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After much search and planning, we had decided to spend 3 days of our motorcycle trip across South Eastern Europe in Croatia’s Dugi Otok (Croatian for ‘Long Island’) island this past summer. We desperately needed a few days of complete relaxation and Dugi Otok was our rest stop amidst the long motorcycle trip.
Dugi Otok is a large island located on the southwestern part of Croatia, some 2 hours ferry ride from a Croatian coastal city called Zadar. We were fully aware how touristy the Croatian coast can get during summer, so we carefully selected a lesser known island for our summer holiday. It wasn’t easy: Croatian islands and beaches on the mainland are all stunning, but we finally settled for Dugi Otok (thanks Google maps! 😉 ) as we wanted to stay somewhere close to Croatia-Slovenia border for making it easier when doing the very long return trip to Lodz, Poland.
We arrived in Zadar after spending a nice summer afternoon in the extremely pretty, red-roofed city of Dubrovnik, some 5 hours away (on motorbikes!) from Zadar. It was a nice journey and I very much enjoyed the inland views of Croatia from the motorbike. By the time we arrived in Zadar, we were eager to board the ship. It was about an hour wait at the terminal until our ship arrived. We loaded the motorbikes into the ship and took seats on upper sundeck. It was quite chilly by that point (8 in the evening or so..) but the colors on the wide sky above the sea after sunset were beautiful.
Our rented apartment was about 25 kms from the ferry port. I felt like we were the only ones on the deserted roads traveling on the island on that night. It was almost surreal but special; riding on the roads with sea on both sides (the island is long and narrow) and not another soul in sight. After we reached the small village of Zman where we’d be staying, we went out for food. There must have been just 3 restaurants in the whole village, but we did find some pizza and beers. There were tourists however, as I noticed some Italian and Austrian number plates, among few other European ones.
Sakarun beach
We hadn’t had a proper beach day until we arrived on the island during the trip. We had some swimming chances during the trip, such as in Kravice waterfalls in Bosnia&Herzegovina (but the water was coooollld), in Kotor, Montenegro and near Dubrovnik. But they were just for a short while. So we were all really looking forward to lounging on the pristine beach of Sakarun the whole day. It is considered among the best beaches not just on the island but the whole region, and as soon as we arrived there, we could tell why.The clear sea has amazing shades and the green surroundings make it even more impressive . I will let the picture do the talking:
We spent the whole day on its shallow waters, sunbathing, snorkeling (a bit), playing ball games on the water, taking photos and videos and the most important of all: relaxing. The sun had come out later at around 11 that day, so we were in Sakarun after noon. It is a popular beach which is connected by tour buses from other parts of the island, although we went on motorbikes. I would recommend to not give this superb beach a miss if you’re somewhere in the area. After a fabulous time at the beach well into the evening, we did a short tour of the surroundings on motorbikes and enjoyed the extremely beautiful island scenery when returning to Zman. 
Telascica Nature Park
Telascica is a stunning nature park full of wildlife and sea creatures located on the southeastern part of the island. The village we were staying at was just a few kilometers from the nature park. A quick google search convinced all of us of the beauty and variety of the park, so we started our second day at the park. The motorbike ride to the entrance of the park meant passing the lovely island scenery again. I would never get tired of it. Rugged landscapes, high cliffs overlooking the sea, spectacular views of gleaming Adriatic sea , empty narrow roads: just magical.
We started the hike in the park after paying for tickets and getting a map. It seemed like a big park with mesmerizing scenery and cool attractions. We crossed them off one by one as we followed the map and had a lot of fun doing so, despite the heat.
One of them was the salt lake called Mir, which was very warm and full of sea creatures. We enjoyed swimming there and getting free foot massage from the tiny shrimps on the shore!
The park spans to an area of 70 sq. km so we had quite a hike that day! It was evident that the bays in the park were famous with many boaters for anchorage.
Some of the highlights of the nature park were a donkey sanctuary, saltwater lake Mir, impressive cliffs overlooking the blue sea and beautiful coves with calm water. We had a great time there admiring the views, jumping from some of the cliffs into the water, snorkeling, hiking on wild paths and relaxing on its bays. It was an adventure-filled, great day.
Exploring
We also did some exploring while we were on Dugi Otok. We went to see the capital of the island, Sali, which was buzzing with tourists and locals on the warm summer evening. We rode on the island’s windy roads and enjoyed spectacular views. We idly roamed around the village we were staying at, Zman.
We enjoyed good food and the salty air everyday. On the last day, we checked google maps and found what looked like a little beach not very far from Zman. We followed the map which led us to empty wild dirt road finally leading to the little beach. The hike itself was lovely too and I stopped to take about 5000 pictures of the views as usual 😉
The small beach was pebbly but we had it just for ourselves! There was a small ship anchored nearby and people were jumping off to the blue water. We snorkeled, swam and spent many hours there.
We had good, slow-paced 3 days full of fun in Dugi Otok island. The island was so pretty and we got exactly what we expected from the holiday.
Stories from Europe 
That looks amazing! Also, what is a donkey sanctuary? Did you go there? Why do donkeys need a sanctuary?
The small sanctuary in the nature park is for abandoned donkeys. Donkeys used to be a very important part of Dalmatian culture, but are not so useful anymore. So the sanctuary was made for few donkeys that remain. We only saw a few inside a fenced area, but I’ve read that you can see them roam around freely in the area, including the beaches! 🙂
Awww, that’s so sad! At least the donkeys now have a nice place to go.
Great article, I wanted to be on your journey with each photo!
It is really a beautiful island. Thanks for reading and commenting! 🙂
It really does look amazing which makes me wonder when I will have the chance to see it for myself. So many places on my agenda and so little time available :p
Oh yes I know the feeling.. so many places to see and so little time! I highly recommend Croatia for holiday. I think the beaches are very nice for little Nathan too 🙂
I had Croatia on my mind for a long time for some nice summer beach holiday but then again me and my wife are terrible when it comes to going to other countries
Fabulous account. The beaches, the sunset hues, the serenity and your hiking adventure makes me want to travel to Croatia!! 🙂 Loved the pebbled beach the most ❤
You should really travel to Croatia if you get the opportunity! 🙂 Yes, the beach was so pretty and the views were amazing. But there were many sea urchins so we had to be careful when stepping into the water! 🙂 What I liked about Croatian beaches was how they’re surrounded by greenery.
Looks idyllic, Pooja. And loads of interesting rocks to climb and step over too.
Oh yes, Amanda. I could spend weeks there. Most of the beaches were rocky, we had to use water shoes while going for a swim. But rocky beaches means good snorkeling opportunities so I didn’t mind! We missed out on quite a few things like mountaineering, visiting caves, biking etc which are renowned in the area. Maybe one day if I return 🙂
There is always time for travel, Pooja. And so many possibilities in that region.
Sakarun beach looks so stunning! We also found a beach by walking along a dirt path for about half an hour in a Croatian island. It was on one of the Pakleni islands but it was lovely to reach such a quiet, peaceful beach at the end. Gorgeous sunset you saw en route to Dugi Otok!
Thank you! Sometimes the best beaches are discovered by chance, aren’t they? Sounds like we had a similar experience in Croatia! 🙂
Fantastic place for family vacation. I truly enjoyed reading this post. I am planning a trip this Christmas. This place also be a great option for me & my family. But how would be if I take my kid along with us? Just confused, as she is so small & unaware about the Croatian island whether in December. Please guide me. Thanks for sharing.
Hi Sagar.
I am afraid that December might not be a good time to visit an island, unless you don’t care about water activities. It is quite cold at that time of the year, with Google showing me the average day temperature as 11 degrees. The water was cold-ish when we were there in August, so I think if you’re thinking of having a beach holiday then you should try late spring, summer or September. The island is easily accessible by a ferry ride (about 2 hours) from Croatian city of Zadar. It is recommended that you rent a car because the public transportation on the island is not very frequent, and since it is not very small, places can be quite far apart. I saw many kids there, especially on Sakarun beach. I am sure there are some other sandy beaches on the island too. However, there are many rocky beaches, cliffs, the nature park I wrote about – which might not be suitable for toddlers. We found the prices to be quite high on Croatian seaside, but the country is still cheaper than Western Europe. It is all relative to where you live/earn. Croatia offers many beach/island options and some really pretty cities/villages, so even if you won’t go to this island, there are plenty to choose from! Some more easily accessible, some more kids-friendly. I know many people who have vacationed in Croatia with little kids – not particularly this island but in other parts of the country. Good luck with planning and deciding!
Pooja
Beautiful photos and it all sounds like such an awesome trip!
Thanks, Tay! It was a wonderful trip indeed 🙂
This looks like such a gorgeous island, and one I have never even heard of one before! What a lovely hidden gem you came across 🙂
Yes it was a great find! 🙂 Few tourists and a typical, beautiful Croatian island.
The beaches look very inviting, Pooja, and the views of the Mediterranean and the coast are stunning. It sounds as though your three days there were well-spent.
They are, aren’t they Tanja! The clarity of sea is spectacular in southern Europe. It’s actually the Adriatic sea. I can’t wait to return to Croatia! The only downside was that it was much more expensive than we thought.. much more than Greece and Spain. I think it’s the sudden popularity of it that has made the prices soar..
I hope you will be able to spend more time at the sea, and get in some snorkeling! 😊