Sailing in Croatia
| country: | Croatia |
| departures: | 2008: 30 Aug, 6 Sep, 13 Sep, 20 Sep, 27 Sep |
| price: | From €1199 - €1399 (8 days) excluding flights, depending on season. Price includes 7 nights in 2-persons cabin on a sailing yacht, skipper, insurance, bicycling on Sipan Island & seakayaking on Kolocep Island |
read 1 travellers review
the amazing things you'll be doing
This multi-activity adventure sailing cruise is not only for those who love and respect nature but also admire art and history, appreciate ancient architecture and local tradition.
Daily activities are rather short and not demanding. Dubrovnik old town is the World Heritage Site, and the islands – Korcula, Mljet and Elafiti shorelines are also rich in history and natural variety - cliffs, caves, coves, rocks, beaches, pine forests... we will explore them on a sailing yacht, in sea kayaks, on bicycle or on foot - plus swimming and snorkeling in the sea. An optional river rafting trip is available at the end of the week.
Lopud, Kolocep and Sipan belong to Elafiti Islands Archipelago – small, green islands covered by forests, without car traffic, with lots of sunshine and sandy beaches, less than an hour sailing time from Dubrovnik. Each has no more than a couple of hundreds permanent residents who live in stone houses of traditional character. Tall palm trees, parks, gardens and flowers everywhere contribute to easy going life style.
Occasionally our yachts or kayaks are escorted by friendly dolphins or tunas that are often seen in the area. The sea is blue, clear, warm and friendly.
Note: Itinerary is subject to change due to weather (wind and waves) conditions and special events or attractions.
Daily activities are rather short and not demanding. Dubrovnik old town is the World Heritage Site, and the islands – Korcula, Mljet and Elafiti shorelines are also rich in history and natural variety - cliffs, caves, coves, rocks, beaches, pine forests... we will explore them on a sailing yacht, in sea kayaks, on bicycle or on foot - plus swimming and snorkeling in the sea. An optional river rafting trip is available at the end of the week.
Lopud, Kolocep and Sipan belong to Elafiti Islands Archipelago – small, green islands covered by forests, without car traffic, with lots of sunshine and sandy beaches, less than an hour sailing time from Dubrovnik. Each has no more than a couple of hundreds permanent residents who live in stone houses of traditional character. Tall palm trees, parks, gardens and flowers everywhere contribute to easy going life style.
Occasionally our yachts or kayaks are escorted by friendly dolphins or tunas that are often seen in the area. The sea is blue, clear, warm and friendly.
Note: Itinerary is subject to change due to weather (wind and waves) conditions and special events or attractions.
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | Saturday: Boarding in Dubrovnik marina, yacht harbor built between wonderful 16 century castle and a monastery. We use modern sailing yachts for 6-10 passengers with simple comfort but very good sailing performance. A pleasant evening will be spent walking in the great atmosphere of old town, tasting local seafood and wines and enjoying jazz in the Trubadur - the most popular of old town cafes. |
| Day 2: | Early walk to marina cafe and the local shop for fresh fruit and cool drinks for the day. We will sail out South to old city walls and Lokrum Island nature reserve for sightseeing and a swim. We proceed to Kolocep Island to one of the best local seafood restaurants for lunch and continue to Lopud Island. |
| Day 3: | After breakfast and morning coffee we sail Nortwest to Mljet Island National Park. There will be stops in Limuni lagoon, Saplunara Beach and Odyssey cave to enjoy swimming and snorkeling. The north part of the island is very green. It has two beautiful salt water lakes and 14 century monastery on a tiny island on one of them. We will explore them on bike and canoe. Dinner under palm trees of a lakeside pub. |
| Day 4: | Sailing to Korcula Island. The town of Korcula is a masterpiece of Mediterranean urban architecture. We shall explore it in the afternoon and spend the evening in its great atmosphere. Marco Polo, famous seaman and explorer of China and far east countries, was born here. |
| Day 5: | After the usual morning coffee we will sail South to Sipan Island. Luka Sipanska on the far end of the island is a charming and romantic fishermen village and bay surrounded with palm trees - favourite mooring place of sailing yachts. Sipan is the largest of Elafiti Islands and bicycles will take us to explore its landscapes, castles, chapels and monasteries.This fishermen and farmer island was often a target of pirates and conquerors in the past. Nowdays it attracts tourists but still resists the attacks of mass tourism. |
| Day 6: | We shall visit Trsteno arboretum, a famous collection of trees and plants from all over the world, before sailing to Kolocep Island. Kolocep is the last island stop on our route. We will use sea kayaks to explore its high cliffs, hidden beaches and caves, to snorkel and swim in caves and between submerged rocks. |
| Day 7: | World Heritage site – Dubrovnik - is the most beautiful town on the Mediterranean. The last day is reserved for exploring it and enjoying it until late in the night. |
| Day 8: | After breakfast departure to Dubrovnik airport for homebound flight. |
travellers' tales
The most exciting part was snorkelling into a cave whose entrance was only just on the waterline; the most memorable, difficult to say - the company (our group of 6 really gelled), the places we visited (that you can really only get to in a kayak), the islands and their people themselves......
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how this holiday makes a difference
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On this cruise we strive to use the power of wind as much as possible, and minimize the use of motor power. Mornings and late afternoons are spent walking, kayaking and bicycling, usually with local guides.
That is how we get to places off the tourist routes, small farms and fishermen's villages. We often eat or buy fresh food at those villages. Places like that do not accept credit cards or vouchers. That is why we expect our clients to pay for part of the package price in cash. By booking this trip you bring much needed income to the people who are still recovering from the war-torn years as this was the area severely affected by war. This trip ensures that the local people benefit as much as possible in the form of jobs (we employ local guides and drivers) and provision of accommodation (we use family owned hotel or home stay with local family) most of all that negative environmental impacts are kept to the minimum. As a company we use local transfer services, buy food from the small farms and work on developing responsible waste management by stimulating waste recycle. By buying local products you are supporting this countries’ economy and helping Croatia to stand on her feet again! On our trips we bike on paved roads only, walk and hike on existing paths and tell our guests not to feed, fish, hunt and disturb animals. We consider as our responsibility to lead efforts to maintain and preserve the integrity of this fledgling sector by petitioning the introduction of tighter controls over the use of the country’s natural resources. As a company, we support the local community by building camps in partnership with local families, building bridges and accesses to the rivers. In order to preserve traventine barriers on Zrmanja River we have built a wooden detour bridges. Other than that, we support orphan bear shelter in Kutarevo. In our office we minimize printing actions and recycle paper. Part of our staff is vegetarian and because of that we try to provide quality vegetarian meals on our trips. |
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 led 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. |