Cape Kamenjak - Chrystal Blue Sea of the Primordial Mediterranean

If you're the type of person who enjoys relaxing in modern tourist resorts with all of the modern assets, there is no need to continue reading this text. No, no, don't go, I'm just kidding!

If you're the type of person who enjoys relaxing in modern tourist resorts with all of the modern assets, there is no need to continue reading this text.

No, no, don't go, I'm just kidding! Actually, the person described above is me :) Don't get me wrong, I love nature and wilderness, but only if I have everything that makes me comfortable within reach. So, visiting cape Kamenjak is the furthest I am willing to go away from civilization.

Let’s start with the facts. The southernmost town of Istria is named Premantura. This is a pretty village that’s surrounded by sea from three sides. No wonder the traditional occupation of most of the locals was fishing. Times have changed, tourism placed its roots everywhere and today Premantura is a small tourist town with many accommodation facilities, mostly private ones such as villa rentals, and also camps. So, the sea is still the main means of survival, only the modernized version of it.

From Premantura there are kilometers of unpaved roads leading to cape Kamenjak, the very tip of Istrian south. This is a protected area governed by the Public Institution Kamenjak and you have to pay a fee to enter the territory. Unless you decide to go by foot or by bike, then it’s free of charge.

I remember the times when only locals and a few strayed foreigners visited Kamenjak. When I saw that wilderness, I couldn’t believe I was standing in the middle of a tourist zone during high season. Years pass and words shift from one person to another and today’s statistics show that during the three summer months over 100 thousand vehicles enter Kamenjak. This is not that bad, because Kamenjak is large and everybody finds their oasis, I’m just trying to show you how highly popular Kamenjak really is.

There are several coves and beaches you can go to. Some have pine tree shades, some are just rocks under the hot sun, and some even have catering facilities nearby. My absolute favorite is Safari bar on the furthest point of Kamenjak that looks a little bit like a tribal village from some cartoon, huts all covered with reed that offer shades, food and home- made drinks. Considering you’re pretty far from the nearest town and its utilities, it’s surprising how this place has it all – toilettes, good coffee and wine, decent food and, in the end, even ok prices.

But most of the time I just go to Pinižule beach and bar. It is the nearest one, so my car doesn’t get that dirty, the shades are great, and the parking is easy to find.

Many travel magazines single out Kamenjak as a hidden gem and it receives multiple awards. This is one of the last parts of Mediterranean that escaped “cementation” and this is why modern tourists love it so much.

I probably might talk a lot more about this place, e.g. its endemic species, dinosaur track findings, possible bike routes etc., but I want you to discover something there by yourselves.

The end of the year is approaching and I went for a walk there last weekend. The scents of the sea and vegetation carried by the wind, the spectrums of autumn colors, the feeling of relaxing and becoming one with the nature... are so easy to enjoy and so hard to describe!