Kornati Islands

Right off the shore of Zadar is a series of islands that string out parallel to the mainland. They are on the bleak side and mostly uninhabited. Small pockets of civilization manage to cling to the best inlets. For the most part these outposts consist of a handful of red tiled homes, maybe one or two seasonal restaurants and a stone church. Often you will see remains of forgotten terraced farmlands crawling up a mountainside and leveled with stone walls. These islands are so rocky they had to do something with all the rocks, so terracing the farmland seemed like as good of use for all the rocks as any. The farms have long been abandoned. It is simply not practical to far such miserly soil. Instead the villages cater to yachters and day-trippers coming to view a lifestyle that has long been abandoned. The reminders are still there in the stone homes and village squares making for photo opportunities that remind people of nothing like the lives they now live.

At the southeast tip of the island of Dugi Otok is the Komati National Park. The Arial photos of the park make it look magical with crystal blue water tapering to turquoise as it reaches the shore. The island has a very deep bay that has countless little coves. It looks like you could spend a week exploring this natural wonder. The passage to this bay is through a very narrow channel between two islands. We have to take turns with the boats coming the other direction to slide our way through the narrow passage. We planned on anchoring out for a couple of days there. But I have to say; this is a case where the promotional photos look way better than reality. The coast does have a lot of little coves and the water is an amazing blue fading to deep turquoise, but the land is mostly rock with scrub. It seems hotter than it should with little breeze. There are no facilities or restaurants. We end up having lunch and a swim there and then moving on to the village of Sali.