Veli žal, one of Dugi Otok’s most unique beaches

There are a great many beautiful beaches in Croatia. We have already written about some of them as the most beautiful in the world. We would not place Veli žal in that category, but it certainly would not be here if it were not special.

From the main road it takes some 5 minutes of driving downhill. That road is a little narrower, but the asphalt is new and free of holes. The drive ends at a spacious car park which charges, by today’s standards, a symbolic fee.

In that section the coast is fairly rugged and unattractive. However, as you descend from the main road, for a moment you will catch sight of a palette of colours that is not seen so often here, and which hints that you are arriving at a special place.

From the car park a walking trail leads off which, in barely 300 m, ends at a clearing surrounded by vegetation and sheltered from the sun. At the edge of the clearing there is a fast-food stand. It is handy to have food and drink available in such a remote place, but do not expect miracles. We did not try the food, so the main gripe is the drone of the power generator, which spoils the idyll of this isolated oasis.

And then comes the reason we decided to publish this article at all… Through a “portal” made of shrubs and pines, out of the darkness of the shade, you step into paradise! That is the first association, and the photograph below only partly captures that feeling.

A palette of colours typical of tropical islands spreads out evenly all the way to the horizon, as if on some coral reef. The beach itself is far from ideal. Coarse shingle, quite unpleasant for bare feet, somewhat excessive deposits of seagrass, and surroundings that do not exactly captivate with their beauty – these certainly do not count in this beach’s favour. On that basis we would not even rank it as average. However, our gaze keeps drifting towards the sea. The shallows go quite far out, but not in that boring way; instead they very quickly become deep enough for swimming, and that depth extends unusually far for a stretch of coast that is not a cove. The sea is a beautiful colour, and the magic is created by the reflection of sunlight off a seabed covered with the finest white sand, which even destinations like the Maldives or the Caribbean would not be ashamed of. The picture is completed by the deep-blue line of the open sea far off on the horizon. And all of this is not in some cove, but on a coast that is completely open to the open sea! The whole scene is also adorned by the islet of Mežanj, which sits opposite the beach, and beyond which there is nothing all the way to Italy. A special, very unusual sight. The sea is so lovely that we spent the entire time swimming and snorkelling.

Along with Sakarun and Brbinjšćica, Veli žal is surely one of the beaches you should visit during your stay on Dugi otok.