While most people retreat to the woods to get away from technology, Croatia’s Krka National Park offers perfect connectivity for digital nomads. Report by Chau-Jean Lin
It was a warm, bright September day when my cell phone made a familiar beep. A message arrived in my inbox against the backdrop of a cascading waterfall, the hustle and bustle of tourists, and the silence of a forest. I’m in the interior of Croatia, and my emails load noticeably faster here than at home in London.
In an effort to foster economic development and disperse tourism across the region, Croatia’s Krka National Park is offering remote workers and people like me with access to the region’s first local digital nomad office and its own environmentally oriented campus. Entrepreneurs are coming together.
Krka National Park, which is accented with waterfalls, has launched several initiatives to attract digital nomads to Sibenik-Knin County. Remote workers will be able to become members of Trokto Šibenik’s co-working space, participate in free park-related educational programs, and have access to the newly built Krka Eco Campus in Purzhane.
According to the 2021 census, fewer than 100,000 local residents currently live in Sibenik’s Knin County, in contrast to the 1 million tourists who visited Krka National Park in 2022. Sixty percent of the region’s population is over 50 years old.
To encourage visitors to lesser-known places and boost the economy, the Krka National Park administration has partnered with Trokto Šibenik, the region’s first digital nomad office space and incubator . The announcement of this partnership was made in 2021, shortly after the introduction of the digital nomad visa program in Croatia.
Nela Slavica, director of Krka National Park, believes that this partnership will allow digital nomads to work among the local population and contribute to regional economic development.
A project co-financed with a £2.35 million grant from the European Regional Development Fund, Trokto Šibenik focuses on providing skills and training to people under 30 in the technology sector. , also provides opportunities for remote workers to engage with residents.
Trokto Sibenik leader Mike Pulley, a former American digital nomad who now owns a vineyard in the area, shares his experiences. “The atmosphere at Trokut is very inclusive. It’s an open office.”
“If you’re a digital nomad and rent a desk, you’re interacting with the people around you.” Mike says people often go out for drinks together.
In addition to Trokto Šibenik, digital nomads can also join the Friends of the Krka Club and its educational programs. Inside the park you can find fast and stable Wi-Fi in a variety of locations with he 1,197 species of plants and wildlife. One of these locations is the Krka Eco Campus in Purjan. The £9 million project transformed a former military campus into an education and volunteer center with a state-of-the-art natural history collection.
Mike came to the area in the first place to be surrounded by wildlife and scenery. “Sunset picnics here are great,” he says from his stone house. “The nature and beauty of the place sells itself.”
More than 40 digital nomads have visited Troct since the park’s initiative began. Croatia’s popularity as a destination for digital nomads seems undiminished. In nearby Split alone, as of January 2024, 400 members of Nomadlist, an online community of remote workers, have registered to work.
To apply for the Croatian Digital Nomad Visa, you will need to work remotely and have a minimum monthly income of €2,300 (£1,960). Successful candidates can stay in Croatia for up to 12 months and work tax-free in foreign companies.
Considering the Croatian government’s proposed digital strategy, it looks like Krka National Park’s efforts in the technology sector won’t stop anytime soon. When asked how digital nomad life in Šibenik differs from other Croatian cities like Dubrovnik, Mike simply said, “It’s still being discovered.”
