The small coves
Dozens along the dirt tracks, far quieter than the famous ones.
Jarba โ CC BY 3.0 ยท Jarba โ CC BY 3.0 ยท Stefan Dreisiebner / Dreistefan at de.wikipedia โ Public domain ยท Guba Zoky Rabko โ CC BY-SA 3.0
The southern tip of the Istrian peninsula, a nature reserve of **wild rocky coast** โ no hotels, no restaurants and no sand, which is exactly why people come. The shore here is a run of **small coves** cut into white limestone, with rock spurs and sea caves between them. The water is clear enough that the bottom stays visible several metres down. The reserve covers around **thirty kilometres of coastline** and holds over fifty coves. The best known are **Plavi Zaljev** and **Kolumbarica** with its rock arch, but the small inlets along the dirt tracks are far quieter. There are also **dinosaur footprints** in the coastal rock here, and rare plants including wild orchid species found nowhere else. Note: **the shore is entirely rock** โ water shoes are essential, and there is no sand at all. Note: **entry is charged per car**, and the internal roads are **unsurfaced dirt** and slow. Note: wind and currents are strong at the southern tip; take care swimming there.
Dozens along the dirt tracks, far quieter than the famous ones.
A natural rock arch over the water at the southern tip.
The bottom visible several metres down on a calm day.
Premantura โ about 10 km south of Pula
Because the Adriatic coast is **limestone rather than sand**: the mountains drop straight into the sea and there are few rivers to deposit sand as in the western Mediterranean. The result is that most beaches are **rock or pebble**, and the few sandy ones (Zlatni Rat, Lopar) are famous precisely because they are rare. The compensation is that **the water is far clearer** โ no suspended sand to cloud it. Preparation is simple but necessary: **water shoes** first (pebbles hurt, rock is slippery, and sea urchins are present), a thick towel or mat, and shade, since trees are scarce. โ Watch for sea urchins around the rocks โ their spines break off in the foot and are hard to remove.
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