Susak can be reached by boat from Mali Lošinj, and by catamaran from Rijeka and Mali Lošinj. There are no cars on the island and the main means of transport are tractors and wheelbarrows.
The walking path on Susak starts from Donje selo, across the lighthouse, vineyards to cape Arat with a chapel of Annunciation of Our Lady.
When you get off the boat, start walking towards the village. 200 metres after patisserie “Susak” turn right and between houses you will find a way that takes you to towards the hill. A slight climb follows through sandy dunes and with a beautiful view of the Donje selo, and Srakane and Lošinj in the distance. After 1 km of walking we reach lighthouse Garba (98 m), which is the highest point of Susak.
After about 10 minutes of walking we reach a branch towards Vela Straža, a place of old military watch tower. We continue straight ahead and follow a sandy path that passes a small forest on the right. After about 40 minutes of walking we take the path towards Gornje selo. 10 minutes later we reach local cemetery and the chapel of Our Lady of Sorrow. There are no trees at the cemetery so it seems very light and open.
Here we have an opportunity to see many vineyards that are slowly being reorganised. In the past, 97% of Susak was covered with vineyards. After 20 minutes of walking we reach Tijesni cove where we find a path to Bok cove, a beautiful sandy beach. In the early 20th century it used to be a sanatorium spa.
20 minutes more and we reach the final point of the island – the lookout Arat with the chapel of Annunciation of Virgin Mary. It is interesting that the people from Susak built the same votive chapel as the one in Čikat bay on Lošinj. Because of bad weather they couldn't renew their vows on Lošinj so they built a chapel on a spot that offers a direct view of the Annunciation church on Lošinj.
We take the same way back but we turn right at the cemetery to Gornje Selo. Here we have the parish church of St. Nicholas (patron saint of Susak) and inside there is a romanesque crucifix, as the locals call it “Veli Bouh”. Up until mid 19th century there was only one settlement on the island called Sansego or Susak. However, with the rise in the number of inhabitants, more houses were built in the port and the settlement was then called Donje selo. To facilitate the communication between the two villages, stairs were built in 1906. In the centre of Donje selo there is Immigrants' Club, focal point of the social life of the locals. A great number of immigrants from Susak live in the USA today, most of them in Hoboken in New Jersey. At least once a year they all come back to their home island and on the last Sunday of July we celebrate the Immigrants' Day.
Good to know:
Did you know that warm shallow water and hot sand are considered to have beneficial effects on women fighting infertility?
