Day trip to Saharun Beach!

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(This post has been edited to add that I know most people find this blog entry because they want to learn how to get to Saharun when they are in Zadar.  To keep things easy for those people, here are the directions at the top of the post.  If you want to continue to read about OUR fun day in Saharun (and learn some tips about going, AND see our pics!), continue reading all the way through.)

 

~TO GET TO SAHARUN go to the Jadrolinija ticket office.  It’s on the Old Town peninsula where all the big Jadrolinija ships are – on the OUTSIDE of the old town walls.  IF you cross to the peninsula via the barka boat, go left when you get off the barka boat.  (It’s on the side that faces the mainland part of the town.  Sort of halfway between the barka boat crossing and the bridge crossing.)
~Buy a ticket from Zadar to Brbinj (name of the village) on Dugi Otok (the name of the island which literally translates to Long Island).
~The ship is earlier in the morning, so you might want to do your inquiring the day before and buy your ticket in advance.
~When you get to the island, there is a bus that will take you directly to Saharun.  When we went, there was only ONE bus on the island, so you can’t accidentally get on the wrong bus.
~Ask the bus driver who speaks English what time you need to be picked up so you don’t miss your boat back to Zadar.  (This is crucial!)
-Boat ride to Dugi Otok 1.5 hour, the view is incredible
-Bus ride from Brbinj to Saharun about 20 min.

 

 

AND OUR BLOG ENTRY ABOUT OUR DAY IN SAHARUN (from summer 2012)…

 

On that Tuesday morning, we were up earlier than any other day on our trip.  We needed to catch the ferry out to the island of Dugi Otok, so we could spend the day at Saharun Beach.  (I often saw it mentioned as Sakarun Beach a lot too.  Perhaps the names are interchangeable?)  On the previous day, I had gotten information from the owner of our hotel about when to get the ferry and where to get the tickets.  I also scheduled us for a breakfast reservation – the only time we would try out the breakfast at our hotel.  (I wasn’t kidding about not being a morning person.)

We got down to the outdoor dining area for our scheduled breakfast time (which I think was 9:00am), and we had a little bit to eat.  But we were so tired and I know I wasn’t personally very hungry, so we only ate a little, then took some bread and fruit with us to have along for our day trip.

I had first heard about Saharun Beach when a very good friend of mine went to visit one of her friends in, of all places, Zadar!  She went in June and as soon as I saw her photos, I knew I wanted to go there.  The color and clarity of the water reminded me of pictures of the Caribbean.  I HAD to see it for myself!  And fortunately, her friend, whose family was from the Zadar area, gave me all kinds of great info on some of the details of how to get to the actual beach once we were on the island.  (Along with other great Zadar tips.)

We got all of our stuff together and started walking for the Barka boats.  Once across to Old Town, I ran ahead to the ticket office and bought the actual tickets for the ferry.  Jadrolinija is the ferry line that seems to take everyone to all the outer islands and other areas around the coast of Zadar.

We found spots on the ferry on the top level, and we were ready to enjoy our voyage to Dugi Otok!

Here are some pics as we got ready to set sail….

The view from our ferry boat...
The view from our ferry boat…
The view from our ferry boat...
The view from our ferry boat…
A look at the pier where you catch the Barka boats - and all the fancy yachts we passed daily...
A look at the pier where you catch the Barka boats – and all the fancy yachts we passed daily…
The end of the Barka boat pier...
The end of the Barka boat pier…
A good amount of cars came along to the island as well
A good amount of cars came along to the island as well

It was while taking pics atop the ferry that my camera broke.  Yup.  Something obviously got caught between the lenses during one of the times that I put it back in its case, and it lost it’s ability to focus at certain distances.  The lens just would not retract all the way no matter what – even when turning it off and on.  And a ‘lens error’ message kept coming up on the screen.  Great.  I mean, it was four years old, but still.  I wanted it for the rest of my trip!  Couldn’t it have broken after I got back home???  At least I had my iPhone to take pics with.

The ferry ride was about an hour and twenty minutes long, and we eventually arrived at Dugi Otok.  And almost immediately, there was the bus to take everyone around the island.  (There was only one bus, so you didn’t have to worry about getting on the wrong one.)

Miloš called this AC - Croatian style!  Haha!
Miloš called this AC – Croatian style! Haha!  (Meaning the open window.)

After about a twenty minute ride, we arrived at the stop for Saharun.  Passengers get off the bus along the road, but then have to walk down a long stretch of a path/dirt road to get to the actual beach.  There were a decent number of people there, but compared to the other beaches, it was not crowded at all.  We found a place for our towels and got comfortable.  The beach itself was rocky/stony like many of the others in Croatia, and also like other beaches in Croatia, tops are optional for women.  Again, as I said in my review of Zadar area beaches that I posted in August, if you are uptight about seeing more of people’s bodies, then a beach vacation in Europe might not be the ideal trip for you…

The water here was just as beautiful as the pictures.  And the sun was shining intensely down from the cloudless sky.

Here are some pics from the beach!

Stealth pic of Miloš walking in the water...
Stealth pic of Miloš walking in the water…
When in Croatia, do as the Croatians do...
When in Croatia, do as the Croatians do…
Venturing into the water...
Venturing into the water…
More stealthy picture taking...
More stealthy picture taking…
Our feet in the sand and stones..... and my Coke!
Our feet in the sand and stones….. and my Coke!
View of Saharun Beach
View of Saharun Beach

The water here at Saharun is shallow far far out into the bay.  You can keep on walking out and out and still be able to stand on the sea floor.  As a result, the water was a bit warmer here than the beaches along the actual coast of Zadar itself.  We spent the time swimming and sunning, but also borrowed a ball from a group of girls, and Miloš taught me the right way to catch and throw a ball, water-polo style.  I think I actually got half decent at it, considering I’d never done it before, AND my hands are small.

And because we both have blue eyes, the water really accentuated them.  I really hoped we could have caught the effect on camera, but we weren’t successful.
Here’s two of our attempts….

Trying (unsuccessfully) to capture the way the water brought out the blue in our eyes....
Trying (unsuccessfully) to capture the way the water brought out the blue in our eyes….
Trying (unsuccessfully) to capture the way the water brought out the blue in our eyes....
Trying (unsuccessfully) to capture the way the water brought out the blue in our eyes….

After awhile, we did get hungry and ate the fruit that we brought from the hotel.

But eventually we needed something a little more substantial – so it was palacinka time!

Nutella palacinke
Nutella palacinke

In hindsight, I would recommend to people to bring along some kind of cooler with drinks and snacks if you’re planning a day trip to Saharun.  Yes, there were a few places along the beach to get some of these items, but you paid the price for not bringing your own.  (So if you don’t bring your own drinks and munchies, don’t forget your money, as you’ll need a decent amount to cover the cost of buying stuff there.)

Because of the long ferry ride in the direct sunlight, combined with the intensely unyielding rays at the beach, we could definitely feel our skin starting to react.  Luckily we both had decent base tans (yes, Miloš more than myself) so we both only got some pinkish tones on top of our already tanned skin.

We had to keep an eye on the time, as we were told the exact time to get on the bus in order to make the last ferry back to the mainland.  (I believe it was around 4:15pm that we had to catch the bus?)

Waiting for the bus...
Waiting for the bus…

The bus ride back to the ferry seemed a LOT longer, and we were both dozing off during the return trek.

I did manage to snap a few pics of the scenery during the times that I was awake…

Pics taken from the bus of the island of Dugi Otok
Pics taken from the bus of the island of Dugi Otok
Scenery during our bus ride...
Scenery during our bus ride…
Scenery during our bus ride...
Scenery during our bus ride…

We made it back to the ferry with no trouble and sat in the same area as we did in the morning.

Back on the ferry, leaving Dugi Otok
Back on the ferry, leaving Dugi Otok

We were both sufficiently tired from our long day in the sun.  After heading back to our hotel for some down time, we ventured back out to find some dinner.  There was a place not far into the Old Town that we had been passing almost every day that we decided to try.  We grabbed a table outside as people were leaving and ordered some Cokes.  (duh.)

By this time, i was looking a little pink from all that sun.
By this time, i was looking a little pink from all that sun.
Miloš was making me laugh... he's quite good at that.
Miloš was making me laugh… he’s quite good at that.

For dinner, Miloš got steak and I got scampi.  But it’s NOT like what we think of when we think of scampi in the States.  Here in the U.S., scampi is usually seafood (primarily shrimp) that is cooked in a garlic butter sauce.  Well in Croatia, scampi are shellfish that look like langostino lobsters or cray fish.  And they’re quite large.

Scampi
Scampi

I’m always up for trying things, and I really liked the tail meat.  The stuff inside the bodies?  Not so much.  I let Miloš have those parts.

This particular restaurant had great service, but we both agreed it was not the best food of the trip.

After dinner, we grabbed some ice cream and then spent some time walking around and on the Roman ruins….

You know... just sittin' around on some Roman ruins... just like any other day....
You know… just sittin’ around on some Roman ruins… just like any other day….

And of course since my camera had bit the dust, we used my iPhone for pics – which is great during the day, but I SO don’t like it’s flash.  It gives us weird iridescent glowy eyes….

Posing on the Roman ruins
Posing on the Roman ruins

But soon we decided to head back to the hotel.  It had been a long day and we were both kind of beat.

One last pose for the night with the Old Town behind me
One last pose for the night with the Old Town behind me

What’s up next?  More sun!  More beaches!  More food!  More Coke!  😉

Photo of author
Jennifer was initially drawn to Europe for two reasons: music and love.  She lived in Vienna for four years, and now calls Croatia home for much of each year, as she married a native Croatian. Since 2015, Jennifer has worked as a tour director and cruise director on European river cruises for a major American travel company, and has become an expert in all of the cities along her routes on the Danube, Rhine, and Main Rivers. She also has traveled to Disney World almost every year since 1985, and knows Disney World inside and out. As a travel agent, Disney World is her primary specialty, and she has helped many Disney newbies and veterans have amazing trips with her insider information.

6 thoughts on “Day trip to Saharun Beach!”

  1. Hi Jen! Thank you so much for your post!! Seriously, I came across it while frantically scouring the sites for a last minute, last beach trip of the season as the cold here in Germany begins to set in. This post was a driving factor in my trip to Zadar, and ultimately a perfect day at Saharun. I see you edited it once to include the ‘how to’ info up top, very kind! Are you interested in adding an additional edit to info that has changed? Last year a new, huge ferry port opened up a little outside of town, and that is where the ferry to Goji Otok leaves from now. I know your visit was awhile ago, and I really, really should have verified my info, but alas, I only verified on the google map ferry route line, which is not updated either. Either way, thanks to Uber, I made it the boat! Let me know if I can share any info for a small update. Otherwise, seriously, thank you again for this post!

    Reply
    • Hi Deanne Catherine! Thanks for the message and the info about the update! I’d love to get the most current information for the post, as it seems to still get lots of hits every summer, and I’d like to continue to help people out when trying to get to Saharun! I see your email in the post, so I’ll send you a message! Thanks! 🙂

      Reply

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