One of the most beautiful bays on the Adriatic coast is located far away from well known islands of Dalmatia or the more popular coast from Zadar to Dubrovnik. Bay of Zavratnica is located just across the island of Rab: far away from most of the regular routes…

This 900 meters deep bay is often called fjord but this is not the same type of bay as the Norwegian fjords. Zavratnica bay was created by the streams of water flowing down Velebit mountain that created this deep canyon and later sunk when the sea level rose up. There is a legend that three Roman cities were destroyed by an earthquake in 615. and that the bay was created on that date, but the actual story is not so dramatic since it took nature millenia to create this beautiful bay.

Zavratnica was also popular among the Austrian elite as a secret hideout for their noble games so they created a lovely paths both from top of the hill and from nearby Jablanac (15 min by foot).
Today, Zavratnica is a well protected “important landscape” and 15 kn are charged if you would like to visit in the summer time.
There is also a wreck of a German military ship sunken by the Allies in WWII in Zavratnica which makes this place a great diving spot even for the kids since the wreck is only few meters bellow the surface!


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