National park Brijuni is one of the eight national parks in Croatia. I still remember the day when my parents took me there. Although I was a kid, it was unbelievable to me that one second I was swimming in the sea, and the next one I was on safari. This is what Brijuni is actually about, safari on the island. They are consisting of 14 small islands of the total size of a bit less than 34 m2. The name of the biggest island is, surprisingly, Veliki (Big) Brijun.
Location of national park Brijuni
You are in luck as to Brijuni you come by boat from Fazana which is next to Galizana. With a bit of luck in finding a well-suited parking place, you can be in the line for the boat in less than 15 minutes. Once in Fazana, it will take you around 20 minutes by boat and you will find yourself on Veliki Brijun.
A bit of history
According to many sources, Brijuni has quite a rich history. Believe it or not, on Brijuni you can find many dinosaur footsteps, more than 200 to be precise. The first signs of human presence go all the way down to 3rd century BC. In the 1st century BC, islands were inhabited by the Illyrian tribes Histri, hence the name of the whole peninsula Istria. Afterward, the Roman empire came, as well as Byzantine. There are many relics from that time which you can also visit. Josip Broz Tito, the famous Yugoslavian president had his summer residence on this beautiful island. No wonder why many world leaders and show biz stars used to visit him there. Sophia Loren was his regular guest, and I wonder if his wife Jovanka was at least a bit jealous.
Brijuni, a heaven on earth
As mentioned in the beginning, if you would like to have safari experience in the middle of Europe, Brijuni is the place. Many wild animals wander around freely. Besides many local species like sheep, Istrian ox, or donkeys, you can even find more exotic ones. The most famous is an elephant that Tito received as a present from Indira Gandhi. As a kid, I remember many zebras, that my brother and I used to call horses in pajamas. There are more than 700 plants and 250 bird species registered. Here you can even find the oldest Olive tree in Croatia, older more than 1600 years. Amazing is the fact that it still gives enough olives to produce oil. Due to all these reasons, Brijuni became a national park in 1983.
National park Brijuni today
The highlight of the visit is definitely a safari park and taking tours on a small open train. There is also enough heritage to keep you busy for the rest of the day. Perhaps you would like to play golf with a sea view? What I also like is open theater during the warm summer evenings. Plays are organized by a famous Hollywood actor, Rade Serbedzija. There are also special boat trips especially organized for those plays that will take you back after the show. Istria has many beauties and Brijuni are for sure one of them, so make sure to plan one of your vacation days to visit them.
