The safari park
Animals given by visiting leaders, their descendants still there.
Ranko — CC BY-SA 3.0 · OrlandoFax — CC BY 3.0 · NASA — Public domain · Tarkusfazo — CC BY-SA 4.0
An archipelago of **fourteen islands** off the Istrian coast, a national park since 1983 — but its modern history is stranger than its nature. The islands were malarial until an Austrian industrialist bought them in 1893, drained the marshes and turned them into a **luxury resort** that received emperors and wealthy Europeans before the First World War. Then came the famous chapter: after 1945 **Josip Broz Tito** took them as his official summer residence, spending six months of every year here for thirty years. He received more than **ninety heads of state** — Nasser, Nehru, Haile Selassie, Elizabeth Taylor, Sophia Loren — and the foundations of the **Non-Aligned Movement** were laid here in 1956. Visiting leaders gave him animals, so a **safari park** grew on the island and still holds elephants, zebras, and other species. The main island also has a complete **Roman villa** and **dinosaur footprints** preserved in the coastal rock. Note: **reachable only by the official ferry from Fažana, and booking is compulsory.** Private cars are not permitted at all.
Animals given by visiting leaders, their descendants still there.
Preserved in the coastal rock, and you can stand at them.
Substantial remains in Verige bay on the main island.
Brijuni archipelago, ferry from Fažana — about 12 km north of Pula
**The official park ferry leaves from the town of Fažana** north of Pula (about 12 km by bus or car), and advance booking is **compulsory**, especially in July and August. The standard ticket covers the return crossing and a guided tourist-train tour of the main island taking in the safari park, the Roman villa and the dinosaur footprints. Total time is **about four hours**. ⚠ Private boats from other harbours advertise a «Brijuni tour» — many of them **circle the islands without landing**, because docking is restricted to the park. Read what you are buying. ⚠ Bicycles and electric buggies can be hired on the island if you want longer.
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