The archipelago view
The climb to the summit takes half an hour and covers Zadar and its islands.
Lovro Rumiha from Zagreb — CC BY 2.0 · Jean-no — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Photograph by Mike Peel (www.mikepeel.net). — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Photograph by Mike Peel (www.mikepeel.net). — CC BY-SA 4.0
The smallest inhabited island in the Adriatic, under half a square kilometre, between Zadar and the island of Ugljan. Its permanent population is only a few dozen and continues to fall — a pattern repeated across the small Dalmatian islands as young people leave for the mainland. There are no cars on the island and no roads wide enough for them: everything is walked on steps and narrow paths between stone houses and olive trees. The island is covered in old agricultural terraces and pines. Its summit can be climbed in about half an hour, and the view from the top takes in Zadar and its whole archipelago — which is the main argument for going. Practical points: the island is very small with almost no tourist infrastructure — no hotels, no shops, no cash machine, and a single café or restaurant that may be closed out of season. Carry water and food. The ferry from Zadar is short but the sailings are few — check the timetable in both directions before going so you are not stranded.
The climb to the summit takes half an hour and covers Zadar and its islands.
The population is falling — a pattern across the small Dalmatian islands.
Steps and narrow paths between stone houses and olive trees.
The Zadar archipelago, between Zadar and Ugljan
Because life on them is economically hard: there is no work beyond fishing, farming and seasonal tourism, and services — schools and doctors — require moving to the mainland. Over decades the young left for Zadar and Split or abroad, and the old stayed. Some islands fill in summer with holiday-home owners and are nearly empty in winter. This is a demographic reality for Croatia as a whole, not the islands alone.
The island of Ugljan is larger and closer with far more sailings, holding villages, beaches and cycle routes — the practical choice for a day trip from Zadar. Ošljak is for anyone wanting something smaller and quieter and accepting the timetable's limits. Many combine the two, since the Ugljan ferry calls at Ošljak.
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