Kornati archipelago

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WorldMediterraneanAdriatic SeaCroatiaNorthern DalmatiaKornati archipelago
Kornati archipelago
43°48.912'N, 015°20.297'E Chart icon.png
lat=43.815207 | lon=15.338287 | zoom=10 | y
KornatiIslands.jpg
Magnify-clip.png
The Kornati Islands offer a unique cruising ground

Kornati archipelago lie off the mainland coast of Croatia, 20 miles S of the city of Zadar and surrounded by the islands of Dugi Otok to the N, Murter to the E and Žirje to the S. The group consists of over 140 islands and islets of all sizes distributed on a NW/SE axis over an area of almost 85 square miles. Once generously covered with vegetation, the islands were gradually deforested over several generations to reveal bare, white limestone formations that gleam in the sunlight against the azure blue of the surrounding seas.

Geographically these islands can be divided into two main groups:

  1. Gornji Kornati (Upper Kornati) aka Žutsko-sitska skupina (Žut-Sit group) are located closer to the mainland, including the northernmost island of Sit and the surrounding islets, divided by a channel from Žut and its surrounding islets to the south. Žut is the largest and most indented of these islands.
  2. Donji Kornati (Lower Kornati), including the island of Kornat, are mostly facing the open sea in the southwest.

The islands of Donji Kornati belong to the National park Kornati/wiki/Kornati_archipelago#National_park_KornatiWorld icon.png National park Kornati [[Kornati archipelago#National park Kornati|National park Kornati]] . Although tourism is allowed and even encouraged there, the majority of land there is still privately owned. The park is just S of the island of Dugi Otok where there is another Croatian park, Telašćica Nature Park, located around the homonymous bay of Luka Telašćica.

Mooring in the National park is only allowed in the designated bays, some of which are equipped with mooring buoys. At some of these bay you'd find also a few restaurants. There is also an ACI-operated marina, Marina Piškera, on the SW side of Otok Piškera which is open from April to October only.

Another marina in the archipelago is located at the island of Žut, which is off the limits of the National park.

Charts

See Northern Dalmatia.

Weather

See Croatia.

Passages

See Croatia.

Communication

Add here VHF channel for coastguard, harbor masters. etc.

Also see World Cruiser's Nets

Navigation

The maximum speed of navigation in the National Park is 8 knots.

There are 4 zones of strict protection at the National park, no navigation (incl. anchorage, mooring and landing) is allowed there:

  • islet of Purara/wiki/Kornati_archipelago#PuraraRestricted icon Purara [[Kornati archipelago#Purara|Purara]] 43°41.823'N, 015°26.216'E with cliffs Klint, Volić and 1200 m off their coastlines
  • islet of Mrtovnjak/wiki/Kornati_archipelago#MrtovnjakRestricted icon Mrtovnjak [[Kornati archipelago#Mrtovnjak|Mrtovnjak]] 43°42.454'N, 015°32.114'E and 100 m off its coastline
  • islet of Kolobučar/wiki/Kornati_archipelago#Kolobu.C4.8DarRestricted icon Kolobučar [[Kornati archipelago#Kolobučar|Kolobučar]] 43°44.389'N, 015°22.947'E and 250 m off its coastline
  • islets of Mali and Veliki Obručan/wiki/Kornati_archipelago#Mali_and_Veliki_Obru.C4.8DanRestricted icon Mali and Veliki Obručan [[Kornati archipelago#Mali and Veliki Obručan|Mali and Veliki Obručan]] 43°50.042'N, 015°13.609'E and 200 m off their coastlines

Entrance

Zadar is the nearest port of entry. In the summer only, Božava and Sali on Dugi Otok are also ports of entry.

Fees / permits

Visiting the park is paid on a per boat basis. Tickets can be bought either at a tourist agency outside the park or alternatively the park's rangers issue tickets in situ, but bear in mind that this way you'll pay twice the "outside" price.

For more details check the links Ticket prices and fees and Spots of commission ticket sales in Ticket information page at the park's official site.

Islands in the Group

Key to symbols: |Island icon – island |Marina icon – marina |Anchorage icon – anchorage |Needs data icon – needs data ||

Donji Kornati (inside the Kornati park):

  • Kornat Kornat /wiki/Kornat Anchorage icon – anchorage |
  • Lavsa Lavsa /wiki/Lavsa Anchorage icon – anchorage |
  • Levrnaka Levrnaka /wiki/Levrnaka Anchorage icon – anchorage |
  • PiškeraPiškera/wiki/Marina_Pi%C5%A1kera Island icon – island |Marina icon – marina |
  • Ravni Žakan and Kameni Žakan Ravni Žakan and Kameni Žakan /wiki/Ravni_%C5%BDakan_and_Kameni_%C5%BDakan Anchorage icon – anchorage |
  • Vela Smokvica Vela Smokvica /wiki/Vela_Smokvica Anchorage icon – anchorage |

Gornji Kornati (outside the Kornati park):

  • Sit Sit/wiki/Sit Anchorage icon – anchorage |
  • Žut Žut /wiki/%C5%BDut Marina icon – marina |Anchorage icon – anchorage |

Many of smaller islands are listed at the site of the National park.

A cove at the Lavsa island
Marinas and yacht clubs
  • Marina PiškeraMarina Piškera/wiki/Marina_Pi%C5%A1kera Marina icon – marina |
    — actually the marina is at the island of Vela Panitula, next to the island of Piškera
  • Marina ŽutMarina Žut/wiki/Marina_%C5%BDut Marina icon – marina |
Anchorages

Most of the anchorages are on the largest of the islands, Kornat, but there are further anchorages on the islands of Lavsa, Levrnaka, Zakan and Vela Smokvica.

Officially endorsed overnight anchorages are: Stiniva, Statival, Lupeška, Tomasovac - Suha punta, Šipnate, Lučica, Kravljačica, Strižnja, Vruje, Gujak, Opat, Smokica, Ravni Žakan, Lavsa, Piškera - Vela Panitula, Anica on Levrnaka, Podbižanj, and Koromašna.

Amenities

Facilities
Water In Marina Piškera/wiki/Kornati_archipelago#In_.5B.5BMarina_Pi.C5.A1kera.5D.5DWater icon In Marina Piškera [[Kornati archipelago#In Marina Piškera|In Marina Piškera]] 0800-1000 only

Levrnaka/wiki/Kornati_archipelago#.5B.5BLevrnaka.23U._Anica.7CLevrnaka.5D.5DWater icon Levrnaka [[Kornati archipelago#Levrnaka|Levrnaka]] at the restaurant at the head of the cove (for a charge: 75 kunas for 100 liters)

Electricity In Marina Piškera/wiki/Kornati_archipelago#In_.5B.5BMarina_Pi.C5.A1kera.5D.5DElectricity icon In Marina Piškera [[Kornati archipelago#In Marina Piškera|In Marina Piškera]] 0800 - 1200 and 1800 - 2400 only

Levrnaka/wiki/Kornati_archipelago#.5B.5BLevrnaka.23U._Anica.7CLevrnaka.5D.5DElectricity icon Levrnaka [[Kornati archipelago#Levrnaka|Levrnaka]] at the restaurant at the head of the cove (1900-2400)

Toilets In Marina Piškera
Showers In Marina Piškera limited times
Laundry ?
Garbage Bins in Marina Piškera
Supplies
Fuel N/A (Not Available)/wiki/Kornati_archipelago#N.2FA_.28Not_Available.29Fuel icon N/A (Not Available) [[Kornati archipelago#N/A (Not Available)|N/A (Not Available)]] nearest fuel station is Zaglav on Dugi Otok
Bottled gas None
Chandlers None
Services
Repairs N/A/wiki/Kornati_archipelago#N.2FAService icon N/A [[Kornati archipelago#N/A|N/A]]
Internet WiFi in ?
Mobile connectivity Is there mobile telephone signal such as G4, G3, GPRS on the island? How strong is the signal? Are there any blind spots?
Vehicle rentals N/A/wiki/Kornati_archipelago#N.2FACar icon N/A [[Kornati archipelago#N/A|N/A]]

Provisioning

in Marina Piškera and U. Vrulje at the Kornat island Marina Zut;/wiki/Kornati_archipelago#in_.5B.5BMarina_Pi.C5.A1kera.5D.5D_and_.5B.5BKornat.23U._Vrulje.7CU._Vrulje_at_the_Kornat_island.5D.5D_.5B.5BMarina_Zut.5D.5D.3BProvisions icon in Marina Piškera and U. Vrulje at the Kornat island Marina Zut; [[Kornati archipelago#in Marina Piškera and U. Vrulje at the Kornat island Marina Zut;|in Marina Piškera and U. Vrulje at the Kornat island Marina Zut;]] small convenience shops .

Marina Žut/wiki/Kornati_archipelago#.5B.5BMarina_.C5.BDut.5D.5DProvisions icon Marina Žut [[Kornati archipelago#Marina Žut|Marina Žut]] minimarket.

Žut (U. Strunac) and Žut (U. Sabuni)/wiki/Kornati_archipelago#.5B.5B.C5.BDut.23U._Strunac.7C.C5.BDut_.28U._Strunac.29.5D.5D_and_.5B.5B.C5.BDut.23U._Sabuni.7C.C5.BDut_.28U._Sabuni.29.5D.5DProvisions icon Žut (U. Strunac) and Žut (U. Sabuni) [[Kornati archipelago#Žut (U. Strunac) and Žut (U. Sabuni)|Žut (U. Strunac) and Žut (U. Sabuni)]] smal shop.

Eating out

In Marina Piškera and Marina Zut/wiki/Kornati_archipelago#In_.5B.5BMarina_Pi.C5.A1kera.5D.5D_and_.5B.5BMarina_Zut.5D.5DEatingout icon In Marina Piškera and Marina Zut [[Kornati archipelago#In Marina Piškera and Marina Zut|In Marina Piškera and Marina Zut]] restaurants.

In Kornat, Levrnaka, Ravni Žakan, Vela Smokvica, Lavsa, and Žut/wiki/Kornati_archipelago#In__.5B.5BKornat.23Eating_out.7CKornat.5D.5D.2C_.5B.5BLevrnaka.23Eating_out.7CLevrnaka.5D.5D.2C_.5B.5BRavni_.C5.BDakan_and_Kameni_.C5.BDakan.23Eating_out.7CRavni_.C5.BDakan.5D.5D.2C_.5B.5BVela_Smokvica.5D.5D.2C_.5B.5BLavsa.23U._Lavsa.7CLavsa.5D.5D.2C_and_.5B.5B.C5.BDut.23Eating_out.7C.C5.BDut.5D.5DEatingout icon In Kornat, Levrnaka, Ravni Žakan, Vela Smokvica, Lavsa, and Žut [[Kornati archipelago#In Kornat, Levrnaka, Ravni Žakan, Vela Smokvica, Lavsa, and Žut|In Kornat, Levrnaka, Ravni Žakan, Vela Smokvica, Lavsa, and Žut]] several restaurants everal restaurants in the coves of these islands.

Transportation

No public transport available, albeit there are numerous excursion boats coming from a number of popular spots on the mainland.

For nearest option see Sali Transportation.

Tourism

The Tureta on Kornat island
The landscape offers poignant reminders of former days

The islands of the archipelago are arguably best appreciated from the sea or, if you are interested in marine life, underneath it. In addition to having national park status, much of the archipelago is also a marina conservation area and sea life is abundant in many of the bays and anchorages. Snorkeling is free, but scuba diving requires a separate permit, issued only to local Croatian diving establishments. Fishing is also prohibited without a license.

Ashore, there are no permanent settlements, the sparsely scattered houses being occupied seasonally by fishermen or other owners from the mainland or adjoining islands. A large proportion of the summer residents consists of the restaurant owners and their families and national park staff, including the wardens whose job it is to ensure the regulations are observed.

Visitors stepping ashore are required to stick to designated paths on the islands as much of the land is private property, especially on the landward side. Drystone walls and the occasional straggly plantation are a reminder of the former days of sheep farming and basic agriculture on the islands. The main shore-based attractions for walkers are the high viewpoints of Metlina or Opat on Kornat island or Litnji Vrh on Smokvica island, which can be climbed by anyone reasonably fit and offer fantastic views over the archipelago.

Architecturally there are few traces of the various civilizations that inhabited the islands in former times, although there are outlines of dwellings and burial tumuli dating from pre-Roman times on several of the islands. Halfway down the SW coast of Kornat island is the Tureta, the substantial remains of a squat, powerful fort believed to date to the 16th century and constructed to protect the seaways from pirate and other incursions.

Visitor's information

There are two information centres on the islands of the park:

  • Park Information Centre (Ravni Žakan)/wiki/Kornati_archipelago#Park_Information_Centre_.28Ravni_.C5.BDakan.29World icon.png Park Information Centre (Ravni Žakan) [[Kornati archipelago#Park Information Centre (Ravni Žakan)|Park Information Centre (Ravni Žakan)]] 43°43.557'N, 015°25.817'E
  • Park Information Centre (u. Vrulje)/wiki/Kornati_archipelago#Park_Information_Centre_.28u._Vrulje.29World icon.png Park Information Centre (u. Vrulje) [[Kornati archipelago#Park Information Centre (u. Vrulje)|Park Information Centre (u. Vrulje)]] 43°48.511'N, 015°18.484'E

Friends

Contact details of "Cruiser's Friends" that can be contacted for local information or assistance.

Forums

List links to discussion threads on partnering forums. (see link for requirements)

Links

References

See Croatia.

Comments

We welcome users' contributions to the Wiki. Please click on Comments to view other users' comments, add your own personal experiences or recommend any changes to this page following your visit.

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