3 Best Sights in Sali and Telašcica Nature Park, Northern Dalmatia

This nature park encompasses Telašćica Bay, which cuts 7 km (4½ miles) into the southern tip of Dugi Otok with an indented inner coastline that is a series of smaller bays and a handful of islands. Flanked by high vertical cliffs facing the open sea to the west and with low peaceful bays on the other side, it has a variety of vegetation. Relatively lush alpine forests and flower-filled fields, as well as vineyards, olive groves, and one-time cultivated fields give way as you move south to bare rocky ground of the sort that predominates on the Kornati Islands, whose northern boundary begins where Telašćica Nature Park ends.

Aside from Telašćica's other attractions, most of which are accessible only by boat, one of the park's key highlights—accessible by land on a 20-minute drive from Sali—is the salt lake Jezero mir, which formed when the sea filled a karst depression. Small boats (generally with 8–12 passengers) bound for both Telašćica Nature Park and the northern fringes of Kornati National Park leave the east side of Sali's harbor (i.e., where the Zadar ferry arrives) at approximately 11:15 each morning and return by 6 or 6:30 in the evening. Verify ferry times at  www.croatiaferries.com. The best way to arrange ferry passage is in person—by going to the harborside square near the post office around 8 pm on the day before you wish to leave, when boat captains gather there looking for passengers for the next day's excursion (which means at least a one-night stay in Sali). However, the tourist information office in Sali can put you in touch with operators by phone as well.

Once an out-of-the-way fishing village, Sali draws tourists thanks to its location in and near such natural splendors. It is home to several old churches, including the 12th-century St. Mary's Church, whose Baroque altar was carved in Venice. Adding to the village's appeal is its annual Saljske užance (Donkey Festival) during the first full weekend in August, which includes an evening ritual during which lantern-lit boats enter Sali Harbor and there are donkey races and tovareća muzika (donkey music) produced by locals blowing or braying raucously into horns. Spending at least a night or two here can provide a relatively peaceful nature-filled respite from the rigors of tourism on the mainland or, for that matter, on more tourist-trodden reaches of the Zadar Archipelago.

The Zadar Archipelago is so close and yet so far away: Ugljan and Pašman are just two of the myriad islands comprising the lacelike islands and are among the largest and the easiest to reach from Zadar. More than 15 ferries a day run the 5-km (3-mile) distance between Zadar and Ugljan, a 19-km-long (12-mile-long) island whose narrow width of just a couple of kilometers runs parallel to the mainland, with its midway point across from Zadar. From the ferry landing on Ugljan, your best bet may be to head north along the seafront for 10 minutes on foot to the heart of Preko, a fine access point to several worthwhile destinations (very) near and (not too) far. Going south will get you to the unassuming fishing village of Kali. From Preko's harbor, you can walk about 1 km (½ mile) farther north to a shallow bay locals like to swim in, or better yet, take a taxi-boat to Galevac, a charming wooded islet less than 100 yards from Preko that has not only splendid swimming but also a 15th-century Franciscan monastery set in a lush green park. And then there's the Tvrđava svetog Mihovila (Fortress of St. Michael), a 13th-century landmark atop a hill roughly an hour's walk west of town. Though mainly in ruins, the fortress offers spectacular views of nearby Zadar to the west and, on a cloudless day, the Italian coast.

Meanwhile, 10 km (6 miles) farther north is the quiet village of Ugljan, accessible from the ferry port by a handful of buses daily. For a somewhat sleepier island experience, hop aboard one of eight buses daily from Preko to the village of Pašman. You can eventually get to Tkon, Pašman Island's largest village, from which some 10 ferries daily can get you back to the mainland south of Zadar.