Amongst the more well-visited islands of the Croatian Adriatic Coast, such as Korčula, are many more islands with little or no permanent residents. One such island is Badija Island.

A twenty-minute boat ride from Korčula, Badija is one kilometre square in size, covered in dense forest and surrounded by rocky beaches. An imposing 14th century Franciscan monastery greets you as you dock at the island and sports some beautiful features worth a closer look. The only people living in the monastery, and the islands only full-time residents, are the housekeepers. The biggest draw for me however was hearing that the islands other full-time inhabitants are deer! Freely roaming the island, I can’t say how many there are but we were lucky enough to spot a few.

There is a path encircling the island that makes for a pleasant walk, with stunning views over to Korčula and the mountains on the mainland. In the summer there is a restaurant but on my visit in October there were no facilities so if you are going outside of the summer months it is advisable to take any food or drink with you.

During the summer months you can easily take a water taxi from Korčula harbour. For visits at other times of the year, the island is still perfectly enjoyable but you will need to hire a private boat and captain. We were able to negotiate with a travel agent near to the harbour and get a good deal. For 250kr we were dropped off at the island and picked up a few hours later which was the perfect amount of time to walk the full circumference of the island and have a nose around the monastery (where we spotted the deer!) In hotter weather definitely allow more time, especially if you want to enjoy the beaches.    What wildlife have you encountered on your travels?