Bay of Njivice

Level of difficulty 3 |  Gastronomy 3 |  Length 5.5 km |  Time 1.5 - 2 hours

---

The dreamy fishing village is the ideal starting point for a leisurely paddle tour with a sea crossing. A small harbor, small beaches, but a big chunk of playful colours are the ingredients for a few relaxing hours with a view over the Kvarner Bay.

General information

• Krk Island tourist information
• Njivice tourist information
• Njivice Wikipedia
• Tour Video
• Climate
• Wind, waves, weather

Navigation rules

Boat traffic and bathers always have priority. It is best to always paddle outside the designated swimming areas.

Dangers and risks

If you decide to enter the water at the slipway at the Pelagos Diving Center, expect slippery conditions. It is much safer in the small bay next door, although you have to watch out for the bathers there.

The crossing from the southern end of the bay to the north (or vice versa) goes through jet ski territory. From mid-morning onwards, ambitious speed junkies leave their foam trails and waves in the water, so keep a safe distance!

In the bay at Kijac Beach you will find sharp rock formations on the shore. Land only with extreme caution or, better yet, just stay on the water.

Occasionally you will see swimmers outside the bathing areas, so the closer you paddle to the shore, the more carefully you should survey your surroundings.

Directions

Whether you are coming to Njivice from the mainland or from another place on the island, you will have to drive either from the north or the south along road 102. Unfortunately, there are not many parking spaces by the water, so you may have to take a short walk.

From the neighboring islands of Cres and Rab you can also take a ferry to the island of Krk, but only to Valbiska. This place is located 15 km as the crow flies south of Njivice.

National and international bus, train and flight connections can be found via the comparison portals Omio, Busbud as well as RailEurope. Those arriving by plane either land at Rijeka Airport in the north of the island or have other options, as the nearest airports are in Ljubljana, Zagreb and Triest.

Parking

There are a few small parking lots in the center, but they can fill up quickly on nice days. The closest to our chosen tour start is the parking lot behind the Plaža Jadran beach, which is subject to a fee from May to October (€1.4 per hour / as of 2024).

A little further into town there is also a small free parking lot at a roundabout.

The third parking lot in the center is located at the Plaža Pod crikvun beach and is also subject to a fee from May to October (1.4 € per hour / as of 2024).

The Kijac Beach is located south of the town center and offers a parking lot currently free of charge (as of 2024). However, barriers are apparently being erected to make it subject to payment (June 2024).

Swimming

Like all sea accesses in Krk, the Bay of Njivice becomes a bathtub in summer. The average temperature in July is around 24°C, with maximum temperatures reaching 28°C. Even in April and November, maximum temperatures of just under 20°C can be expected.

There are of course a number of official beaches that are either concrete and paved, but some are also gravel beaches. Aside from these beaches, you can also go into the water at almost any imaginable stretch of shore, if the natural conditions allow it.

Tour

From the Pelagos Diving Center, turn left and head south along the shore to Kijac Beach. From there, head north across the sea and back to the starting point.

Length

5,5 km

Time

1.5 - 2 hours

Start and landing

Near the Pelagos Diving Center.

SUP rental

Beach Bar Apico
Ul. Luke Turata 31, 51512 Njivice
Phone +385 (0)98 933 4194

Pelagos Diving Center
Stube put Kijca 6, 51512 Njivice 
Phone +385 (0)98 933 4194

365.tours
Phone +385 (0)91 2365365

MORE SUP and FUN 
Primorska cesta 41, 51512 Njivice
Phone +385 (0)91 596 6772

Fishing village with a view

It doesn't really matter where along the shore you enter the sea in Njivice, as there are plenty of places to enter the water. What isn't so easy, however, is finding a good parking space by the water, as these are mostly reserved for tourist accommodation. If you're coming here by car and don't live here, you'll probably have to put up with a walk. Luckily, my accommodation - the Hotel Magal - is right on the shore road and I can get ready to go in one of the hotel's parking spaces. If you're lucky, you'll also find a space in the public parking lot near the harbor or at the beach Plaža Pod crikvun.

I decide to start the SUP trip around the bay at the slipway at the Pelagos Diving Center, where you can also rent SUPs. There is plenty of space and no bathers are in the way. However, you have to be careful on the slippery floor of the ramp. It is best to put the SUP in the water parallel to the small concrete pier and paddle from there across the light turquoise water. Its clarity holds many surprises: countless clearly visible schools of fish, the precise contours of the bottom and the underground cables and anchors in the area of ​​the harbor.

It is to my left and I first paddle past the 7 Seas, probably the most exclusive restaurant in town. The harbor is small and jam-packed with boats and yachts, so a little detour there is definitely recommended. On the seabed you can clearly see how the buoys are linked together and fixed to the ground. The thick tubes, on the other hand, are probably telephone or power cables, but perhaps also fiber optic connections for the internet.

At the port exit please keep a sufficient distance from the quay, as the sharp mussels can certainly take the air out of any iSUP. The foto heart on the quay is also good for taking yout breath away, as the view through it and into Opatia, 26 km away, is breathtaking in its width and breadth. My journey takes me over absolutely calm water past the beach of Njivice and the Beach Bar Insula, where one can enjoy cool drinks and marvel at great sunsets.

For a holiday resort with a strong family focus, the beaches and water accesses here are just as clean as the water. Overcrowding is a foreign concept here, at least until June. On the water in particular, because the boats are further out and most stand-up paddlers often stay in the designated swimming areas. I am fair game in the turquoise shore zone, so to speak and visibly enjoy my existence as a paddling unicorn, while the promenade in the south of the town passes by on my left.

Here, a new water access is being fitted with a railing, there, new holidaymakers are orienting themselves on the beach for the first time, and now the water is gently drawing me into the bay of Kijac Beach to the south. This would also be an excellent place to start this tour, as there are toilet facilities for a coin fee and the parking lot is currently free (as of 2024). However, it seems as if a barrier is being erected for the later paid version (please let us know if the parking lot becomes chargeable). On the other hand, the Beach Bar Apico offers two SUPs for rent (€15 / hour). There is one small downside, however: there is a relatively large amount of small rubbish lying around, although there are enough rubbish bins.

In the furthest corner of this very pleasant bay, whose turquoise water is almost blinding, a number of boats and small yachts have settled in and are anchored in front of the rust-brown rocky shore. At the end of the headland, nudists spread out their jewels to show them off undisturbed in the sunlight. I don't let this blind me either and slowly turn to the right to paddle 2.5 km from here across the open sea and to the other side to the north, all in front of Njivice's beachfront.

The nearest shores are between 20 and 25 km to the left in front of me. They are the port city of Rijeka and coastal towns such as Opatija and Mošćenička Draga - true pearls of the Kvarner Gulf. Looking back over my left shoulder I can see the northern foothills of the island of Cres, which lies almost 10 km away like a long protective wall in front of the island of Krk. The calm sea is always a very special sensory experience, because the background noise from the mainland falls silent and the scenery is enhanced by the gentle whispering wind and the sporadic song of the seagulls.

The swell gently raises and lowers my board on the azure blue, deeply saturated water. Its rhythm is hypnotic and also massages my soul. So every paddle stroke becomes a satisfaction when it is perfect and the paddle blade breaks through the water with a satisfying sound: splash, splash, splash every second. This way, I swiftly glide northwards with a light tailwind.

At some point, however, this idyll is over, as it is midday and boat traffic in front of Njivice has increased. Jet skis pass me at a reasonable distance to the left and right, stirring up the water accordingly. Meanwhile, I aim stubbornly for the beaches in front of the Atea Camping and dive back into turquoise realms about 200 m from the mainland, which steadily intensify towards the beach. This holiday complex and its beaches are not really overcrowded at the moment either, and I let the gentle wind carry me the last few meters back to the starting point at the Pelagos Diving Center.

A wonderful tour ends here, and if you've stayed dry, you can head straight for lunch in one of the nearby restaurants. La Gradela across the street offers classic international cuisine, and the 7 Seas next door serves classy Istrian specialties while guests are sitting directly above the water. Enjoy!

.