Tour name: Around the Kornati Islands
Degree of difficulty: easy
Tour length: 170 km
Alignment: round trip
GPS: route and track as GPX

Evenly our paddles dive into the water. Right, left, right, left. Small swirls form in the glassy water. The waves swaying us gently back and forth. I lay the paddle in front of me and pass my hand over the side wall of the kayak.
One week ago, we started from the Croatian Zadar to explore the archipelagos off the coast – a time when a green two-man-kayak became a companion. A companion, who carries all our luggage for us and takes us to places that would be unattainable for us alone.
Of course, we could also have booked a motorboat trip to get to the islands. But this is not what we want! We want to be driven not only to the highest cliff and the most beautiful bathing beach. We want to work out the route ourselves, discover hidden bays, bathe and lay wherever we like.

This is the freedom we love when traveling with the kayak.

Everything we need (tent, camping equipment and enough food and drink) is on board and allows us to be self-sufficient for several days. A great feeling!
A sudden wave rips me out of my thoughts. I curse and shake myself. Behind me giggles Christian to himself: “Paddling is just a water sport!”
I run my tongue over my brittle lips. It tastes salty, as probably all parts of me. A thick salt crusts cover my body. Christian’s skin is also covered with white crystals – I guess this is also a part when traveling by kayak on the Adriatic Sea.

We begin to look for a suitable sleeping place. It is late afternoon, but we are well in time: with about 5 km/h we are on the way (at the backwind even a little faster). With day stages from around the 15 km, it is a manageable time, which we spend on the water.
After a few more paddling sessions, we discover a plateau on the steep rocky coast: perfect for camping! The island is, like so many here, uninhabited. It will also be a quiet night.
We set the kayak out of the water, build up the tent and cook noodles. I take a look at our drinking bags. Freshwater is quite hard to find on the rocky islands. There are almost no natural springs or rivers. In order to fill our water bags, we are targeting settlements or restaurants. Yup! There are real, fancy restaurants out there! The guests are usually sailors or tourists from the mainland, which are driven out on the islands by the mentioned motorboats.

Slowly the noodles are boiling. I look out over the sea. Small silver looking fishes are jump out of the water and disappear – something seems to have frightened the swarm.
The sun gradually sinks into the waves. A white sailboat passes the horizon, while on the neighboring island a lighthouse is lit.
Then it will be quiet on our small island off the coast of Croatia. One last time we look for our “Green Sea Cucumber”. It is securely protected against the flood on a higher stone level. I am curious to see where it will take us tomorrow …