Kornati ISLANDS

KORNATI ISLANDS is a group of about 130 islands, islets and reefs sprinkled in the deep blue sea of the Adriatic covering an area of about 64 sq km. The Kornati archipelago is in Dalmatia, a coastal region of Croatia just across the cities of Zadar and Sibenik.

The largest island is Kornat from which the archipelago takes its name. Other larger islands are, Piskara, Kurba Vela, Zut, Sit , Vrgada and Levrnaka. Apart from a tiny area of cultivated land with fig trees, olives and vineyards, Kornati islands are rocky, covered with thin grass, rare trees and Mediterranean scrubs.

Over the time erosion has been caused by the sea, over grazing by sheep and fire.This erosion has deprived the islands of their primeval luxurious vegetation, and the people have moved to more hospitable islands. Some of the bigger islands were inhabited during the Neolithic age by Illyrians. A number of wealthy families from Zadar and later Venice have claimed possession of the larger islands.

The Kornati have no permanent inhabitants, although the present owners from nearby larger Dalmatian islands periodically visit Kornati to tend their vineyards and olive groves, bringing their sheep to graze. The sea around the islands is rich with fish and a variety of marine life.... The islands have no spring water, only rainwater collected in water holes. The unique feature of the islands lies in their rugged shores with many caves and coves. The landscape of chalk limestone is covered with bushes of rosemary, juniper, lavender, thyme, myrtle and sage. Pathways leading to steep and huge cliffs facing the open sea and others gently decline towards the sea, ending in a small bay with a jetty and one or two fishermen's cottages surrounded by pine, olives and fig trees....

Small Photo Gallery of Kornati Islands

Small Photo Gallery of Kornati Islands: photos include Cliffs at Kornati , Clouds at sunset , Dotted Kornati Islands, Kornat Landscape, Kornati-Vruje, Kornati Bird's View , Lavsa at Kornati, Piskera at Kornati, Sailing around Kornati, Small Kornat , Sunset at Kornati , Sunset Sky at Kornati, Archipelago Kornati

Accommodation on Kornati:

As there are no permanent settlements in Kornati islands, the nearest island with hotels is Murter where one can stay to visit Kornati. Here is the list of Murter Hotels. Also, staying in Dugi Otok, Vodice, Biograd, Zadar or Sibenik will be close to visit Kornati Islands.

Kornati Travel Articles:

• Kornati cottages among 13 of the world’s most remote hotels by Sunday Times:
  In today’s Travel Supplement of Sunday Times, Kornati Cottages are recommended among 13 of the world’s most remote hotels. This is an excerpt from the article: KORNATI COTTAGES, Croatia: Legend says that when God was making the earth, he tossed a handful of soil over his shoulder into the Adriatic – and where it fell, so rose the Kornati islands. George Bernard Shaw said that God created them “out of tears, stars and breath”. A colleague stayed here a week, and put his clothes on only to meet the Tuesday supply boat and to row to a neighbouring island cafe... read more
• Zut allure - back to basics in the Kornati islands
  For some, staying for a week on a rocky, low-lying island covered in scrub and gorse - no beaches, no roads, no shops, no night-clubs - in a former fisherman's cottage without a bathroom and only a bucket-flush loo, may not be quite enough to induce thoughts of holiday nirvana. However, as I lay in the sun, novel in hand and the sea lapping at my feet, I was happy.
  Zut, my home for a week, is one of the 147 Kornati islands, which lie off the coast of Croatia, roughly halfway down the country's Adriatic coast. The beauty of these islands lies in their barrenness: their shores are lined with rocks, not sandy coves, and they have no natural water, only what is collected when it rains or is brought from the mainland. It is these arid conditions, though, that has kept the developers away.... read read more ...
• Kornati Islands Travel Directory - Kornati Links, info, accommodations... + Piskera , Premuda, Zut ...