What to do in Maslenica: Kornati national park and Telašćica nature park
Kornati national park
Kornati national park is a very popular excursion destination from cities like Zadar, Biograd and Šibenik. The archipelago is named Kornati which is derived from the main island Kornat. Kornati is a maze of around 140 small islands, and reefs that boast extreme natural beauty, but only the northern 89 of them have been included in the national park. About a quarter of the national park is land, while the rest of it is a beautiful and unspoilt underwater ecosystem. It is the most dense archipelago of islands in the whole Mediterranean sea.
Fun fact: A number of islands carry vulgar names in Croatian because when Austrian surveyors arrived to record the archipelago, the local guides ended up mocking them, by providing false and vulgar names for some of the isles.
View of Kornati National Park
View of Kornati National Park
Telašćica nature park
A nature park is a part of the island Dugi Otok and is comprised of a saltwater lake, a huge bay and the cliffs of Telašćica which rise to about 161m above sea level. The cliffs drop down under sea level to a depth of 90m which makes it a perfect place to dive and wander at the reef walls of the cliffs.
View of Telašćica cliffs
How to get to Kornati and Telašćica
The easiest way to get to Kornati from Maslenica is to take the local road to Zadar which is about 30 minutes away. You can leave your car in Zadar where you can park and pay a daily parking ticket.
There are full-day excursions leaving from Zadar, which a lot of companies offer, which is the best option, if you’re arriving from Maslenica. The safest option is to buy tickets in advance over the internet and reserve your spot. Daily excursions that companies provide have quality tours that usually include breakfast and or lunch, swimming stops, a guide, tickets to Kornati national park and Telašćica nature park.
Bring diving masks if you have them!