Packing and getting there
It’s Monday in late June 2023 and we’re packing for our two-week road trip through Croatia & Italy. The rough plan: a week by the sea on the island of Dugi Otok in Croatia, then a ferry over to the Italian mountains. This time our two-year-old fox terrier Ibo is coming too. He watches us pack all day and, by evening, stations himself by the bags in the hallway so we don’t accidentally leave him behind (as if—without him, we wouldn’t be us). In the end, the car is bursting at the seams; I don’t get it—we only packed the essentials :))
Around midnight we roll out of Bratislava, through Hungary, bound for Zadar, where we’ll catch the ferry to Dugi Otok. The drive flies by, no holdups anywhere—at least according to Boris; I slept great and, for once, didn’t share the driving. We make a short stop at the first gas station after the Hungarian border to fill up (wouldn’t recommend it; we later learned prices are higher than at other stations), stretch our legs—ours and Ibo’s—and, of course, grab the first coffee of the day.
About an hour in we leave the highway and pull into the village of Cetina, where the river of the same name springs. From the parking area you can already see a small pool glowing with color—according to the internet it’s 130 m deep. Ibo immediately tries to charm the local village dog who’s come to say hello; never mind she’s at least three times his size. A German woman pulling out of the lot yells “drei” from her car window—I don’t know what she’s on about, so I just wave politely and leave it. Moments later another giant dog bounds over and I start to realize what that “drei” meant. Before we know it, a third member of the free-roaming village pack is on Ibo, and he lets out a squeal as one bites him on the neck. “Dobro došli” was not quite the welcome I had in mind, but never mind—we disinfect the wound, hop back in the car and continue on…
Before the ferry we top up on groceries at Kaufland, have lunch and fill the tank again—options on the island are limited. The not-quite-two-hour ferry from Zadar to Brbinj goes without a hitch. Good thing we ate on the mainland, because with a dog you can only stay up on deck; you’re not allowed into the restaurant. By the way, Ibo nailed the escalator from the car deck to the upper deck—Boris had been training him for months in an unnamed shopping mall 🙂
Why an island?
Fewer people, peace and quiet, more freedom with a dog—and you can usually find a beach all to yourself. Dugi Otok is the seventh-largest island in the Adriatic, with around 1,500 residents. Over a week, in between downtime, we explored local beaches and most of the villages, Telašćica Nature Park, the salt lake Mir, the Veli Rat lighthouse on the far end of the island—and Boris even squeezed in some diving.
Our house sat on a hill with a large terraced garden right inside the Telašćica reserve, reached by a several-kilometer gravel track—perfect for morning runs. We fired up the grill and firepit more than once—pork tenderloin, sausages, grilled vegetables and cheese were spot-on. Even not finding charcoal didn’t stop us; we gathered dry wood from the garden and that did the trick. Ibo could bark on at length about his own gourmet tastings off the grill :)). We tried a couple of local restaurants too; for reference, two pizzas and two drinks set us back €35 at one pizzeria, while at another we stuck to drinks because mains started around €40 per person. Later we realized boats drop tour groups there, and if they don’t want to go hungry, that’s where they eat… business is business.
Beaches
On the first evening Boris shortlisted a few beaches for the morning; whichever we liked, we’d stay. First pick, Ripisce beach, didn’t work out: the turnoff from the main road was marked with a no-entry sign. Even walking down wasn’t an option—there was nowhere to leave the car up on the main road. No matter; we checked the second option—two coves with beaches side by side. The access track runs about 2 km, descending the whole way. We park on a bend roughly 200 m from the sea and head right toward Samotvorac beach. From above it looked fantastic, but just before the end a chain and a PRIVATE sign stop us. Boris would have pressed on (signs are only advisory, right?), but one look from me and he changes course—we try the cove to the left. Success: Orihovica beach is lovely; a family with a baby and one couple are sunning there. We drop our stuff on the rocks and head straight in. It’s Ibo’s first time at sea; we’re curious how he’ll react. At first he jumps back from the waves and refuses. Then he ventures in, only to dislike the breakers hitting him. He tries his little diving routine and in seconds learns this water isn’t like the puddles he investigates at home with his nose. Once he’s done coughing and licking the salt, we tempt him with a toy to coax a swim; he’s not thrilled and after a few meters turns back to shore. No rush—we won’t push it; there’ll be plenty more chances. Meanwhile the family leaves, then the couple—hooray, the beach is ours 🙂
The next day we scout another beach on the list; we never did catch its name. The access path passes the larger Brbišćica beach, where a handful of people are, and then left across the rocks about 50 meters further. We meet a Mexican–German couple who are happy to share the spot. It turns into a very pleasant afternoon: we talk about all sorts, the guys fly the drone, and Ibo heads off for a swim all by himself… yippee. One note: there were plenty of jellyfish in the water—some harmless, others with a proper sting.
From Brbišćica beach you can paddle a kayak to the famous Golubinka cave…
The island’s most-hyped Sakarun beach left us with mixed feelings; we dropped by while touring the west coast. We found no one on the sand, just heaps of debris and seaweed—maybe the gray weather plus the lull before the season. And “sandy” is a stretch in our book.
Veli Žal beach…
Lake Mir and the Grpašćak cliffs
Good to know before you go to Dugi Otok
Food and drink – we arrived well stocked and it proved a good call. Local groceries had very limited choice and steep prices. Any initial guilt about carting food across borders vanished fast.
Mosquitoes – evenings in the garden were thick with them, so we burned mosquito coils non-stop. Bring your own; our hosts left a pack, and it was gone in the first few days.
Healthcare – there’s no hospital on the island, only a GP and a pharmacy. Pack a well-stocked first-aid kit.
Vet – if you’re traveling with a pet, the nearest veterinarian is in Zadar.