Sea kayaking in Croatia
| country: | Croatia |
| departures: | 2008: 23 Aug, 30 Aug, 6 Sep, 13 Sep, 20 Sep, 27 Sep, 4 Oct, 11 Oct, 18 Oct, 25 Oct |
| price: | From €494 - €630 (8 days) excluding flights, depending on season. Single room supplement 20%. Price includes half board accommodation, activities, park fee, local taxes, transfers & guides. Camping option available. Min age 8 years, 10% discount for 8-14 year olds |
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the amazing things you'll be doing
Sea kayaking Dubrovnik & Elafati islands
These itineraries are designed for those who love being active in the outdoors, explore seaside nature, heritage, history and art. Daily routes are 2 to 3 hours of easy paddling, suitable for all ages between 14 and late sixties (no previous kayaking experience is necessary). The shorelines are rich in history and natural variety - cliffs, caves, pine & palm trees, hidden coves & sandy beaches.
Lopud, Kolocep and Sipan belong to the Elafiti Islands Archipelago – 13 green islands covered by pine forests, without car traffic, with lots of sunshine and sandy beaches, less than an hour 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. You will spend a day exploring each island plus Zaton Bay and Dubrovnik. They are not just places of incredible natural beauties but also open air museums of history, art, architecture and folklore. And there will be a day for an optional excursion to Herzegovina rivers – rafting or canoeing – or even Montenegro or Mljet Island National Park.
Our sea kayaks are polyethylene Prijon single and double, stable and easy to paddle. In addition to paddle, spray deck and life jacket each can carry snorkeling gear, your personal things or hobby items like photography, painting or fishing equipment. Stable and user or family friendly sit-on-top kayaks are also available. They have 2 seats with optional 3rd seat for a pre-teen child.
You can choose to stay in one of three very different places which are all within Dubrovnik Town area:
Lopud Island: 1 hour from Dubrovnik harbour by ferry, Lopud Island has a small town of the same name with three hotels, several restaurants and cafes, 2 sandy beaches and great sunsets. You will stay in simple rooms in traditional stone houses (3 and 4-star hotel options are available on request, a surcharge depending on type of hotel/room and season).
Kalamota (Kolocep) Island: Only half an hour from Dubrovnik harbour or 15 minutes from the mainland, Kalamota Island has two lovely and very quiet villages. Ther is only one hotel, a few restaurants and cafes, sandy beaches, 4 bays, magical walking paths and incredible cliffs, caves and riffs for spectacular sea kayaking. Accommodation in air conditioned rooms with terraces and beautiful view of the bay and beach. (hotel option is available on request, with a surcharge). The very quiet house is above the village, around 2 minutes - 100 stairs from the sea.
Zaton Bay: This is the finest, very romantic residential area of Dubrovnik, only 15 minutes drive from the old town and Dubrovnik busy street life (same 15 minutes for Dubrovnik residents who use Zaton to escape from tourist crowds to a quiet seaside village pubs and beaches). Unspoiled villages offer accommodation by the sea in traditional houses with beautiful gardens and lots of shade. The bay has 5 beaches and numerous walking and hiking paths that take you to wilderness “just around the corner”. No hotels in Zaton Bay, camping available with a discounted package price. Being on the mainland and well connected Zaton offers a lot of flexibility for your own itinerary and private excursions.
Please note: The itinerary is subject to change depending on group abilities and wishes, weather, water levels, special events of interest and similar.
These itineraries are designed for those who love being active in the outdoors, explore seaside nature, heritage, history and art. Daily routes are 2 to 3 hours of easy paddling, suitable for all ages between 14 and late sixties (no previous kayaking experience is necessary). The shorelines are rich in history and natural variety - cliffs, caves, pine & palm trees, hidden coves & sandy beaches.
Lopud, Kolocep and Sipan belong to the Elafiti Islands Archipelago – 13 green islands covered by pine forests, without car traffic, with lots of sunshine and sandy beaches, less than an hour 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. You will spend a day exploring each island plus Zaton Bay and Dubrovnik. They are not just places of incredible natural beauties but also open air museums of history, art, architecture and folklore. And there will be a day for an optional excursion to Herzegovina rivers – rafting or canoeing – or even Montenegro or Mljet Island National Park.
Our sea kayaks are polyethylene Prijon single and double, stable and easy to paddle. In addition to paddle, spray deck and life jacket each can carry snorkeling gear, your personal things or hobby items like photography, painting or fishing equipment. Stable and user or family friendly sit-on-top kayaks are also available. They have 2 seats with optional 3rd seat for a pre-teen child.
You can choose to stay in one of three very different places which are all within Dubrovnik Town area:
Lopud Island: 1 hour from Dubrovnik harbour by ferry, Lopud Island has a small town of the same name with three hotels, several restaurants and cafes, 2 sandy beaches and great sunsets. You will stay in simple rooms in traditional stone houses (3 and 4-star hotel options are available on request, a surcharge depending on type of hotel/room and season).
Kalamota (Kolocep) Island: Only half an hour from Dubrovnik harbour or 15 minutes from the mainland, Kalamota Island has two lovely and very quiet villages. Ther is only one hotel, a few restaurants and cafes, sandy beaches, 4 bays, magical walking paths and incredible cliffs, caves and riffs for spectacular sea kayaking. Accommodation in air conditioned rooms with terraces and beautiful view of the bay and beach. (hotel option is available on request, with a surcharge). The very quiet house is above the village, around 2 minutes - 100 stairs from the sea.
Zaton Bay: This is the finest, very romantic residential area of Dubrovnik, only 15 minutes drive from the old town and Dubrovnik busy street life (same 15 minutes for Dubrovnik residents who use Zaton to escape from tourist crowds to a quiet seaside village pubs and beaches). Unspoiled villages offer accommodation by the sea in traditional houses with beautiful gardens and lots of shade. The bay has 5 beaches and numerous walking and hiking paths that take you to wilderness “just around the corner”. No hotels in Zaton Bay, camping available with a discounted package price. Being on the mainland and well connected Zaton offers a lot of flexibility for your own itinerary and private excursions.
Please note: The itinerary is subject to change depending on group abilities and wishes, weather, water levels, special events of interest and similar.
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | Saturday: Arrival at Dubrovnik Airport and transfer to your village or island. Accommodation in rooms of private houses situated close to the sea. After get-together dinner in one of the local restaurants we shall take a walk to familiarize ourselves with the area. |
| Day 2: | Sea kayaking instructions in the bay and first trip already in the afternoon. It will take you along local beaches and places of interest. Return to your place late in the afternoon for a dinner. |
| Day 3-6: | Kayaking, walking or bicycling around a different island or bay every day. During breaks we will enjoy swimming, sightseeing and snorkeling. You will have the opportunity to discover the delicious meals of Croatian cuisine in many different places. Sipan Island has colorful villages of Sudjuradj and Luka Sipanska. The fields between them have preserved the real country life among chapels and summer residences of old Dubrovnik aristocracy – 65 top category cultural monuments! We will have a chance to explore the island by bike. Sunj Bay sandy beach on Lopud is ideal for games like traditional local ball game called “Picigin” (volleyball played in knee-deep water with an orange-size ball). Lokrum Island just outside of Dubrovnik is a nature reserve with a monastery, peacocks, fortress ruins and a small lake. Trsteno Arboretum is an amazing park with goldfish fountain and impressive collection of exotic trees and plants. |
| Day 7: | Relax by the sea in the morning. In the afternoon last visit to Dubrovnik, for shopping in ancient streets, walking high city walls… or just enjoy ice cream or coffee in open air bistros along Stradun, old town’s main street and promenade. Optionally you can wash the salt away on canoe or rafting trip down Trebižat/Neretva Rivers, two of the clearest rivers near Mostar in Bosnia and Hercegovina. Mostar will fascinate you with its well preserved oriental spirit and tradition of mosques, small shops and crafts. This excursion is not included in package price but can be booked and paid on spot – approx. 60 euros. Among other interesting excursions we recommend Kotor Bay in Montenegro or Mljet Island National Park. |
| Day 8: | Transfer to the airport for homebound flight. |
travellers' tales
The best part? Having part of the Adriatic all to ourselves as we paddled around the shoreline and between islands with only ourselves and the beautiful, calm, aquamarine sea to keep us company. (more)
how this holiday makes a difference
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We have brought sea kayaks to Lopud in late 80's because we thought this was the most beautiful island in the Adriatic Sea. We still think it is but even in most beautiful small places one needs something to do keep one there longer, and something to allow exploring romantic yet hidden places of the island. Four neighborhood islands - Kolocep, Sipan, Ruda and St. Andrija as well as Trsteno with all their beauties and secrets are within easy reach of kayaks. Kayaks make Lopud attractive also before and after summer when not much is happening. We do not take commission from owners of rooms or apartments that our guests stay in. We make living by providing kayak and related services and believe in fair revenue distribution.
Zaton is a bay with three small fishermen villages only ten minutes drive from Dubrovnik - too close to the most beautiful town on the Mediterranean to make many visitors stop and stay here and not just to drive on. Being close to Dubrovnik caused Zaton season to be only eight weeks long, not even a quarter of the season of the big and well known neighbor. Sea kayaks that we introduced gave it a whole new dimension: while the main road cuts it off of its hinterland, kayaks allow its guests to smoothly float to its hidden coves, caves and beaches just outside the bay or on Elafiti Islands - Daksa, Kolocep, Lopud, Sipan... Kayaking season here is at the moment five months long but we keep our kayaks there for the local kids to use almost year round. That keeps them busy outdoors and also prepares them to become our future guides and partners some day. 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. 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. |
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