January the 18th, 2026 – Vele Srakane is a stunning Croatian island which has boat services only when the weather is nice. It’s often referred to as the last true unspoiled oasis in the entire Adriatic Sea.

As Putni kofer/Martina Hrupic writes, we often think that such places no longer exist and are products of times long gone by. That isn’t entirely true. Despite the human race having practically visited every corner of the world, there are still a few remote little places where you can still completely leave civilisation behind you. In Croatia, that corner is called Vele Srakane, an island that is kept company by the equally hidden and isolated Mala Srakane. It is an elongated, deep blue Kvarner islet where nature, the sun and the wind reign above all.

Vele Srakane is truly a place that will make you feel as if you’ve abandoned the rest of the world – or that it has abandoned you. You won’t find a single shop on this Croatian island, nor do you have any chance of stumbling upon any other types of typical infrastructure. You won’t even find drinking water, although there is electricity. This Croatian island doesn’t even have a cemetery on it.

As you might imagine, getting to this island oasis isn’t particularly easy either. Vele Srakane is connected by boat to Mali Lošinj, to which it administratively belongs, and the boat docks at a smaller pier in Gornja Trata bay. However, you’ll need to ask the staff on the boat in advance, as this Croatian island only has boat services when the weather is nice because the pier is completely unsheltered and therefore often unsafe. The sight of a car would be a concerning mirage likely induced by dehydration when on Vele Srakane – as there’s no such thing.

Vele Sakrane’s rugged coast is low and extremely rocky, and although it has coves, they don’t offer shelter from the winds and are open to the often harsh elements. The largest are the aforementioned Gornja Trata and Donja Trata, and there are also Keplotina and Progon and Basadura in the north of the island.

Vele Srakane is far from a large island. Its area spans a mere 1.18 square kilometres, and its coastline is about seven kilometres long. Its northernmost point is Cape Vela Straža, on top of which is the highest peak of the island. It bears the same name as the cape it watches over, and is 60 metres high. Its southernmost point is Cape Žaplić. Historically, with the neighbouring Male Srakane, Vele Srakane was once a single entity, part of the same reef.

Although nature, the winds and often dangerously strong currents rule on the Croatian island often with no boat services, it’s clear that these rocky outcrops have long been on people’s radar. On Vela Straža there is a prehistoric hill-fort, a castle that once defended the island from marauding pirates, and in one of the ancient houses there, a tombstone from the Roman era can be found. In addition, there are several weathered old stone houses, schools and even a church dedicated to St. Anne.

Since there is no port on the island, only a dock, people often pull their boats out to the shore after sailing, about 20 metres from the shoreline to protect them from the waves. Anchoring is also a potentially massive challenge due to the wind and strong currents, especially at the furthest ends of this bizarre but stunning island.

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