Telascica Nature Park

Telascica occupies the southern end of Dugi Otok, and it has two entirely different sides. The inner bay is one of the safest natural harbours on the Adriatic, a long inlet with two dozen smaller coves branching off it, calm even when the open sea is not. Walk fifteen minutes across the ridge and the land ends in cliffs that fall well over a hundred metres straight into deep water. Between the two sits Mir, a saltwater lake fed through the rock, shallow, muddy at the edges and several degrees warmer than the sea. Donkeys wander the scrub. The park adjoins the Kornati archipelago, and most boat trips combine the two.

What you actually see

• The outer cliffs - a wall of limestone dropping over a hundred metres into open sea on the seaward side.
• Lake Mir - a warm shallow salt lake separated from the sea by a narrow strip of rock.
• The inner bay - a long sheltered inlet with dozens of side coves and anchored boats.
• The donkeys - a semi wild population that grazes the scrub and has become entirely used to visitors.

When to go

May to September, when boats run. Early and late season give clear water and space; August fills the bay with day boats and the cliff path with groups. Bura wind can cancel crossings at short notice. If you want a whole day here rather than an hour, come by road via the Brbinj ferry rather than on a tour.

Honest expectations

Almost everyone arrives on a combined Kornati day trip and gets ninety minutes ashore, which is not enough for both the lake and the cliffs. Lake Mir is warm but muddy underfoot and smells of it in high summer. There is no shade on the cliff path. The park fee is charged on top of boat trip prices in some cases, so check what is included.

Nearby

The Kornati islands lie immediately south, and Sakarun beach is at the other end of Dugi Otok.