Croatia · Dalmatia

Malo jezero (Mljet)

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Malo jezero

Malo Jezero, the Small Lake, lies on the island of Mljet to the north-west of Veliko Jezero, to which a channel at a place called Mali Most joins it. A strong tidal current runs through the channel, and because the sea water is renewed only slowly, the lake behaves like a lagoon. Together with Veliko Jezero it is the natural heart of Mljet National Park and the most visited place on the island.

How it formed

Mljet’s two lakes are really bays of the sea. The sea entered through the Soline channel and flooded two hollows, creating Veliko jezero and, beyond a narrower channel, Malo jezero. The tides reverse the current through Soline every six hours, but Malo jezero, at the far end, exchanges its water only slowly, so it warms up more than the open sea in summer and can turn cold in winter.

History

Benedictine monks, whose church on St Mary’s islet in Veliko jezero was consecrated around 1198, once ran a bridge and a tide-driven mill at Soline for making salt, which gave the place its name. The land around the lakes, with Soline and both lakes, was protected as a national park in 1960, and the surrounding sea was added in 1997.

Nature

Holm oak and Aleppo pine forests come down to the water, holm oak on the northern slopes and pine on the southern. Malo jezero is known for its noble pen shells, a protected species, and for a rare phenomenon called whitings, when fine carbonate particles cloud the water, something otherwise typical of tropical seas such as those of the Bahamas.

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Photo: dronepicr · CC BY 2.0

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Swimming

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Tips

Malo Jezero is reached by the park’s short bus ride from the Pomena or Polače entrance to Mali Most, included in the entrance ticket, and kayaks and bicycles can be rented at Mali Most. Car ferries run from Prapratno to Sobra all year, and a passenger boat runs from Dubrovnik to Polače from June to September. See the Veliko Jezero page for the islet of St Mary.

In summer Malo jezero is the warmest water in the park, and the pebble beach at Mali most is the best place for families with small children. A path for walking and running circles both lakes; boats other than those of local residents may not enter the lakes, so explore by canoe or kayak instead. The park opens on weekends in March and daily from April to October, with long hours in summer, and open fires are banned everywhere.