Kornati Islands Loop from Zadar: 5 Days Wild

The Kornati archipelago contains 89 islands and not one permanent resident. No roads, no power lines, no streetlights. Sailing into it for the first time, you understand immediately why George Bernard Shaw called it the most beautiful archipelago in the world. Whether he was right is a matter of taste. That it is unlike anywhere else in the Adriatic is not.

This 5-day loop runs from Zadar south into the outer islands, through Kornati National Park, and back up the Pašman Channel. Roughly 80 NM in total, with daily legs ranging from 10 to 25 NM.

Route Overview

Detail	Value
Total distance	~80 NM
Duration	5 days / 4 nights
Daily legs	10 to 25 NM
Skill level	Intermediate (bareboat capable)
Best months	May to September
National Park entry	€35 per boat per day (2025)
Charter base	Zadar (Marina Tankerkomerc, Marina Sukošan, or D-Marin Borik)

Wind from May through September runs typically Force 3 to 4 from the northwest, 7 to 16 knots. The Maestral, a thermal sea breeze, fills in around midday through July and August and drops by evening. The Bora is a different matter. This cold northeasterly arrives with little warning in spring and autumn, hitting Force 6 to 7, between 22 and 33 knots. Check the Croatian HHI weather service every morning. No exceptions.

Day 1: Zadar to Telašćica, Dugi Otok (18 NM)

Depart by 09:00 to use the calm morning conditions. Head northwest through the Zadarski Kanal, then turn south along the eastern shore of Dugi Otok, Croatia's seventh-largest island at 45 km long. The passage is open water for about 8 NM before the island chain gives you shelter.

Your destination is Telašćica Nature Park, a deep, fjord-like bay on Dugi Otok's southern tip. Entry costs approximately €15 per boat. Pick up one of the roughly 90 mooring buoys inside the bay; buoys run about €25 per night for a 40-foot boat. Anchoring is prohibited in most of the park to protect the Posidonia seagrass beds.

What to do in Telašćica

• Cliffs of Telašćica: A 20-minute walk from the bay's western shore brings you to sheer cliffs dropping 100 m straight into the open Adriatic. No climbing gear needed, just shoes with grip.
• Lake Mir: A saltwater lake separated from the sea by a narrow ridge. Water temperature runs 5 to 6°C warmer than the sea in summer. Locals coat themselves in the lake's therapeutic mud and dry off on the rocks. Allow 15 minutes from the anchorage.
• Snorkelling: Visibility regularly exceeds 30 m inside the bay. Bring your own mask and fins. There is nothing to rent here.

Two konoba operate seasonally in the bay, serving grilled fish at around €15 to €20 a plate. Do not count on them being open. There are no shops and no fuel. Bring provisions.

Day 2: Telašćica to Levrnaka, Kornati (12 NM)

A short passage south through the Proversa Vela strait and into Kornati National Park. The strait narrows to roughly 50 m at its tightest point with 3.5 m of depth. Go slowly and keep a lookout for oncoming traffic.

Buy your Kornati National Park ticket before entering. The official site is np-kornati.hr, or pick one up at the park office in Murter. The fee is €35 per boat per day for vessels under 15 m, at 2025 pricing. Rangers patrol the park and check receipts. Fines for entering without a ticket start at €150.

Levrnaka and Lojena Bay

Levrnaka sits roughly mid-chain in the Kornati archipelago. Lojena Bay, on the island's western side, is widely regarded as the best beach in the group: a 100 m crescent of white pebbles and fine sand, genuinely rare among this region's sharp karst rock.

Anchor in 4 to 8 m over sand. The holding is good if you set the anchor properly. Use a scope of at least 5:1, meaning 25 m of chain for 5 m of depth. The bottom transitions to rock in patches, so watch your chartplotter and check your anchor with a snorkel if there is any doubt.

There is no shelter here from westerly or northwesterly wind. If the forecast shows anything above Force 4 from the west, move to the island's eastern side. Lojena has no facilities at all: no water, no power, no restaurants. That is the trade-off for having a bay like this to yourself.

If you are new to anchoring in remote spots, review essential sailing terminology before the trip. Knowing the difference between scope, rode, and swing radius matters when the nearest help is 12 NM away.

Day 3: Levrnaka to Žut (10 NM)

The shortest leg of the trip, which gives you time to thread the channels between the Kornati islands on the way north. Sail northeast through the Kornati Strait, weaving between islands that rise like grey walls from water clear enough to see the bottom at 15 m.

ACI Marina Žut is the only proper marina in the entire archipelago. It has 120 berths, water, electricity, and showers. A berth for a 40-foot boat costs approximately €70 per night in high season, dropping to around €50 in May and September. Book ahead through the ACI website for July and August; the marina fills by early afternoon on peak days.

Why Žut matters

After two nights with no infrastructure, Žut feels like civilisation. The marina restaurant, Konoba Žut, serves fish pulled from a live tank beside the terrace. Expect to pay around €25 to €35 per person for a full meal with wine. Fish is priced by weight, typically €50 to €60 per kilogram for sea bass or bream. Ask the price before you order.

Žut is also your last reliable water point before heading south. Fill your tanks here. A 200-litre top-up costs roughly €5 at the marina tap. If you are sailing a catamaran with larger tanks, be conservative with water use for the rest of the route regardless.

The island of Žut itself has around 20 seasonal residents, a few stone cottages, and nothing resembling a shop. The hillside trail above the marina takes about 40 minutes return and gives a good view across the northern Kornati chain.

Day 4: Žut to Kaprije (15 NM)

Leave the national park behind and head southeast toward Kaprije and Žirje. These islands sit outside the park boundary: no entry fee, fewer boats, and a different atmosphere entirely. Kornati is lunar and uninhabited. Kaprije has a real village with 140 year-round residents, a small harbour, and three restaurants.

The passage crosses open water for about 7 NM between Žut and Kaprije. In summer, the Maestral can build to Force 4 to 5 through this gap by early afternoon. Depart by 09:00 if you prefer flatter water.

Kaprije village

Tie up to the town quay, which is free but has no facilities, or anchor in the bay just south of the village in 5 to 8 m over sand and mud. The holding is good. Walking the harbour, you will find:

• A small grocery store stocking bread, water, beer, and canned goods. It closes for siesta between 13:00 and 17:00.
• Konoba Roko, known for grilled squid and local wine, around €20 per person.
• A 15th-century church, one of the oldest on the Dalmatian outer islands.

For more solitude, continue 5 NM southeast to Žirje, the most remote permanently inhabited island in the Šibenik archipelago. Around 100 people live there year-round. The western coast has a sea cave accessible by dinghy, and there is one restaurant.

After three days in the stark, treeless Kornati, these islands feel different. Pine forests, olive groves, and the sounds of people going about their day.

Day 5: Kaprije to Zadar (25 NM)

The longest leg. Depart by 07:30 to cover the distance before the afternoon thermal builds. The route heads northwest through the Murter Sea channel and up the Pašman Channel toward Zadar.

If 25 NM feels like too much or the forecast looks unsettled, break the passage at Murter. The town has a fuel station, which is rare in this area, several restaurants, and a small marina. The Kornati National Park office in Murter is also where you can buy or validate park tickets, useful if you are planning this leg in reverse order.

Returning to Zadar

Most charter companies require the boat back by 17:00 on the final day, with some asking for a 09:00 return, which means sleeping aboard the previous night at the base marina. Check your contract. A 07:30 departure from Kaprije at 5 knots average gives you a comfortable margin for a 17:00 return.

Fuel up at the Zadar marina dock before check-in. Over 5 days on a 40-foot sailing yacht, expect to use 40 to 80 litres of diesel depending on how much motoring you do in the calms. A full tank from empty costs roughly €120 to €160 at 2025 prices.

For a longer Croatian itinerary, this loop combines well with the Split to Dubrovnik route for a two-week passage covering the full Dalmatian coast.

What Makes Kornati Special

The numbers help explain it. Eighty-nine islands, islets, and reefs spread across 35 km. No permanent residents on any of them. Total land area of just 69 km², yet the coastline runs to 238 km of coves, channels, and bays.

The rock is karst limestone, stripped bare over centuries of sheep grazing and wind erosion. Above the waterline, the islands look grey and lunar. Below it, on a calm day, visibility exceeds 40 m. The seafloor is Posidonia meadow, sea fans, and grouper.

UNESCO has considered Kornati for World Heritage status. The park authority limits visitor numbers and prohibits construction. As a result, these islands look much as they did 500 years ago. This is not a place that accommodates you. You accommodate it.

Practical Planning

Water and fuel

Fill every tank in Zadar before departure. The only water refill on the route is ACI Marina Žut. There is no fuel available anywhere in Kornati National Park, and Kaprije has no fuel dock. Budget 30 to 40 litres of water per person per day for drinking, cooking, and minimal washing. A crew of four over five days needs at least 600 litres.

Provisioning

Buy everything in Zadar. The city has a Konzum supermarket 10 minutes from the marina, plus an excellent daily fish and produce market on the peninsula. Provision for at least three full days of self-catering. You can resupply basics in Kaprije on Day 4, but selection is limited and prices run 30 to 40% above mainland levels.

Anchoring

Most nights on this route involve anchoring or mooring buoys, not marinas. Key points:

• Minimum scope of 5:1 on your anchor rode, chain length to water depth.
• Rocky bottom is common throughout Kornati. Carry an anchor trip line or buoy to free a snagged hook.
• Set an anchor alarm on your phone or chartplotter. In a shared bay, you need to know if you drag overnight.
• Anchoring inside Kornati National Park is permitted only in designated bays. Check the park's official map, available online and at the Murter office.

What to bring

Beyond your standard sailing holiday packing list, add snorkelling gear, reef-safe sunscreen, a head torch for nights at anchor, and a paper chart of the Kornati islands as a backup to your GPS. Mobile signal is patchy to nonexistent in the southern part of the chain.

Who is this route for?

Intermediate sailors with bareboat experience. You need to be confident anchoring in variable conditions, navigating narrow channels, and managing a boat without shore support for 48 hours at a stretch. If you are still building those skills, consider hiring a skipper for this route. A skippered charter from Zadar costs roughly €180 to €250 per day on top of boat hire.

For sailors who want Croatian waters without the remote element, the Dalmatian coast route offers more marinas, more towns, and more options if things go wrong.

If seasickness is a concern for anyone on board, note that the open-water crossings on Days 1 and 5 can produce swells of 1 to 1.5 m. The inner Kornati channels on Days 2 and 3 are sheltered and typically flat.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need a licence to charter a boat in Croatia? Yes. Croatia requires a valid ICC (International Certificate of Competence) or national equivalent for bareboat charters. Your VHF radio operator certificate is also required.

Can I buy Kornati National Park tickets on the water? Rangers will sometimes sell tickets at sea, but this is not reliable. Buy online at np-kornati.hr or at the Murter park office before entering. Entering without a ticket risks a fine starting at €150.

Is Telašćica inside Kornati National Park? No. Telašćica is a separate Nature Park on Dugi Otok, administered independently. It has its own entry fee of approximately €15 per boat, paid on arrival.

What is the best month for this route? May and June offer settled winds, fewer boats, and cooler temperatures. September gives similar conditions after the August peak. July and August are busiest, with ACI Marina Žut filling early and mooring buoys in Telašćica sometimes taken by mid-afternoon.

Can I do this route in reverse? Yes. Many sailors prefer to tackle the longer 25 NM leg first on Day 1 while energy is high, then work back toward Zadar over shorter days. The Murter fuel stop works equally well in either direction.

Is there phone signal in Kornati? Patchy at best in the southern chain, nonexistent on some anchorages. Download offline charts before departure, carry a paper backup, and do not rely on mobile data for weather updates once you are south of Žut.