When you mention
Beli on Cres to a Croatian citizen, everyone will have the same thought. The one on the griffon vultures which are lazily circling around the peaks of this beautiful Kvarner island. Beli is synonymous with vultures, most notably because of the interpretive center within it, which offers insights into the biodiversity of Cres and tells the story of the birds whose welfare it cares for. Although the griffon nests on Krk, Prvić, Plavnik and Rab, and even in Montenegro, on the Adriatic, we usually associate it with Cres, precisely with Beli, a picturesque village on a hill above the western shores of the island, some hundred meters above the sea level. The beach is only 200 airline meters away, but it takes a little longer to reach it in the Port of Beli which is exposed to the mistral and constant sun rays. There are about 30 permanent residents in Beli, but the place is lively in the summer, many have inherited houses and cottages here, and offer accommodation in comfortable
apartments and holiday houses in Beli. Beli is the oldest settlement on the island - built on top of a hill overlooking the open sea, with an excellent overlook on an invader coming from land and from the sea. There are archeological sites that suggest that Beli was inhabited 4,000 years ago, and the first parish church was founded here in 1018. Beli is a cross-section of layers of time with sacral objects from the 13th, 18th and 19th centuries. You can also find Glagolitic inscriptions from the 16th century here. Beli is surrounded by the millennial forest of Tramuntana, which is the most beautiful invitation for exploration of the natural, cultural and gastronomic diversity of Beli and the surrounding area.
