At this beach on our first stop, I swam out to the distant line of buoys with two of my new German friends. Though quite deep, the still and crystal clear water made the sandy sea floor appear to be just under my feet.
The mixture of the rocky terrain and greenery intrigued me.
I rode in the open front of the boat for every leg of the journey.
The water was astoundingly clear, and as it got deeper, it had a rich and vivid color.
Since Croatia is known for its seafood, the lunch included on the boat tour was grilled fish.
While swimming at the first stop was spectacular, I loved the second stop where we saw huge karst cliffs and some ruins.
The sides of the islands that faced the open sea had impressive cliffs, contrasting with the softer shore of the mainland-facing sides of the island.
While we were on a commercial tourism boat, we passed numerous private yachts.
Climbing the rocky hill gave me a better perspective of the surrounding islands.
Dry masonry can be spotted throughout the islands, mainly in the construction of walls that divide properties and small clusters of ruins.
I’m always happy to see some ruins!
This tower and wall are the ruins that we spotted from the boat below prior to making the stop.
While some on the tour went straight into the water, I went straight up to the ruins, beating most of the group in order to see the site almost alone.
This freestanding arch and back wall with niches were the centerpiece of the ruins.
It’s clear that whoever built these structures didn’t shy away from curves and arches.
I know I am biased, but I enjoy being able to see construction techniques.
The karst limestone formations were fascinating. They broke off into tons of smaller fragments, making it a bit treacherous to hike up and down the slope.
The last stop of the trip was the fisherman’s village of Kukljica.
Kukljica had a small-town charm.
I spent my first day in Croatia island hopping with a boat tour of Kornati National Park.

This site is not an official site of the Fulbright Program or the U.S. Department of State. The views expressed on this site are entirely those of its author, Stephanie Kubus, and do not represent the views of the Fulbright Program, the U.S. Department of State, or any of its partner organizations.