Dugi otok, in Croatian, literally means Long Island. To sail around it and have enough time to fully enjoy its beauty, we recommend an optimum of 6 days. That is the itinerary we did and now share with you.
Day One
We set off from the marina in Tribunj, raised our sails and pointed our bow toward Veliki Kornat. If you follow the same route, expect a gentle southwest wind that periodically alternates with a westerly, making it exceptionally pleasant to sail. You will pass Magazinova Škrila, also known as Ploča or Vela Ploča. It is impossible to sail past this massive layered limestone plate, formed on the slopes of Kornat’s highest peak, Metlina (237 meters above sea level), without pausing to admire it. Scientists date its formation to roughly 2,400 years ago.
From there, we pointed our bow toward the canal of Mala Proversa, a narrow passage only about 100 metres wide between the islands of Katin and Dugi Otok. It is the route small vessels prefer over the broader but shallower Vela Proversa on the other side of Katin. As you pass through, look toward Dugi Otok and you will notice ruins reaching into the sea. These are remains of Roman farm buildings (villa rustica) from the reign of Emperor Trajan. The Romans are believed to have first dug this canal, though it was not navigable until today when it was deepened to 4.6 metres.
Nature Park Telašćica
Beyond Mala Proversa, you enter the waters of Kornati National Park and, shortly after, the Telašćica Nature Park. Proclaimed in 1988, Telašćica covers the southern tip of Dugi Otok and its surrounding islets across 70.5 square kilometres. The territory of the park features three phenomena: the bay of Telašćica, the steep cliffs of Dugi Otok, known locally as stene, and the salt lake Mir (Peace). Sail into the cove of Mir, tie up at a buoy, and take the swim you will have earned by then. Rangers patrol the bay by boat and will come by to collect the entrance fee and chat, a routine part of anchoring here.
Lake Mir
From the buoys, take the dinghy ashore and follow the path toward the lake. The lake itself is a karstic phenomenon, connected to the sea somewhere underground despite appearing closed off. It has a maximum depth of 8 metres and a salinity higher than the open sea. Its temperature swings dramatically with the seasons, from 5 to 35° C. Its muddy bottom is said to carry medicinal properties. The path continues through maquis scrubland and pine forest until it opens onto Škrača, where waves from the south have carved visible scars into the rock and where mysterious stone sculptures, stacked by unknown hands, still stand.
On an information board, you will find the explanation that they might have marked the route, probably nautical, or were guardians of souls. But it seems to us that none of this has anything to do with either the Slavic or Croatian cultural heritage.
Climb from there along the edge of the cliff, where every step takes you higher above the sea on one side, while the ground on the other slopes gradually descends toward the lake Mir. The cliffs rise 161 metres above sea level and continue 90 metres beneath it. The climb in summer heat is demanding, but the view from the top makes it worthwhile. A path leads back down toward a small restaurant, which, depending on the season, may or may not be open.
By evening, back on board. A good meal in the cockpit, a breeze moving across the bay, and the quiet are usually enough to end the first day exactly as it should.
Day Two
The morning sun woke us up, but we persistently tried to ignore it. It was the thought of coffee that finally got us up, and for a while we had the bay to ourselves. Utter silence and calm. If you time it right, you will get the same quiet start. As we were drinking the last drops of our morning refreshment, we were surprised by an excursion boat full of tourists arriving from Zadar. Then another one and another. Expect the same shift, quiet morning, then a working harbour within the hour. We decided to move away and go beneath the cliffs.
Although yesterday’s view from above was magnificent, the view of the vertical rocks was frightening and made us feel humble. A falcon flew over and slipped into a gap in the rock, from where the cheerful sounds of young birds could be heard far away. We thought that this large bird could have been an endangered Eleonora’s falcon (Falco eleonorae). Among the many attractions on this side of the gulf is the rarely seen and possibly unique form of the islets (cliffs). Look for Taljurić, a flat, round islet, resembling a plate, whose name means little plate in the local dialect. That reminded us we ought to have lunch, although it was already late.
Lunch Time in Telašćica
We returned to Telašćica, all the way to the bottom of the harbour, to the tavern GO-RO in the cove of Magrovica. If you make the same stop, expect an awning surrounded by olive trees and aromatic Mediterranean plants, farming and fishing implements on display, the soothing chirping of crickets in the background, and a warm welcome from the owner Jakov Rogulj. We had fish soup, fresh fried fish, local vegetables, and pujina, a local type of ricotta, for dessert. Jakov told us his parents, Franceska and Goran, opened the tavern back in 1982, and pointed us toward the cove of Jaz across the bay. There are the remains of a wall built by fishermen, inside of which the fishing is good when the conditions are right. For Croats, it is an iconic fishing place because it was here that Croatian fishing was mentioned in a written document for the first time, in the 10th century. Though nothing on site marks that history.
We stayed until the sun had dropped below the horizon, then started the engine for a night sail to Sali. The island’s largest town, where the wide harbour left plenty of room to anchor for the night. Music and voices drifted over from the café Maritimo, enough to pull us out for a short walk before finally calling it a day.
Day Three – from Sali to Žman
In the morning, we walked over to Maritimo, a former fishermen’s storage facility, now open to sailors too. We spoke with the owner, Krešo Dominis. Events can be arranged here, socializing and singing, with the café supplying its own sound system, on one condition. It stays open to everyone, locals and tourists alike. Sali is a place where sailors stock up on groceries, which is easy to conclude from the long line in front of the store.
We then climbed to the Telašćica Nature Park administration building, located on the very top of a hill. Here, you will find a virtual museum on Grpašćak, the 161-meter-high peak atop a magnificent cliff and hospitality facilities in the cove of Mir. From there we sailed on to Zaglav to refuel before continuing to our destination, Žman, just 2.5 miles away.
Village
One of the island’s older villages, recorded under the name Mežano back in the 13th century, extends around the harbour of Žmanšćica and climbs the hill above it, where the upper part of town, known locally as Selo (Village), grew around the parish Church of St. John. Fields lie just above the village, next to 2 small lakes, unusual for the islands. Fishing once shaped the harbour as much as farming shaped the hill. You may still catch signs of it, most boats moored in the inner harbour carry fishing gear below deck. Locals say fresh fish is sometimes for sale straight off the boats.
We anchored in front of Žman with a handful of sailboats and a motorboat for company. That could be done without a problem when the west wind is blowing or when there is calm. Later we took the dinghy and stopped at the café above the concrete beach. It is a good place to feel the local rhythm, where residents gather morning and evening. If you want to eat, there is a small restaurant by the inner harbour and a tavern on the other side of the port. After Sali, the quiet here is its own kind of reward.
Day Four – Brbinj
And the next day we continued in the same style. That morning, we sailed by the deep cove of Luka to Brbinj, and moored at a buoy beneath the peninsula of Koromašnjak. Brbinj is an anchorage from a postcard. It is beautiful when you see it while sailing, but it is only when you moor that you are immediately overwhelmed by all the images, smells and sounds of the sea. The cove is safe, except when a strong north bura wind is blowing, so we could devote ourselves to swimming and pleasure seeking. The cove of Brbinj has three branches, and it is possible to moor in the branch of Strižnja or on the waterfront in the western branch. This is an ideal place to spend the day in pleasant idleness, dolce far niente, except for cooking.
Day Five – Veli Rat
We woke late, as usual, to a gentle south wind. Perfect for sailing to the westernmost part of the island, the wide bay of Pantera and the marina at Veli Rat, where we planned to spend the night. Crossing the Srednji and Zverinački channels, you will pass a good number of sailboats and motorboats, mostly heading south, and at least a dozen anchored beneath the village of Dragove, sheltered by the islands of Veliki Planatak and Mali Planatak. A reassuring sign of just how strong Croatian nautical tourism had become.
A tropical lagoon
We rounded the islet of Bršćak to reach the bay of Luka Solišćica, then turned back once the sun had passed its peak and sailed along Tanki Rat into the bay of Pantera. Seen from above, you would swear this wide, sheltered bay belonged to the tropics, closer to a lagoon ringed by coral atolls than anything on the Adriatic. Waves from the northwest break along its narrow, curving shore, while to the south a pine covered peninsula stretches out beneath the Veli Rat lighthouse. The bay narrows toward the southeast, with the marina and village of Veli Rat on one shore and Verunić, with its shops and inns, on the other. If your draft is under 2.2 metres, you can also tuck into the cove of Čuna, closed and still, resembling a lake.
With around a hundred buoys, the bay was full. We tied up, took a quick swim, then moved on to the marina at Veli Rat. Small and unobtrusive with everything you need, water, electricity, sanitary facilities, and a young, easygoing staff. From there we took the dinghy to the pier at Sušica and walked 500 metres through the pines to the Veli Rat lighthouse, one of the most striking on the eastern Adriatic. We spent what was left of the daylight between beers at the camp buffet and helping Mladen find the right angle for his drone to immortalise this unique view.
Supper took some work. Our old favourite restaurant in Verunić had long since closed, so we asked around and were pointed toward Gorgonia Grill, reachable by dinghy on the northern side of the passage between Pantera and Čuna. We recommend reserving a table.
Day 6 – In top 10 most beautiful Croatia’s beaches
The next day, we went to see the lighthouse of Veli Rat the way sailors experienced it, from the sea. Wondering how many boats it had guided through the dark over its 172-year-history, long before Loran-C, GPS, navigation plotters, Google Maps and the tools that make it nearly impossible to get lost anywhere today.
From there we planned to anchor in the cove of Sakarun, one of those bays where you drop anchor and swim straight to the beach. The kind that regularly makes every list of Croatia’s 10 most beautiful beaches. We remembered it fondly, from years when we were alone at anchor or shared it with just a couple of other boats. This time, even approaching it was enough to tell things had changed. Around 50 boats crowded the buoys, and the beach itself did little to soften the impression – restaurants, a bar, a crowded dusty parking lot and untidy garbage areas among the crowds. Expect a busy, commercial Sakarun these days rather than the quiet cove of old.
Not even 3 miles along, in the passage between the islet of Mežanj and the coast, we sailed into something else entirely. Turquoise water, striking clarity, a white pebble beach lined with cypresses. The perfect sailing wind tramontana was picking up, but we anchored and rowed ashore to Veli Žal instead.
On the beach, we found a simple, easygoing spot, part bistro, part beach bar. Run out of a blue shipping container by Danica Zorić from the village of Božava and her team, serving tuna burgers, fried smelt, squid and little else. All of it good and cheap. We happily stayed the night, the wind finally settling, before sailing back past the cliffs one last time and returning to Tribunj.
