Kornati National Park

Kornati National Park protects 89 islands, islets, and reefs across 320 square kilometres of the northern Dalmatian Adriatic, forming the densest archipelago in the entire Mediterranean Sea. The park is accessible only by boat and has no permanent human habitation within its boundaries, creating an atmosphere of absolute remoteness rarely found in the Adriatic. The islands are predominantly bare limestone karst, scraped clear of vegetation by centuries of grazing and woodcutting, their pale grey surfaces contrasting dramatically against intensely blue sea in photographs and from the air. The southern cliffs of the Kornati islands — particularly those facing the open Adriatic — rise vertically from the sea to heights of over 80 metres in an almost unbroken wall known as the coronata, a geological feature unique to this archipelago. The underwater world beneath the park is a protected marine reserve with exceptional visibility up to 40 metres, hosting gorgonian sea fans, grouper, sea bream, and occasional shark species in deeper water. Sailing is the primary mode of experiencing Kornati; the park is a classic Croatia bareboat charter route, and anchored boats cluster in protected bays throughout the summer. Boat-tour day excursions depart from Zadar (2 hours one way) and Šibenik (1.5 hours), visiting two or three islands with snorkelling, a fish lunch, and time ashore. Fishing in the park requires a permit purchased from the park administration in Murter. The uninhabited island of Levrnaka has a sandy beach — rare in the Kornati — at the sheltered Lojena bay.