Obonjan

Obonjan is a tiny island – and islet, really – just off the coast of Dalmatia, located just 10 km off the coast of Sibenik. It’s an uninhabited island and also privately owned…but you can holiday on Obonjan by booking yourself into one of the accommodation facilities located there. Alternatively, you can also pay the island a visit for a few hours to enjoy some of the facilities there.

Obonjan used to host some of Croatia’s music festivals for a few years but there are no such events on the calendar now. Should you be planning a big event yourself – a wedding, for example – you can actually rent the whole island!

These days, the island is suitable for a very relaxing getaway with different accommodation options suitable for the whole family. There are also several catering options, plus plenty of fun activities suitable for all.

Getting There

To reach the island, you’d first have to travel to the city of Sibenik before taking a boat. Sibenik is easily reached from elsewhere in Croatia, with numerous daily buses from all over Croatia. The port is then a 10-minute walk from the bus station in Sibenik.

If you’re flying into Croatia to reach Obonjan, the best airport to fly to is Split Airport to where numerous airlines fly. See our Getting to Split page for details of all air routes. It is about an hour’s transfer time from Split Airport to the port in Sibenik

The Zvijezdica boat transfers guests from Sibenik’s port to Obonjan, with three departures a day. They are timed at 10am, 2pm and 5pm. Boats for the return journey back to Sibenik are at 11am, 3pm and 6pm. You can see further details of this boat on the Obonjan Boat website.

Ferry company Jadrolinija also offer a service to the island during peak summer months (July and August), but only on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. The boat sails from Sibenik at 8.30am (arrival: 9.10am) with the return leg departing Obonjan at 9.30am (arrival: 10.10am). As you can see, you can’t use this boat to make a day trip to Obonjan. (Well, unless you want to spend just 20 minutes on the island!)

Private transfers to the island can also be arranged.

Things to Do on Obonjan

In a word…relax!

There is a large seawater pool in the centre of the island, close to all the accommodation, that is open to all island guests. Have a splash about, laze around on the poolside free loungers (towels are provided for a fee) and only interrupt your chilling time with a cold drink and some food from the poolside kitchen.

If you tire of the pool, head to one of the island’s beaches. There are two larger paved/rocky beaches on the west and east sides of the island, with both offering loungers and sun umbrellas. Obonjan also features a number of small coves if you want more tranquil beach time.

And if you tire of sunbathing and swimming by the pool or on a beach, you can enjoy yoga, massage and outdoor fitness workouts.

Kids will love the free Obonjan Kids Creative Club. Instructors will lead children in artistic activities, including painting and crafting with the occasional treasure hunt thrown in too.

Little kids and big kids can enjoy the multitude of water activities such as kayaking, jet skiing, stand-up paddleboarding and banana boats or water tubing.

And that’s not all – there are nightly group stargazing sessions organised, as well as movie nights and pub quizzes.

Eating and Drinking on Obonjan

There are two restaurants on Obonjan, the poolside Kitchen Restaurant that’s open for breakfast, lunch and dinner and Bok Restaurant for lunch and dinner. The latter is situated in a gorgeous pine forest setting with a lovely view of the sea.

For more casual options, there is also the Pizza Bar and the Burger Bar (I’ll leave you to guess what these serve) whilst the Green Bar offers smoothies.

The Drift Bar is located by the beach on the east side of the island and is just the place for a cold drink or a coffee.

Accommodation on Obonjan

There are three types of accommodation on Obonjan – mobile homes, luxury glamping lodges and what are called “o-tents”.

The mobile homes can sleep 2 or 4 people and come with a private ensuite shower room, a refrigerator and basic catering amenities (tea and coffee making) and a large, private outdoor seating area.

The luxury glamping lodges are large bell tents that also sleep 2 or 4 people and also feature private ensuite shower rooms, a refrigerator and air conditioning.

The o-tents are more basic bell tents (that are still rather nice) that sleep 2 or 4 people and feature proper beds with sockets and air conditioning. Bathroom facilities are shared.

You can book all of these accommodation options using the map below or directly from the Obonjan Island Resort:

Don’t forget that you can of course stay in Sibenik and visit the island by boat.

More info

There is a small shop on the island to buy essentials.

Pets are welcome as guests on the island!

You can learn more about the island on the official Obonjan website.