Chartering in Croatia through the Kornati: what applies in the national park?

Chartering in Croatia brings many crews through the Kornati, a scatter of bare, pale islands between Zadar and Šibenik. Most of them lie inside the Kornati National Park, and what applies first is simple: every boat entering the park needs an entry ticket. The price depends on the length of the boat and on where and when you buy it; bought in advance at a sales point or online it is normally cheaper than from the rangers inside the park. The base deals with the yacht's papers, the park ticket is up to you.

Inside the park the rules are checked. You may anchor or moor only in designated bays, on buoys and at the jetties of the konobas, the small restaurants that often keep berths for diners. Fishing needs its own permit and is limited to certain zones, scuba diving is allowed only at marked sites, and some islands and zones are closed altogether. There is little or no water, shore power or rubbish collection on the islands. Next door lies the Telašćica Nature Park, which charges for its own ticket.

Buy the park ticket before you go in and keep it to hand for when a ranger boat comes alongside. Ask the base for a park chart showing the permitted bays, and take water and provisions for several days. The islands are rocky and many shoals are hard to see, so move only in daylight and with the chart in view. Carry your qualification and crew list. You are personally liable for damage you do to buoys, jetties or other boats, so make sure your own skipper liability insurance applies in Croatia.

Worth remembering

In the Kornati the park ticket belongs in the passage plan like water and provisions: bought before you go in and kept to hand.