Cres Island

The island of Cres is located in the northern part of Croatian Adriatic, in the Bay of Kvarner. Its southern part, i.e. the town of Osor, is linked to the island of Lošinj by a trestle bridge. Cres island has a good traffic links with continental Europe and two ferry links with the mainland.
Cres is a hilly island, 66 km long and ranging in width from 2 to 12 km. The island's coastline, 248 km long, is indented; its western and southern part have a plenty of bays and pebbly beaches while the northern and eastern part are steep with rough rocks.
The island of Cres was first inhabited in the New Stone Age. The continuity of life on the island has created an exceptionally rich cultural and historical heritage: from a number of Liburnian ruins, the remains of Antique towns, early Catholic churches scattered around the island, monasteries and remains of towns from the period of the Republic of Venice to the monuments of the contemporary period.
The fresh water lake of Vrana, which covers the area of 5.75 square kilometers, deserves attention as an unusual natural phenomenon. The level of the lake is above the level of the surrounding sea, and its bottom is beneath the sea level only at the depth of 74 m.
A great richness of the botanical and animal world, which boasts more than 1300 species and an exceptional number of endemic species, is a genuine challenge to all nature lovers.
Cres is also one of the last habitats of a rare bird species - griffon vulture. The habitat of the Eurasian Griffons on the island of Cres has been proclaimed a Special Ornithological Reserves. This habitat is a must see, especially the griffon sanctuary in Beli, where injured, exhausted or poisoned griffons as well as young birds which fall into the sea during their first flights, recover and then are released into the wild.
Cres island, inhabited by various animal species suitable for hunting, is a very attractive hunting destination. The most important animals are: FALLOW DEER with hunting season from the October 15th and WILD BOAR with hunting season during the whole year.