If your stay in Zadar is somewhat longer, a trip to Long Island should make it’s way onto your itinerary. This island contains massive number of attractions and it is by far the most ‘Mediterranean’ in Zadar county.
The island is a part of Zadar Archipelago and as a farthest island from the coast, located in the open sea towards Italy, it is the least touched by big crowds.
You can find here some amazing beaches with crystal clean sea, numerous beautiful bays, natural caves, Yugoslavian army tunnels for hiding submarines, original fisherman villages, sink ships and one big Nature park Telašćica. And all that with no big tourist crowds.
Means for transportation for your Long Island day trip really depend on your site seeing preferences. If you like your trips adventurous, then I recommend going on an organized kayak tour, while if you prefer to have your ‘peace’ and are not really sporty you can go with a car on a ferry. But, do realize that the ferry trip lasts for over 2 hours, so organize accordingly. The reason I don’t recommend a bike is because the island is really long (40 km) and maybe such a trip should be organized for a longer stay 🙂
NO CAR-NO PROBLEM: RECOMMENDED TOUR: Kayak & Bike Tours Adventure
So, no matter if you have a car on your trip or not, I most warmly recommend this amazing tour. This is a full day kayak adventure where you spend a day filled with friendship, adventure, mystery and adrenaline, and get a good workout too. The photos underneath are some of the highlights of the tour, but for other information you can check their amazing reviews on Facebook page or Trip advisor. This photos are taken by people on trip advisor. https://www.facebook.com/kayakcroatia/ or http://www.kayaktours-croatia.com/
IF BY CAR:
If you will be going by car, you should expect to have a totally different type of adventure, because many attractions of the above tour are hidden, not well known (not on google map) or can be accessed only from the seaside, but you can still have a great time visiting other places and exploring the island from the land.
For example, you can still visit Sakarun beach, Telašćica Nature Park (make sure to go to Rt Grpašćak for some amazing views on Kornati National Park – this is also the best view on Kornati National Park you will ever have) and visit fisherman village Sali. This self made tour would make you pass 40 km with a car in each direction.
And here are some costs to keep in mind:
- Return ticket for a ferry that includes a car and number of people traveling (Minimum cost for a small car and 2 ppl return ticket: 440kn). https://www.jadrolinija.hr/en/about-us/ships/ferries/ferries-for-coastal-and-international-shipping/zadar Departure: Zadar(Gaženica) / Arrival: Brbinj (Dugi Otok)
- Parking on Sakarun beach: 50 kn
- Entrance fee to the Telašćica Nature park: 40kn/person (but i couldnt find for cars, and you want to go there with a car, especially for the best view from Rt Grpašćak) http://pp-telascica.hr/?lang=en
- Gas, food, drinks…
Here are some highlights, pictures are taken from google, and by order of appearance they show: view on National Park Kornati from rt Grpaščak, Sakarun beach, Telašćica Nature park and village Sali.
Hope you enjoy 🙂