Yacht Charter from Zadar: Gateway to the Kornati

North Dalmatia is the value corner of Croatian chartering: a big charter fleet around Zadar, Biograd and Sukošan, lower prices than the south, and on the doorstep one of the finest sailing grounds anywhere — the Kornati.

The Kornati

The Kornati national park is roughly 140 mostly uninhabited islands, stone-bare and wind-carved, threaded with narrow channels and quiet coves. There are no towns and few facilities — you moor at the park's buoys or the handful of konoba jetties — which is precisely the appeal. Buy your park ticket in advance (cheaper) and provision fully before you go in.

A week from Zadar

• Warm-up night in the Pašman channel or on Ugljan, sheltered and close to base.
• Into Telašćica bay on Dugi Otok — a huge natural harbour with the salt lake and cliffs above.
• Two or three days weaving through the Kornati proper, konoba dinners at Vrulje or Piškera.
• Out to the Žut and Sit islands, then back via Murter.

Why choose the north

Base prices around Zadar tend to run below Split for the same boat, the anchorages are less crowded even in August, and the Kornati offer the kind of empty, elemental sailing that's getting rare in the Med. The trade-off is fewer lively island towns — this is a nature charter more than a nightlife one.

Browse boats based around Zadar below.