Sea Kayaking Tour to Goli Otok, Rab Island

Immediately to the east of Rab sits the historically important Goli Otok (Barren Island), a desolate rock of an island best remembered for its dark past as a political prison. Often referred to as "Tito's Gulag" or "Croatia's Alcatraz," the prison was in use when Croatia was part of Yugoslavia between 1949 and 1989. Here, the alleged Stalinists and Communist party members (as well as non-party citizens accused of sympathizing toward the Soviet Union) were "re-educated" through forced labor, among other means of mistreatment.

This kayaking excursion leaves from Rab in the morning and takes you on an educational tour of Goli Otok. Once on the island, you can choose to explore your surroundings on foot or pick up a tourist train at the harbor to learn more about Tito and his notorious regime. You'll see the derelict shops where inmates were set to work, plus the basic accommodation blocks and solitary cells where they slept. There are also several notable stone buildings erected by the prisoners themselves, such as the administration building dubbed the "hotel" by inmates; wood, stone, and metal factories; and even a bowling alley.

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