Cape Kamenjak

Why it is worth your time

Cape Kamenjak is a protected landscape at the very south of Istria and the wildest piece of coast half an hour from Pula: ten kilometres of headland without a single hotel, with maquis, dry-stone walls and cliffs against which the open sea beats, with dozens of coves reached by paths. On Kamenjak grow more than five hundred plant species, among them endemic orchids, and in the sea around the cape live dolphins and the rare loggerhead sea turtle. Gravel tracks for bicycles and walkers lead through the protected area, and cars pay an entry fee and drive slowly; the best way to tour it is by bicycle, because that reaches the coves a car cannot.

There is no shade, no water and no shops, so bring everything, and set out early or toward evening. Along the way are the famous safari bar hidden in the greenery and the Kolombarica cliffs from which locals jump. The sunsets from the southernmost tip are among the best on the Adriatic.