Visiting Kornati archipelago for the first time, you’ll find yourself surrounded with unique beauty of a savage nature. When you see this strange landscape without almost any trees, it is easy to understand why Kornati islands are the area with least rainfall in Croatia…
But, there’s one thing that will captivate your attention in this wilderness, and it is something made by humans. Massive stone walls going from one side of these islands to the other, seem like they have been there forever. These walls are actually borders of properties built centuries ago. Kornati islands are all private, mostly owned by people from nearby island Murter.
The National park story came much later. It was only in 1980. that government protected Kornati archipelago as a national park. That was the beginning of tourism era in Kornati that lasts till the present day.
In the past, living on Kornati was far away from our romantic ideas. Hard-working people were growing olive trees, vineyards and keeping sheep. In order to have fertile soil, actually any soil, firstly they needed to take out the stone from the ground. With all this extra stone they were building walls.
These walls became borders of properties and also the fence for sheep herds. Nowadays they are unforgettable landmarks and specially protected part of the national park.
Perfectly hidden between the stone walls, the sheeps are still there. These walls shelter them from our worst enemy, the summer high sun. Furthermore, in this dry climate they are forced to eat aromatic herbs and drink seawater. That is what makes the lamb from Kornati so famous and so delicious. If you order lamb in a restaurant you can be sure it’s wild grown on these islands.
Join us on one of our tours to Kornati and see this extraordinary scenery for yourself!
More about Kornati in our stories: Useful information about Kornati, Kornati cliffs, Island Mana, Take a look under the sea surface…
