Kornati National Park: Croatia's stone archipelago

The Kornati are unlike anywhere else on the Adriatic: a scatter of bare, pale-stone islands and reefs in the open sea off northern Dalmatia, almost without trees, water or people. The writer George Bernard Shaw famously described them as a labyrinth the gods made from tears, stars and breath — and the maze of stone and turquoise channels does feel otherworldly.

What it is

The national park covers the southern, seaward part of the archipelago — roughly 89 islands, islets and reefs in a compact patch of sea. The drama is on the outer edge, where the islands drop into the Adriatic in sheer cliffs the locals call krune (crowns), the highest falling some 80 metres straight to the water.

Stone, sheep and dry-stone walls

Almost no one lives here permanently. The islands have been grazed and farmed for centuries by families from Murter, who still own most of the land, criss-crossing the slopes with dry-stone walls and keeping simple cottages and seasonal konobas in the bays. It is a working landscape as much as a wild one.

How to visit

There's no scheduled ferry — you come by boat. The easiest way is a day excursion, most of them leaving from Murter (Tisno and Jezera), with others from Zadar and Šibenik. Trips usually include the park entrance fee, a swim stop and lunch at an island konoba. Sailors and yacht charters can moor in the bays, and the clear, fish-rich water is a draw for divers.

What to do once you're there

Swim in impossibly clear coves, eat fresh fish and island lamb at a konoba with your feet almost in the sea, and — if your trip allows — walk up to a viewpoint such as Metlina on Kornat for the full sweep of the labyrinth. Bring water, sun cover and shoes that cope with sharp stone.

For the wider picture see our national parks of Croatia overview, or base yourself in Šibenik to reach both Kornati and Krka.