Best Anchorages in the Kornati

Lojena is consistently described as the most beautiful anchorage in Kornati — a wide horseshoe bay on the SW coast of Levrnaka island with a dazzling sandy beach that rivals any in the Mediterranean.

Šipnate is the quintessential Kornati all-weather anchorage — a deep, narrow inlet on the E coast of Kornat island that penetrates far enough inland to provide shelter from all significant wind directions except W and SW.

Vrulje is perhaps the most dramatic anchorage in Kornati — a narrow slot between sheer white limestone cliffs that rise 100m+ above the water, carved by geological forces into a cathedral-like space.

Smokvica Vela is a small island in the heart of the Kornati group with a pleasant bay on its SW side, well suited as a lunch stop or brief pause during a passage through the archipelago.

Kravljačica is one of the most strategically valuable anchorages on the NW coast of Kornat — a sheltered inlet whose orientation and surrounding topography make it the premier Bura shelter on this exposed coastline.

Lavsa is the most comprehensively sheltered and most charming overnight anchorage in the central Kornati — an island with multiple bays, a well-known konoba, excellent holding on sand and mud, and reliable protection from all significant summer and early-autumn winds.

Piškera is the service hub of the Kornati archipelago — the site of the ACI marina built within the ruins of a 16th-century Venetian salting plant (Porto Tureta), where tuna were historically processed for export.

Katina is a small, low-lying island near the northern boundary of Kornati National Park, sitting at the entrance to Prolaz Mali Ždrelac — the narrow, shallow passage that connects the inner Kornati to the Murter Sea to the north.

Mana is one of the most visually dramatic islands in all of Kornati — a nearly circular disc of white limestone rising steeply from the sea, its cliffs streaked orange and ochre where mineral seams cut through the rock.

Opat is a deep, well-sheltered bay on the SE coast of Kornat island that is frequently overlooked by charter fleets in favour of the more famous Lojena or Lavsa — making it a rewarding find for independent sailors seeking a quieter overnight.