mountains and is traditionally associated with bad temper and ill health. (In the Republic of Dubrovnik during the Middle Ages, crimes committed when the jugo was blowing generally earned a more lenient sentence for their perpetrator, following the belief that the wind had, at least partially, driven them to commit the crime or induced their fit of rage.) The maestral is a brisk sea breeze that tends to blow from the morning to the early afternoon; the široko is a warm, dry southeasterly from north Africa, roughly equivalent to the sirocco in other parts of the Mediterranean.
When to visit
On balance, the best time to visit Croatia’s islands is between April and October, with May, June and September being the best for walking, and July/August being the hottest and busiest (most Croatians take their holidays on the Croatian coast in early August). Wildflowers will be at their most impressive in June. Many hotels and private rooms close during the winter, although prices will be lower than in high season at those which do remain open, and competition for rooms much less. Some ferries operate a reduced service outside the summer months. On public holidays (see ‘Croatian national holidays’ below) expect shops to be closed and public transport to be considerably restricted.
Wildlife
Croatia has an incredibly rich biodiversity for a country its size, with over 38,000 known species of plants and animals, including around 1000 which are endemic, and many species that are threatened or endangered. The Croatian islands are particularly interesting for the profusion of reptiles and invertebrates that can be seen, and for their extraordinarily rich plant life, while the surrounding waters of the Adriatic are inhabited by a wealth of marine life.
Mammals
Mammals including Red and Roe deer, Wild pig and Fox can be found on various islands on the Croatian Adriatic, along with smaller species such as Red squirrel, Pine marten and Common dormouse. There are several species of bat (at least five species on Lastovo alone), including Greater and Mediterranean horseshoe bat, Savi’s pipistrelle and Long-fingered bat (the latter classified as vulnerable on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List). Mouflon (wild sheep, ancestor of modern domestic breeds) can be seen on Dugi otok and Lastovo, having been introduced for hunting in the 19th century, and a few of the islands are home to an elusive and little-known carnivore, the European jackal (Canis aureus, also known as the Golden jackal). None of the other large carnivores present in small numbers on the Croatian mainland – Brown bear, Grey wolf and Lynx – are found on the islands. The island of Mljet is conspicuous as the only place in Europe where the Indian grey mongoose is found in the wild, having been introduced in the early 20th century to exterminate the island’s burgeoning native population of snakes. Incidentally, Croatia’s currency (the kuna) is named after the Pine marten – kuna in Croatian – the pelts of which were used as a unit of trade and measure of currency in the Middle Ages.
Istrian cattle at the edge of Unijsko polje, on the island of Unije (Walk 12)
Domesticated livestock includes large numbers of sheep and, in declining numbers since they are now little used to work the land, donkeys (the best place to see the latter is around Mir jezero on Dugi otok).
Reptiles and amphibians
Croatia’s rocky limestone landscape provides a superb habitat for reptiles, of which Croatia has 41 species (nine of them endemic), with the greatest concentration of these being on the Dalmatian coast and islands.
Croatia has an impressive number of snakes, most of them harmless. Venomous snakes are absent entirely from some of the islands (Lastovo, Mljet, Vis), and on those islands where they are found they are less common than on the mainland. Non-poisonous species include the Four-lined snake, one of the largest European snakes, although completely harmless and easily recognisable by the yellowish-brown stripes along its back; the Leopard snake, which has distinctive brownish-red, dark-edged markings; and Balkan, Western and Large whip snake.
Two venomous species of snake are found on the islands in Croatia: the Nose-horned viper (Vipera ammodytes, known locally as poskok), which is highly venomous and has been recorded on several islands including Pag, Krk, Brač, Hvar and Korčula; and the Common viper or Adder (Vipera berus). The Nose-horned viper is either light grey or brownish copper, with a dark-black zigzag pattern along its back, and is easily recognisable by the soft horn at the end of its snout. It is found on rocky hillsides, under low bushes and around drystone walls. The Montpellier snake, while also venomous (although much less so), has fangs at the back of its jaws rather than the front, so it is extremely unlikely for a human to be bitten unless the snake is actually picked up. Walking boots and hiking poles will usually alert a snake of your approach and give it time to slither off, and snakes will usually only bite in self-defence.
Italian wall lizard in a village near Paški most (near Zadar, on the mainland)
A number of lizards are common (several of them endemic), among them the Balkan green lizard (easily recognisable by its sheer size, up to 16cm or more in length, as much as by its striking green colour) and only slightly smaller Green lizard. Smaller, more commonly seen species include the Common, Italian and Dalmatian wall lizard – the latter two species are quite hard to tell apart, both having black and green stripes along their bodies – and the darker-coloured Sharp-snouted rock lizard. The Lastovo wall lizard is endemic to the island of Lastovo. Other species of reptile include Turkish gecko, European glass lizard and Hermann’s tortoise.
Hermann’s tortoise in the village of Jovići, near Paški most (Pag bridge)
Amphibians inhabiting the islands are less commonly seen, but include the European green toad (recognisable by its distinctive marbled pattern), Agile frog (pale brown, with a slightly pointed snout), the smaller (less than 5cm) European tree frog and a subspecies of the common newt.
A useful resource for identifying the reptiles and amphibians of Europe is www.herp.it.
Birds
The cliffs at Beli on the island of Cres constitute the last remaining habitat of the enormous Griffon vulture (Gyps fulvus) in Croatia. The birds are huge, with a wingspan of some 2.5 metres, and feed on carrion (historically, sheep carcasses, although a decline in sheep farming has meant there are fewer of these today). If approaching the cliffs by boat it is essential that engines are switched off and that the boat doesn’t get too close, otherwise it’s not uncommon for the young birds to try to escape their nests before they’re able to fly – and fall into the sea and drown. Smaller birds of prey include Common buzzard, Sparrowhawk, Peregrine falcon and Eleonora’s falcon.
Waders and wildfowl can be found in areas of brackish marshland such as Saline on Veliki Brijuni and Veliko blato among the saltpans of Pag, including Little egret, Grey heron, Purple heron and Great crested grebe, as well as rarer species such as Great white egret. Seabirds and shorebirds include Black-headed and Yellow-legged gull, Eurasian black tern, Cory’s shearwater and Pygmy cormorant, as well as the rare Audouin’s gull on the islets of the Lastovo archipelago.
Other species of bird include the Eagle owl (Europe’s largest species of owl, recognisable by its size and its prominent ear tufts), Eurasian hoopoe (recognisable by its distinctive black-and-white striped wings and prominent crest), European bee-eater (which has particularly bright-coloured plumage), Alpine swift (an extremely fast-flying bird, distinguishable from the Common swift by the white patch on its breast), Rock thrush and Rock partridge (the latter listed as near-threatened on the
