Once again, not a single beach is our beach of the week, but an entire islet, with its several lovely beaches, large and small.
We’ve written about Badija, as it is an important part of the charm of the island and the town of Korčula. A 100.hectare large islet just of the mainland Korčula, easily accessible by any means of maritime travel, including water-taxis, any other boat available in Korčula to get you to the islets, even a canoe that you can rent at numerous places in Korčula town. The island of Badija has several different sections: firstly there’s the dock with the “main beaches” to its left and its right, then there are the rocky beaches on the entire eastern and north-eastern side of the island, where and then there are the parts of the island where it’s not nice because the rocks are too crude, pointy and sharp, but there are several smaller pebbly beaches, that you need to be aware of to be able to catch them for your enjoyment.
But, let’s get back to the docking part of the island: right next to the dock there are sandy (and small pebbles) beaches, with quite shallow sea, perfect for small children, with concrete to put your towel on if that’s your thing, quite a lot of natural shade from the trees of the island and even some sports grounds, that used to have cult status.
To the west of that is the monastery, the church, all the buildings that have recently been reconstructed, where a lot of interesting cultural events take place – but, that’s for another article, not this one which should be about the beaches. And to the other side, to the east, first you’ll get to the bar, where it’s possible to get some basic meals during the season as well, and after that you’re on the patch of Badija where the rocks are gentle, where it’s very easy to get into the water for any able adult, where you can be lying on your towel 5 meters from the sealine and be in the shade from the trees in the afternoon, where there’s some people around you but almost never that many that it’s uncomfortable, where you can go a bit deeper into the forest if you really want perfect privacy. And, yes, sometimes you’ll be on your towel and a deer will come right up to you, to see if you have any biscuits or a sandwich or basically whatever you’re willing to share. Their motto is “sharing-is-caring”, they can’t help themselves (the deer have been living on the islet for a while and are fully accustomed to people; I guess they actually miss tourists once the season is over and the only folk to keep them company are in the monastery).
And if you decide to go a bit further around the island – and yes, there’s a lovely wide foot-path around, and it’s a lovely walk, and not that you’re asking but it wasn’t there when I first visited Badija and we still made it around alive! – and if you’re very carefull as you’re walking, you’ll be able to see a few small beaches such as the one in the photo below, where there’s enough room for a family or a couple, where the only people you’ll see will be on the passing boats, where you’ll be as close to the sea and the nature as possible in today’s world, considering the fact that you’re literally less then a kilometer from a busy tourist centre. Just be warned, maestral really tends to get strong on those in the afternoon, so if you came there on a rented boat or a canoe, be careful, it might get a bit dangerous and difficult to get back to Korčula.
There are showers and water on the island, but it’s probably smart to bring some drinking water in your backpack. It’s possible to rent beach chairs and parasols on the island as well.
