Dugi Otok – the Wild Pearl of the Adriatic
Wild pearls – rare, beautiful and precious works of Mother Nature. That description fits the island of Dugi Otok in the Zadar archipelago perfectly – a true gem for lovers of nature.
It is an island of contrasts, colourful places, lush vegetation, breathtaking rock faces, wonderful bays and beaches. Its length is 45 km (Dugi Otok = Long Island), while its width ranges from 1 to 4 km. The highest peak – Vela Straža – rises to 338 m above sea level.
The island was already inhabited in the Stone Age; today around 1,500 residents live in its 12 villages.
The location of the local settlements in natural bays testifies to the fact that in the past these places were not connected by road and could only be reached by boat from the sea. Today you can travel around Dugi Otok by car, as a regular ferry serves the island (the Zadar Gaženica – Brbinj line), and a comfortable road with beautiful panoramic views runs through its centre. The most enjoyable way to explore this place, however, is by bicycle, scooter or motorbike, which offer better manoeuvrability on the narrow, unpaved roads amid the wild countryside.
Dugi Otok offers many activities, such as sailing, trekking, diving and even paintball. It is worth visiting the archaeological sites, such as the Vlakno cave, where in 2011 the skeleton of the „Oldest Dalmatian, Šime” – dating back 11,000 years – was discovered.
Telašćica Nature Park
Perhaps the best-known tourist attraction on the island is Telašćica Nature Park. The Park's terrain is a mosaic: calm, charming coves, enormous, breathtaking rock faces, pine and oak forests, meadows, vineyards, olive groves and stony hills with Mediterranean vegetation that here comprises more than 400 plant species, including many rare and endemic ones. In the sea we will encounter around 250 species of plants and 300 species of animals, among them beautiful red corals and carnivorous sponges.
In Telašćica, donkeys (around 14 of them) have also found their home. The animals wander freely among visitors in the areas around Mir Bay and the salt lake. The lake is home to an endemic species of eel called „kajman”, and the mud from its bed has healing properties.
Not far from the lake you can climb the high rock faces that drop vertically into the sea. They make an enormous impression both when you stand on their summit and when you sail by boat at their feet. The highest cliff in the Park – Grapšćak – stands 161 m above the water's surface, and the greatest depth „beneath the walls” reaches 85 m. This incredible natural wonder was created by tectonic movements that pushed enormous vertical slabs of rock upward, and it is now a nesting place for many birds, including falcons.
Sali and the Saljske užance
A short way north of Telašćica lies the island's main village – Sali. It is worth stopping here, especially on the weekend preceding the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (15 August), because that is when the famous Saljske užance take place – a festival opened by the Friday Fishermen's Night, with delicious fresh fish and seafood on the menu. Saturday and Sunday are reserved for a series of sporting games, entertainment and competitions, an illumination in the harbour, donkey races, and a concert you will hear nowhere else – the so-called Donkey Music (Tovareća mužika).
Sali can boast a fishing tradition of more than a hundred years, so every household owned a horn used to give signals during fishing. The younger generation decided to use it as a musical instrument. It all began as a joke back in 1960, when an old maid decided to marry a widower. Settling down late in life was not a source of pride, so an effort was made to keep the wedding a secret. A group of young people found out about these plans and followed the matchmakers, blowing horns and making noise. To get rid of the unwelcome guests, the bride and groom treated them to drinks, and after returning to the village the youngsters decided that from then on they would give such concerts more often, for their own enjoyment. That is how Donkey Music was born. The group that performs it today operates as an association and lends its performances to many events in the Zadar region and other parts of Croatia.
It is worth mentioning that today the Donkey orchestra plays not only horns but also drums and antique irons filled with stones, and the musicians wear strictly defined costumes. The group has its own conductor – a leader who directs its procession.
The Saljske užance end with a strange and amusing custom. The group of donkey musicians, blowing their horns, wades into the sea in the harbour at Sali so deeply that the water reaches their throats.
Near the village you can set out for a walk among the olive groves. One of them, the so-called Saljsko polje, has been declared a botanical reserve, and it is home to trees as old as 700 years. This olive forest – as the locals call it – was most likely first planted by the Greeks, who in the past owned the land and property in this area.
Brbišćica Bay, Zmajevo Oko and the Golubinka Cave
Let us now move further north, toward the middle of the island of Dugi Otok.
On the south-western coast, on the opposite side from the village of Brbinj, lies Brbišćica Bay with its small, charming beach. Surrounded by rocks and numerous caves, it is also known as Dugi Otok's Jurassic Park, because a wealth of fossils has been found in the local sedimentary rocks. The bay and the nearby coast are very attractive both for snorkellers and for deep-sea divers. The beach can be reached by boat, bicycle and even by car. You must bear in mind, however, that the road is unpaved and narrow, and there are few parking spaces.
Not far from the bay is an interesting natural phenomenon with an intriguing name – Zmajevo Oko, meaning the Dragon's Eye. It is a natural pool in the rock, situated on the seashore. This sizeable, elliptical cavity in the coastal rocks was formed by the erosion of limestone. The water here is very deep, crystal clear and shimmers with fabulous shades of blue. If you dare to dive, you will discover underwater passages, including one beneath the rock wall that separates the pool from the open sea.
The area around Brbišćica does not stop surprising us, however. Near Zmajevo Oko there is also the Golubinka cave, which can be reached by swimming or by kayak. After passing through a narrow tunnel, you enter a more spacious chamber, in whose ceiling there is an opening that lets sunlight in. The rays and the moving water create a beautiful play of light, sparkle and shadow inside the cave.
Veli Rat – the tallest lighthouse on the Adriatic
After visiting Veliko Žalo, we move to the north of Dugi Otok, near the village of Veli Rat.
Here, on the north-western cape of the island, the tallest lighthouse on the Adriatic was built in 1849. This 42-metre structure has held the title of the tallest to this day. Its yellow façade supposedly owes its colour to the 100,000 egg yolks used during construction. The lighthouse operates under the supervision of a keeper who lives here with his family and even offers rooms for rent. In its courtyard stands a chapel of St Nicholas – the patron saint of sailors. The romance of this exceptional place attracts couples in love, so weddings are not infrequently held in the chapel. The cape, surrounded by dense pine forest, with small charming gravel beaches and a rocky coastline, leaves no one indifferent.
North of the lighthouse, in the sea, lies the wreck of the Italian cargo ship Michelle, which ran aground here in 1983 – supposedly not by accident at all, but to claim insurance. Either way, it was left in this spot as an attraction for divers. For many years most of the ship protruded above the surface of the sea, so an artist even filmed a music video for his song in this unique setting. Over time the wreck sank ever deeper, and today only the mast rises above the water. It is still shallow enough, however, to make an excellent spot for snorkelling.
Sakarun – the Croatian Maldives
A short way south of the lighthouse lies one of the most famous and most photographed beaches in Croatia – Sakarun, where we also organise excursions. A great bay with shallow, warm water, surrounded on all sides by dense forests, attracts sailors as well as those who do not own their own boat. Numerous excursion boats take tourists to the village of Božava, and from there a tourist train runs to the beach. Sakarun has about 800 m of shoreline and its coast is gravel and sand. Only about 250 m from the shore does the sea deepen, and the bottom of the bay is covered with sand. Such conditions make it an ideal place for children and for those who cannot swim or swim poorly. Owing to the great popularity of the Croatian Maldives, the beach can become crowded in season, but it is certainly a place that must be seen.
Božava, mentioned earlier, as well as Dragove, lying a little further south, conceal one more surprise. Near these villages there are bunkers for wartime submarines, which today sometimes serve as a safe refuge for sailboats and ships. Some of them have additional passages/tunnels accessible from the land.
Dugi Otok – the Croatian pearl, on which the surrounding landscape enchants in its natural form, unaltered by human hands. Where for centuries people have lived among and in harmony with nature. Where intrusive urbanisation and modernisation have still not reached. Where body and soul can slow their pace, find true solace and rest far from the crowded everyday. This exceptional therapy of nature is completed by the scent of the local air.