Alpine Slovenia & coastal Croatia holiday

country:	Croatia, Slovenia
trip type:	Introductory walking holidays
departures:	2008: 20 Jul, 17 Aug, 14 Sep 2009: 24 May, 21 Jun, 19 Jul, 16 Aug, 13 Sep
price:	From £949 (15 days) excluding flights & transfers. €275 local payment. We can arrange flights from the UK

Croatia holidays

Slovenia holidays

the amazing things you'll be doing

Slovenia has some of the most spectacular countryside in Europe with steep forested mountains and turquoise lakes whilst Croatia has the exquisite Dalmatian coasts with turquoise water, charming fishing villages and hidden islands, as well as the fabulous medieval cities such as Dubrovnik.

This tour takes in all the main highlights as well as offering the chance for some hiking in the mountains and the stunning Plitvice National Park.

day-by-day itinerary

Day 1:	Arrive Ljubljana.
Day 2:	Ljubljana. Morning walking tour of the lovely medieval city of Ljubljana. The afternoon is free for you to wander the cobbled streets and explore further.
Day 3:	Ljubljana - Lake Bohinj. Travel to Lake Bohinj, an exquisite glacial lake surrounded by towering peaks and alpine pastures.
Day 4:	Lake Bohinj. We spend the day hiking in the mountains around the Lake and enjoying magnificent views. Those feeling less active can relax on the shores of the lake.
Day 5:	Lake Bohinj - Lake Bled. Bus to Lake Bled where we have time to explore, hike in the hills or visit the idyllic 9th century church on a small island in the middle of the lake. Return to Lake Bohinj for the night.
Day 6:	Lake Bled- Postojna. Visit the magnificent cave complex of Postojna, with its many caverns, passages, caves and underground pools. Continue to Opatja on the riviera, where we spend the night.
Day 7:	Opatja - overnight bus. Today you can either relax on the Istrian coast or follow one of the many coastal paths, with gorgeous views over the sea and mountains. In the late afternoon we transfer to Rijeka for the overnight bus to Dubrovnik
Day 8:	Bus - Dubrovnik. Morning arrival in Dubrovnik and transfer to our hotel. Afternoon walking tour of the medieval city.
Day 9:	Dubrovnik. Free day to wander through this beautiful town or relax at one of the many local cafés.
Day 10:	Dubrovnik. A full free day to further explore. You may like to take a cruise to one of the many unspoilt islands in the area or visit one of the pretty fishing villages just a short boat trip away from Dubrovnik
Day 11:	Dubrovnik - Split - Trogir. Drive along the beautiful Dalmatian coast to Split where we enjoy a walking tour of the old city with its outstanding classical architecture. Late afternoon transfer to hotel in Trogir.
Day 12:	Trogir - Plitvice National Park. Travel to Plitvice where we stay near the National Park. The remainder of the day is free to enjoy the magnificent scenery of this park with its forested hills, turquoise lakes and many waterfalls.
Day 13:	Plitvice National Park - Zagbreb. After breakfast we leave for Zagreb. On arrival the remainder of the day is free to explore the city, which is packed full of delightful Austro- Hungarian architecture.
Day 14:	Zagbreb - Ljubljana. A free morning in Zagreb before we leave Croatia and travel back to Ljubljana for our last night.
Day 15:	Ljubljana. Tour ends

small group adventure holiday

Typically you will be sharing your experiences with between 4-20 like minded travellers (depending on the trip, operator and how many others are booked on the trip) and you'll have a group leader with you. Whether you are travelling alone or with friends its good value, and a great way to meet new people! While itineraries are pre-planned there is some flexibility and you'll have plenty of privacy. This trip will appeal to travellers of all ages who enjoy meeting new people as well as seeing new places.

highly commended

This tourism business was Highly Commended in our 2007 Virgin Holidays Responsible Tourism Awards - the largest awards of their kind in the world, and organised by responsibletravel.com in association with The Times, World Travel Market and Geographical Magazine, of the Royal Geographical Society.

Since 2004, the Awards has recognised individuals, companies and organisations in travel making a big commitment to the culture and economies of local communities and helping to conserve biodiversity.

how this holiday makes a difference

In an area which is now re-establishing itself as one of Europe's hot spots, we believe it is essential to channel revenue towards the local people who suffered most from the previous decline in visitors. We spend almost all of the nights in small family run hotels and encourage travellers to eat in small local restaurants ensuring that a vast amount of the money from our visits stays with local people. The tour utilises a variety of transport which often includes public buses and ferries.

We also spend time in the beautiful scenery of Plitvica National Park. While visiting this fragile eco system our tour leaders take active steps to ensure our groups behave in an environmentally responsible manner such as sticking to established trails, not leaving anything behind or removing any plants whilst hiking and walking through the park.

During this trip there are also many opportunities to visit UNESCO world heritage sights where our entrance fees contribute to the maintenance and restoration of these unique places.

Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people.

We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel.

'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left).

We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've lead the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays.

We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism.

This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards.