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Garoful Cookhouse
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Explore Dugi otok – Dalmatian most beautiful thorn in the eye
If you don't belive in fairytale, now it's the right moment to change your opinion. Everything that comes from love is miracle and Dugi otok is love at first sight. It's time for you to tell your own miracle story!
Dugi otok is located on the edge of Adriatic sea, open view at the unknown, magical view at the Telašćica Nature Park and National Park Kornati. One of the most secret island in Croatia allow you to feel your truly mother – nature.
Dugi Otok is an island located close to Zadar on the mainland, and is the largest among the islands in this part of Dalmatia. Its name literally means ‘long island’ – for it is indeed of this description - it is 45km long.
Feel the miraculous peace, the noise of the sea, the chirping of birds, lie down for hours on a sandy beach and much more. One of the most popular sand beach Sakarun, highest lighthouse Veli rat in the Adriatic, cave in the sea or Dragon eye at the Brbinjšćica bay are the gift from the universe. If you brave enough to make your future better, keep reading.
What to see on Dugi otok
Sakarun beach
Sakarun or Saharun, as this beach is still called, is a picturesque bay about 800 m long that looks like the Caribbean in the heart of the Adriatic. Despite the fact that Sakarun beach is located by the open sea, it is protected by a long bay and therefore it is always more pleasant to swim. Sakarun is considered one of the 10 most beautiful beaches in the world and owes its reputation to the fine white sand and turquoise color of the sea which is incredibly clear.
Veli Rat lighthouse
It was built in 1849 and it is 42 meters high and today it is the highest lighthouse in the Adriatic. It owes its impressiveness to its yellow facade, for which, according to oral tradition, 100 000 yolks were used. In the courtyard of the lighthouse is the chapel of St. Nicholas, a place increasingly in demand for organization of a romantic wedding.
Slightly further north, there is a very attractive diving site, the wreck of the Italian ship Michelle. It transported bulk cargoes and stranded in 1984.
Brbinjšćica Bay with Dragon eye and Golubinka cave
It is also called the ‘Long Island Jurassic Park’ because it is rich in sedimentary rocks in which many fossils have been found. It is surrounded by rocks and numerous caves and is one of the safest bays on the island to the open sea. Near the bay there is a dragon's eye and the Golubinka cave. The Dragon's eye at first glance looks like a pool in a rock. When you dive, you will see that it hides all sorts of passages. Among other things, it is possible to dive the rock that separates the ‘pool’ from the sea. At the top of the Golubinka cave is the hole, so when the sun's rays reach you, you will enjoy a wonderful range of colors in the impressive interior of the cave. You can enter it by swimming or kayaking.
National park Kornati
One of Croatia’s eight national parks, the collection of islands that make up Kornati National Park are just south of Dugi Otok. In other words, stone pearls of the Mediterranean. A stone labyrinth of eighty-nine islands, islets and cliffs in the sea - these are the Kornati. The most indented archipelago in the Mediterranean.
Nature Park Telašćica
Telascica Nature Park centres around Telascica Bay, from which the park got its name. It is well known for its coves and small islands, as well is its cliffs. The cliffs of the island rising up to 200 m over the sea, and vertically falling down 90 m into the sea.
Lake Mir is another sight well worth visiting in the Park – this salt-water lake which is connected to the sea by underground channels.
There is a relatively wide variety of plant and animal life to see in Telascica, including assorted marine life (such as crabs and sea urchins), coral and sponges. You may also be able to see falcons that nest on the cliffs in Telascica, and it is not unusual to see dolphins swimming off the coast. There is also a small donkey sanctuary – donkeys once being a large part of day-to-day life on Dugi Otok – in the park. We are waiting you at the most beuatiful sunset at fort Grpašćak.
Central place – Sali
Close to the Telascica Nature Park and the Kornati National Park, Sali is an ideal place to relax and a starting point for discovering natural beauty of the island. Sali is a place of a thousand-years-old fishing tradition, which was confirmed by written documents from the 10th century and ancient olive groves surrounding the village witness the intensive agricultural activities throughout the centuries. One of the most interesting events is the Sali Festival called Saljske užance, a three-day festival with the famous Tovareća mužika (donkey music) performing at the festival. There is also one of the most interesting libraries you will ever see.
and Garoful
Garoful Cookhouse is located in the center of the old city of Sali where traditional and modern dishes are served just a few meters from the sea. If you need romantic dinner, family lunch or a place to hang out, allow us to be part of your experience and a home away from home.