There are three ways to reach Kornati from Zadar: a full-day excursion boat at 25–65 € per person with lunch (the 8 € national park ticket is usually included), a small-group speedboat at roughly 100–150 €, or your own rented boat with or without a skipper. The crossing takes about 2 hours each way and the trip lasts 8–10 hours. The best months are May, June and September.
Kornati is an archipelago of 89 islands and reefs between Dugi otok and Murter, most of it inside Kornati National Park. There is no scheduled ferry, so the only way in is a boat – the question is whose.
| Option | Price 2026 | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Excursion boat from Zadar (50–150 people) | 25–65 € pp, children 5–12 usually half, lunch and NP ticket mostly included | families, first visit, zero hassle |
| Speedboat, group of 8–12 | about 100–150 € pp, park tickets sometimes extra | more stops, Telašćica and Kornati in one day |
| Private boat with skipper (full day) | 600–1,200 € per boat + fuel | groups of 4–8, own itinerary |
| Own rented boat (bareboat) | 150–350 €/day + fuel 60–120 € + park ticket | licence holders with experience |
The classic excursion boat leaves around 8:00–9:00 from Foša or the Liburnska obala waterfront in Zadar, or from Biograd and Sukošan (closer, about 1.5 h), stops to swim in two or three bays, serves lunch (fish or meat, wine) and returns between 17:00 and 19:00. If you want to go beyond the park boundary rather than just touch it, you need a speedboat or your own boat.
Entry to Kornati National Park costs the following in 2026 (price list at np-kornati.hr):
The neighbouring Telašćica Nature Park on Dugi otok (a deep bay, cliffs and the salt lake Mir) has its own ticket: 8 € per person in season from an excursion boat, own boat up to 7 m 35 € per day (pp-telascica.hr). Most tours from Zadar combine both parks, in which case both tickets should be included – check. More on the parks around Zadar in Narodne Parky Pri Zadare.
From the marina in Sukošan it is about 20 nautical miles to the first Kornati islands, from Biograd 12–15. A licence-free boat up to 5 kW cannot go – the 500 m from shore rule and 8 km/h speed rule it out. You need a boat with at least 40–60 hp, a boat licence (ICC, RYA Day Skipper, SBF See or the Croatian voditelj brodice), a VHF certificate if the boat has a radio, and a fuel reserve – the only fuel station in Kornati is in Vrulje bay on Kornat island, with a queue in season.
Plan it like this: leave by 8:00, arrive around 9:30, lunch in a bay konoba (Vrulje, Lavsa, Levrnaka – book ahead, most take cash only), swim at Lojena or in Lavsa, head back before 15:00 while the maestral is still moderate. The outer side of Kornati with its cliffs, the „krune“, faces open sea; stay away in bura or jugo. If this is your first thought of renting a boat, read Plavba So Skipperom Alebo Bez first – Kornati is where a skipper really earns his fee.
Kornati is bare rock with no shade and no shops. Take on board:
The best months are May–June and September: sea 20–24 °C, half-empty boats, prices 10–20 % lower. July and August have the most reliable weather but full boats and bays with 30 yachts at anchor. In April and October only some boats run, depending on demand. More in Best time to visit Zadar and Dalmatia: month-by-month guide.
First mistake: buying a „Kornati“ ticket and getting a trip that only stops in Telašćica and sees the national park from a distance. Ask where the boat anchors and whether it enters the NP. Second: expecting cliff views from the excursion boat – big boats run the sheltered inner side; you see the cliffs only from a speedboat or a viewpoint. Third: letting the ranger sell you the ticket for your own boat at double the price.
Tours and boats nearby are listed under experiences in Zadar and boats in Sukošan; the full range is at boat rental on Adrysa, where every listing says whether a skipper is included. For accommodation closer to Kornati look at murter-kornati or dugi-otok.