin "tre lagus" which means "three lakes", and it consists of three parts separated by narrowings. These bays were karst sinkholes that fell under the sea ten thousand years ago after the last ice melting.
The bay is rich in wildlife and the bottom, covered with sea flowers, is of substantial importance for reproducing many fish species.
During your stay on land, you can swim and dive in the lake. It arose as a natural phenomenon due to immersion, after the last ice age when sea levels rose by approximately 120 meters. The karst depression was then filled with the sea that reached it through numerous underground microcracks.
The lake is above average salty, and in one part there is healing mud. The water temperature in summer is up to 6 °C warmer than the sea temperature. Endemic eel species called "bižat" and "kajman" live in the lake.
If you want to experience the vastness, peace, inspiration and see the Kornati “crowns” up close, called "rocks" on Dugi Otok, then a visit to the lookout is a recommendation for you.
The lookout point can be reached in a ten-minute easy walk by a rugged path that leads from the bay through pine trees. When you ascend, there are several fenced plateaus at your disposal, where you can take a break, take photos and enjoy the endless blue of the open sea.
If you are a fan of walking, you will like to explore the pleasant trails equipped with educational info boards that network the Park. With an easy walk, you can get to know the island, its vegetation, the traditional construction of dry-stone walls and agricultural dwellings.
With them, you can reach lake Mir, a lookout point or the path around the lake. The trails are adapted to all age groups, they lead through the partial shade, and we recommend taking drinking water for a walk.
If you want to experience the activity of trail tracking in the Park and like walking on natural terrain, a little more demanding than a usual walk, it is possible, with appropriate footwear, to go for about a 5 km trek. At average walking speed, it will take you approximately an hour.
You can start this trail by climbing to the lookout point, continue by walking to the place that descends towards lake Mir, go down the rugged path to the lake and walk around the lake to the end of the full circle. Trail level, easy.
At the Salt Lake Mir, you will come across the "Skrača" site where it is possible to see a surprisingly impressive set of thousands of stone sculptures.
Visitors have laid the stones for years, and although it was initially forbidden to build them, by the persistence of the people who continued to make them, this practice is accepted in the Park today and is a real attraction. It is believed that these sculptures represent communication with ancestors and are guardians of souls".
In Telašćica Bay you can visit the open reserve of wild Dalmatian donkeys, an autochthonous, protected race in Croatia, which is part of the national, cultural and natural heritage.
If you want to comprehend the former life in the Dalmatian karst where donkeys were irreplaceable, favourite pack domestic animals; if you are an animal lover or want to experience the joy of feeding and caressing donkeys with children, this is the place that will make you happy and excited.
When on the way back from the Nature Park Telašćica, we pass the strait Mala Proversa, between Dugi Otok and Katina, you will experience sailing through one of the busiest passages in the Croatian Adriatic. It is also one of the main entrances to the Telašćica Nature Park and the Kornati National Park.
Today's depth of the straits is artificially dug at 4.5 m. Due to the difficult passage, traffic is limited to 5 knots. According to some unwritten rule, passengers from excursion ships have a habit of waving to each other as a greeting sign.
Observing the remains of ancient villas on the strait’s banks, try to imagine the former scenes of villas in function with the associated pools to store caught white fish.
Just as after the departure route to the National Park and Telašćica Bay we pass the first island group called Donji (Lower) the Kornati, on the way back, to complete the entire tour and get to know all the key attractions of the archipelago, we pass the Žut-Sit group of islands or Upper Kornati.
These islands include two series Balabra-Sit-Šćitina-Gangarol-Bikarijica and Tremuli-Glamoč-Žut-Kamenar.
The Galiolica cliff or Misi, as it is called on Murter, is a shoal we encounter on the way from Žut, a place of danger for careless sailors. Local people state this is a place where ships can run aground.
At this point, at the bottom of the sea, there is the wreck of an old iron ship that was transporting coal after World War II and ran aground and sank. Divers say they can still find a ton of coal on the seabed.
Along the island of Vrgada, in the zone of good sea current or "korenta", there is a cage farm of white goldfish and sea bass, of which 2.5 tons are produced annually. About 90% of the fish is exported to the Italian market. The fish is labelled "antibiotic-free", fed on the food of proven quality and farmed according to the highest European standards.
Vrgada is a beautiful island of rich vegetation in the Murter island group. It is already mentioned in the Middle Ages with its Gradina, which was necessary for monitoring the Adriatic Sea route.
Pakoštane is in the north, Pašman in the northwest, the Kornati in the southwest, and Murter in the southeast of the island Vrgada. The sand was extracted on the island, and there were salt pans. In addition to fishing, the inhabitants grew olives and vineyards intensively.
As on other islands, arable land has gradually been covered with pines and maquis, but mostly the elderly population of Vrgada island still maintains olive groves, cultivates traditional vegetables, and keeps some sheep poultry. Part of the population is also engaged in tourism.
Drifting the way to Murter, 300 meters from its western coast, you can see the lighthouse Prisnjak, built in 1886.
It is located on the islet of the same name. Built of stone, the lighthouse has a terrace that descends only 15 meters from the sea and a small pier. It is a recognizable symbol of the island of Murter and an indispensable landmark of welcome to the Murter archipelago for sailors during night sailing.
On the way back to Vodice, we pass Murter - called the Island of the island, since most of the Kornati islands are in its composition. The Tisno bridge makes it accessible by land. There are four settlements on the island: Tisno, Jezera, Betina and Murter with four different local dialects. The zone is rich in traces of historical heritage, from Liburnians, Romans and Venetians.
Murter is a place with beautiful natural beaches, a quality gastronomy place, and a mecca for traditional wooden shipbuilding lovers. The Museum of Betina Wooden Shipbuilding is of exceptional importance for the island's identity.
Along the southern coast of Murter, there is an attractive archipelago of two islands and two cliffs. One of the cliffs is Kukuljar, a rock on which is the first lighthouse in Šibenik waters powered by the sun.
To the west, the round island of Babuljak is 28 meters high. Vodnjak, the largest island among Kukuljari, hides a cave with drinking brackish water, which fishers visited regularly. The last in a row is the Kamičić cliff, resembling a sharp stone knife, about sixty meters long and only half a meter high.
On the way back from the tour, towards Vodice, we pass by Tribunj. This charming fishing village is characterized by a marvellous front of nearby islands and the village's well-preserved original Dalmatian appearance. The seaside view shows a picturesque sight with the patron St Nicholas' dominant church, locally called St Mikula looking from the hill at the Tribunj fields, houses and the coast.
On the hill was once the fortress Jurjevgrad, abandoned and destroyed when the mainland population, in the face of danger from the Turks, took refuge on an island. There is a scenic whole densely populated stone house with typical Dalmatian narrow streets on the island from that time.
Book an experience to remember
Adults 70.00 €
Children 5-12y. 40.00 €
Included
- Welcome drink
- Licensed tour guide and audio guidance
- Lunch on board (hake or chicken fillet, seasonal salad, white wine, carbonated or non-carbonated water, juice of your choice)
- Tickets for National Park Kornati and Nature Park Telašćica
5% ONLINE DISCOUNT!
Code: 89AC41
Adults 90.00 €
Children 5-12y. 50.00 €
Included
- Welcome drink
- Licensed tour guide and audio guidance
- Lunch on board (Rump steak veal with baked potatoes, seasonal salad or grilled white fish with boiled potatoes, seasonal salad)
- Tickets for National Park Kornati and Nature Park Telašćica
- All-inclusive beverage offer
5% ONLINE DISCOUNT!
Code: 89AC41
This excursion is for individual and group visitors.
- First-minute purchase tickets (for individual visitors), 15 days before the excursion, an additional 10% discount is realized.
- First-minute purchase tickets (for groups), 90 days before the excursion, a 10% discount is realized.
- For 12+ people (children up to 4 years are not included) there is a 10% discount.
- For groups (more than 25 people), price on request.
- For children up to 4 years, the is free.
- To buy tickets for two , you get a 10% discount.
*Remark:
The price is defined depending on the price of tickets to the parks. The price includes VAT.
Sail the Kornati islands with Destina's experiences
Our journey includes a comprehensive tour of the Kornati archipelago, an unusual labyrinth of islands located on the encounter of Šibenik and Zadar islands. With its islands, islets and cliffs, the Kornati are the most geographically indented island ecosystem of the Adriatic Sea and an imposing natural landscape through which human activity traces permeate and therefore creates something truly unique. Because of the stone's sparse greenery, they are often called the stone pearls of the Mediterranean.
With its richness of history, tradition, and secrets, this island phenomenon is not fully revealed to the traveller at first sight.
The Kornati islands bear the stamp of an impressive dry-stone heritage that testifies to human work on the sparse stone land and only a few settlements with seasonal dwellings.
There are also traces of Roman and medieval times that date back to the time when the Kornati, being in an important strategic position of the archipelago, were permanently inhabited. You will experience the beauty of the archipelago's most impressive features, the famous Kornati "crown" that rises from the crystal blue sea while on the other side is the infinite distance of the open sea where the sea and sky meet.
In the Telašćica Nature Park, where the contrasts of steep and peaceful bays, and natural beauties and lake phenomena are, you will disembark in Mir Bay, one of the largest and safest natural harbours on the Adriatic. When you step out, you will get to know the place of impressive cliffs, the healing Salt Lake Mir, hidden beaches in dense pine forests and the refuge of donkeys that in the past were important companions in the life of Dalmatian man. Adventurers can get acquainted with the location by hiking the "trail", which leads through the lookout and cliffs to "Skrača" - a place of stacking stone sculptures and continues to the path around the Salt Lake Mir. At this place, nature moves you while at the same time, it provides necessary peace.
Reviews
Excelent, beautiful day - boat tour Korneti National Park. Telascica -Salt Lake "MIr" is a quiet zone.
We had a great, nice day on that boat and we had opportunity to hike and swim in the salty lake and the beautiful crystal clear sea (which was the highlight of the day!). Personnel on the boat was very nice. Would recommand!
The trip was relaxing and there is so much to see in the national park, from clear sea to beautiful islands on the way. Truly amazing journey!!