Rab Island – The Island of Happiness. Go Where the Dolphins Go!

14.12.2020
Croatian islands

Rab Island – The Island of wonders and magnificent creatures!

What do you think we love dolphins for?

Yes, they look smart.

And yes, they are sweet & adorable.

But, most of all, we love them because they are so nice. Always cheerful and happy, spreading positive vibes around.

Dolphins are happy animals and they choose happy places. Like Rab island – The Island of Happiness.

It’s true. While enjoying your time on the sands of The Paradise Beach, for example, it’s not unusual to see dolphins, playing in the distance.

Dolphins are common residents of Rab waters. We like to believe it’s because they feel happy here.

But, it’s not the dolphins who called Rab “The Island of Happiness”. Nor us, Croatians.

It was the Romans.

Rab Island: Felix Arba – they called it.

The name referred to its natural diversity, the variety of natural beauties that made Romans also happy here.

Let’s start with beaches od Rab Island

While it’s famous for wild rocky beaches, and the great number of coves, Rab is even more popular for its sandy beaches. In fact, Rab has the most sandy-beaches of all the islands in the Adriatic.

One of them is called Sahara. An amazing name for a sandy beach.

Sahara is a nudist beach though, close to the Paradise beach, which is, in fact, the largest sandy beach in the Adriatic.

How about that!? Paradise Beach? Right beside the nudist beach? That’s the funky business!

Rab Island is also the second greenest island in the Adriatic. With more than 300 wellsprings, 35% of the islands’ surface is covered with forests.

The greatest examples are Califront – the preserved oak forest, and Dundovo – the jungle.

Ok. First, they had Sahara, now it’s the jungle

Dundovo is not a real jungle of course. It’s a preserved park of the great flora & fauna variety, species not really common for Mediterranean islands.

But, above all this, Rab Island has the mountain trail. Right on the island. Built by famous Croatian path builder Ante Premužić. It’s the masterpiece of a dry-stone architecture with amazing panoramas of an open sea and islands popping out in all directions.

And then the history, the myths, the legends.

The architecture of the town Rab with its four church towers, symbolizing the masts of the sailing ships. The battles, the marines, the pirates.

It is all written inside the walls. In every single stone.

And who could be happier than people whose town was protected by their very patron saint? Saint Cristopher. He didn’t do it once. He did it three times.

The legend tells the story of the siege of Norman fleets which actually took place in the 11th century. The people of Rab were desperate because they couldn’t hold up with siege much longer, so they went for a miracle.

They brought the head of their patron saint St. Cristopher to the walls. Who knows what they expected, but suddenly the Norman fleet turned back and went away.

Is it luck? Might be.

But it happened again with Hungarians. And then again with Croats in the 12th century.

Three times lucky? Yeah right.

But, definitely, a reason to be happy. So they just prolonged with an idea to this day.

To be happy people.

In a happy place.

Where the dolphins play.

Whether in the desert, jungle or the mountain.

It’s a Rab.

Felix Arba.

Your CTC Team, I.K.