Kornati’s “crowns” are seaward-facing cliffs that drop more than 90 m below the surface of the sea in some places. Anyone wishing to book a hotel in Kornati can then continue searching for accommodation.
Geographical location
Kornati National Park covers an area of 218 km² and comprises 89 islands, islets and rocks. The islands of the national park have a combined coastline of 238 km.
Nature
Magazinova škrila is the largest layered limestone slab in the Adriatic. In the Kornati archipelago, the seagrass Posidonia oceanica remains well developed and widespread. The marine life in the Kornati area includes bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus).
Paths and water
Trtuša is a 1.4 km-long educational trail focusing on the geological foundations of the Kornati and human presence. At ACI Marina Piškera, the 165 m-long Vela Panitula educational trail features eight information panels on the park’s natural and cultural characteristics. In Kornati National Park, visitors may hike only on paths and trails explicitly marked for this purpose.
No special permit is required for snorkeling in Kornati National Park. Swimming is permitted throughout Kornati National Park, except in strictly protected areas.
Culture
At the foot of Tureta, a large part of the apse and part of the former foundations of an Early Christian three-nave basilica have been preserved. A Venetian fortress was built on the islet of Vela Panitula 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 that period on the Adriatic that was not destroyed.
The dry-stone walls of the Kornati are a significant cultural attraction; there are approximately 330 km of such walls within the national park. At low tide on Lavsa, the submerged remains of a 14th-century saltworks emerge from the sea.
A Mass with the blessing of the fields and the sea is held at Gospe od Tarca on the first Sunday of every July; this is followed by a boat procession to Tarac.
Starting point
Murter is the nearest port of departure for Kornati National Park. From there, the national park can be reached exclusively by boat.
