Follow the coast road south-east out of Novalja, past Caska and the turning for Vidalići and Zubovići, and the asphalt eventually runs out at a small huddle of stone houses on a bay full of fishing boats. This is Metajna — a village most Zrće-bound visitors never see, and exactly the kind of place worth the detour. There is no beach bar, no queue, and no reason to hurry.
A village the main road forgot
Metajna sits on Pag Bay on the island’s north-eastern shoulder, administratively part of the town of Novalja and home to a little over 250 people according to the last census. It has always been a fishing settlement first — the harbour, lined with small boats and drying nets, is still the heart of the place — and tourism has arrived here gently, mostly in the form of a handful of family-run apartments rather than resorts. Outside the peak weeks of summer, the loudest thing in Metajna is the bura wind working its way along the coast.
What makes the area worth the drive is not the village itself but what surrounds it: a stretch of coastline where wind and sea have carved the limestone into pinnacles, arches and hidden bays that you won’t find photographed on every Pag brochure.
The walk to Beritnica
Park at Ručica, a sand-and-pebble bay just before Metajna that is easy to reach by car and popular enough on its own to justify a swim stop. From there, a path continues along the coast towards Beritnica — reckon on about twenty minutes each way, easy going at first and noticeably steeper and rockier on the final drop down to the water, so proper shoes matter more than usual.
The reward is Beritnica itself: a small pebble cove pinched between enormous boulders that broke away from the hillside long ago, leaving a natural rock arch and a scatter of sculpted stone around the water’s edge. There is nothing here — no kiosk, no shade structure, no lifeguard — which is precisely the point. Bring your own water and something to eat, and go early or late in the day if you want it to yourself. Plenty of visitors reach it by kayak or small boat instead of on foot, which is worth considering if the walk sounds like more effort than you fancy in the midday sun.
Underwater, and on the rock
Metajna’s coastline is popular with two groups who rarely mix with the Zrće crowd: divers and climbers. A diving centre based in the village runs boat trips out to the walls, caves and drop-offs along this side of Pag, where visibility is consistently good and the sites are far quieter than the more famous spots further up the island. If you dive already, ask locally about conditions before booking — the same bura that keeps this coast dramatic can also put a stop to a day’s diving with little warning.
Above the waterline, the limestone pinnacle known as Stogaj has quietly become one of the better-regarded sport-climbing spots on the Adriatic, with dozens of bolted routes spread across shaded slabs, a canyon and the pinnacle itself, ranging from easy warm-ups to routes that will test anyone. Non-climbers still make the walk out simply because the setting — a rock tower over a near-empty bay — is one of the more striking corners of Pag. The approach starts near an old, disused restaurant on the road into Metajna and follows a rough path down to the water; it is not signposted for tourists, so this is one for people who enjoy a bit of route-finding.
Visiting Metajna
- Getting there: follow the coast road from Novalja through Caska and Vidalići — it’s a straightforward drive of around fifteen minutes, doable by car, scooter or, if you don’t mind a longer pull in the heat, bicycle.
- Bring supplies: Metajna has no supermarket to speak of and the coves beyond it have nothing at all, so pack water, food and sun protection before you leave Novalja.
- Footwear: the paths to Beritnica and Stogaj are stony and uneven underfoot — trainers or sandals with a proper sole, not flip-flops.
- Best time to go: spring and early autumn keep the walking cool; in high summer, aim for early morning or the last hour or two before sunset, when the light on the rock is also at its best.
- By water: if you have access to a kayak, SUP or small boat, exploring this stretch of coast from the sea is arguably the best way to see it, since several of the coves have no easy path at all.
Metajna won’t give you a promenade, a cocktail menu or a sunset bar. What it gives you is a working village, a genuinely wild coastline within easy reach of Novalja, and the rare feeling on Pag in August of having a cove entirely to yourself. Simple experience of joy, minus the crowd.
