Kornati: Holiday Apartments and Holiday Homes

Kornati National Park covers an area of 218 km². It comprises 89 islands, islets and rocks; together, the islands of the national park have a coastline of 238 km.

Nature

The distinctive formations of Kornati include the “crowns”: cliffs facing the sea that drop more than 90 m below the surface of the sea in some places. Magazinova škrila is the largest layered limestone slab in the Adriatic.

The seagrass Posidonia oceanica remains well developed and widespread in the Kornati Archipelago. Marine inhabitants of the Kornati area include bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus).

Culture

The dry-stone walls of Kornati are a significant cultural attraction; there are around 330 km of such walls within the national park. At the foot of Tureta, a large part of the apse and part of the former foundations of an early Christian three-aisled basilica have been preserved.

A Venetian fortress on the islet of Vela Panitula was built at the beginning of the 16th century to collect fish taxes from the Kornati fishermen. Tureta Fortress on Kornat was probably built in the 6th century and is the only fortress from this period in the Adriatic that was not destroyed.

At low tide, the submerged remains of a saltworks dating from the 14th century emerge from the sea on Lavsa. At Gospe od Tarca, a mass with the blessing of the fields and the sea is held on the first Sunday of every July; this is followed by a boat procession to Tarac.

Paths and Water

Trtuša is a 1.4 km-long educational trail that explores the geological foundation of Kornati and human presence. The Vela Panitula educational trail at ACI Marina Piškera is 165 m long and includes eight information panels on the natural and cultural features of the park.

Visitors may hike in the national park only on paths and trails that are explicitly marked for this purpose. No special permit is required for snorkeling in the national park. Swimming is permitted throughout the national park, except in areas under strict protection.

Getting There

Murter is the nearest departure port for Kornati National Park. From there, the national park can only be reached by watercraft.

Those planning a visit to Kornati may wish to rent a holiday apartment for this purpose.

To the higher-level travel overview: Murter.