Nugal – one of the most spectacular beaches

Note: The trail from Hotel Osejava to the beach is 2 km of pleasant walking. Sports shoes or at least sandals are recommended. If, before descending to the beach, you want to climb up to the viewpoint above, that and the return to the lower trail will take you an additional 1.4 km. All together, with plenty of stops and photography, it takes up to 1.5 h of easy walking. If you head straight to the beach without stopping, it will take you about half an hour on foot.

We have already written about the Makarska Riviera as the most beautiful in the world, whose unrivalled beauty is threatened only by human impact. Mighty Biokovo frames the stunning pine forests that, from Brela to Gradac, conceal a countless multitude of the most beautiful beaches imaginable. On top of all that, crystal-clear sea, an excellent climate and old stone houses make this region unique!

Nugal is a beach that has been attracting a lot of media attention in recent years. It is almost mid-October, the weather is gorgeous, and the sea is warm. Is this place really that special, or is it just plain hype?

How was it before?

People in Makarska used to swim at the town beaches, while nudists had their own corner behind the lighthouse. Those craving a more secluded spot would pick more remote places among the cliffs.

Then came Instagram, and the broad masses discovered Nugal — a beach so spectacular that columns of tourists are willing, in the worst heat, to climb the cliffs above to see it from a bird’s-eye view and take a selfie that others will envy. And so the last stronghold of nudism fell.

Osejava Forest Park

Nugal can be reached from several directions. The beach lies between Makarska and Tučepi. From the main road to the north, most of the access points have over time been blocked off so that the parking lots of nearby shopping centres and private plots wouldn’t be used. In our opinion there is no sense in improvising — simply leave the car in Makarska and set off along the trail through the Osejava Forest Park.

All special things take some effort, so those 2 km of pleasant walking through stunning scenery shouldn’t be a problem for anyone. The forest park is crisscrossed with trails. Some are goat paths, while others can take fire-service vehicles, so cyclists too will find plenty of options.

The whole stretch alternates between beautiful views of the forest and the sea. The colour of the sea is incredible and tempts you to jump in even before reaching the beach.

To see the beach from above, you need to climb to the top of the ridge. There are a few spots where the trail turns uphill, and at the last of them signs have been put up. Follow the direction for Tučepi up to the stone house where the path to the viewpoint begins.

There is no trail from the viewpoint down to the beach. You need to go back part of the way to the west, descend to the lower trail and continue eastwards.

The Osejava Forest Park, with its beautiful trail and spectacular views, is a perfect prelude to this incredible beach!

Nugal Beach

As we already mentioned, Nugal used to be a nudist oasis. Today there is a kind of tacit agreement that nudists hold the eastern part and the “clothed” the western. The ratio varies, and when we were there, 2/3 of the beach was held by nudists and 1/3 by the “clothed”, with a strange mixture of nude and dressed prevailing along the “dividing line”.

This place really is unique!

Swimming in a crystal-clear sea in complete wilderness, surrounded by cliffs, is an incredible feeling. Behind the beach lies a pine forest with benches and tables. There is plenty of shade to be found here. At the deepest point there is a cleft in the cliff from which, after heavy rains, a waterfall flows and then runs through a channel into the sea. Although it hadn’t rained for a very long time, a small pool was still there at the bottom.

Nugal delighted us in every way. It’s a unique place that everyone should experience!