Slovenia & Croatia family activity holiday
| country: | Croatia, Slovenia |
| departures: | 2008: 16 Aug |
| price: | From £1075 - £1445 (15 days) per adult including flights from the UK, depending on number of activities & accommodation chosen. Child under 14 sharing with parent(s) £225 discount. This trip can also be booked without flights. Recommended minimum age 9 years |
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the amazing things you'll be doing
This holiday is based in two beautifully contrasting locations. Your first week is spent in Umag situated on Croatia’s Adriatic Coast and the second week in the stunning mountain scenery of Slovenia’s Julian Alps. The combination of coast and mountains also provides a hugely varied activity programme.
In Novigrad we stay at the 3-star Hotel Laguna situated just 100 metres from the pebbly beach and a few minutes walk from Novigrad’s old town. There are 220 bedrooms all of which have en-suite shower/WC, hair dryer, telephone, satellite TV and air-conditioning.
There are two restaurants with open terraces and an aperitif bar which is perfect for winding down before dinner. Additional facilities include: outdoor swimming pools for adults and children, a children’s play area, TV room and lounge. There is also a sports centre within very close proximity offering tennis, volleyball, basketball, handball, football and beach volleyball areas.
The 3-star Hotel Krn is conveniently located in the very heart of Tolmin. Tolmin combines an old quarter with a functional new town providing all the services you will need including car hire, currency exchange, shops, bars, restaurants and a small daily market. The real beauty of the town is that it is almost entirely encircled by mountains and perfectly situated for easy access to all the activities.
The Hotel Krn is a family run establishment and offers the warmest of Slovenian welcomes. It has 48 comfortably furnished en-suite rooms (twins, triples and larger family rooms) on three floors. The bar is a popular meeting point for locals and visitors alike and the restaurant serves good food from the a la carte menu. The terrace is a lovely place to relax with an ice cream after an active day and the small first floor games room generally keeps the children happily occupied.
In Novigrad we stay at the 3-star Hotel Laguna situated just 100 metres from the pebbly beach and a few minutes walk from Novigrad’s old town. There are 220 bedrooms all of which have en-suite shower/WC, hair dryer, telephone, satellite TV and air-conditioning.
There are two restaurants with open terraces and an aperitif bar which is perfect for winding down before dinner. Additional facilities include: outdoor swimming pools for adults and children, a children’s play area, TV room and lounge. There is also a sports centre within very close proximity offering tennis, volleyball, basketball, handball, football and beach volleyball areas.
The 3-star Hotel Krn is conveniently located in the very heart of Tolmin. Tolmin combines an old quarter with a functional new town providing all the services you will need including car hire, currency exchange, shops, bars, restaurants and a small daily market. The real beauty of the town is that it is almost entirely encircled by mountains and perfectly situated for easy access to all the activities.
The Hotel Krn is a family run establishment and offers the warmest of Slovenian welcomes. It has 48 comfortably furnished en-suite rooms (twins, triples and larger family rooms) on three floors. The bar is a popular meeting point for locals and visitors alike and the restaurant serves good food from the a la carte menu. The terrace is a lovely place to relax with an ice cream after an active day and the small first floor games room generally keeps the children happily occupied.
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | Flights, arrival and introduction. We meet you at Trieste Airport for the transfer to the pretty Croatian coastal town of Novigrad. Tonight there will be an introductory meeting followed by dinner. |
| Day 2: | Land and sea orientation day. We head straight for the coast this morning where the group is split into teams. Either walking or in sea kayaks, we make our way between various check points with a few tasks such as finding hidden treasure thrown in along the way. Picnic lunch included. |
| Day 3: | Istrian country games. We travel inland and once at our forest lodge the day begins with lunch but we have to do our own cooking! With a recipe and the ingredients, we have to prepare a traditional Istrian dish. After lunch, we take part in a traditional Istrian Sports Day which will include a variety of games such as the Croatian version of boules, tug of war, horse shoe throwing, sack races and boulder tossing amongst others. Lunch and dinner with live Istrian music are included. |
| Day 4: | Free day. A full day to explore, try some of the additional activities available locally or simply relax by the hotel pool or the sea. Dinner at the hotel. |
| Day 5: | Lazy boat day. We start this morning by visiting the Novigrad market to buy lunch and also fish bait. Boarding our boat at the harbour we head south to the beautiful Roman town of Porec where there will be time to explore for a couple of hours. Back on board the boat there will be opportunities to try catching our own fish supper, swimming, sea kayaking and snorkelling. Dinner at the hotel. |
| Day 6: | Free day |
| Day 7: | Rock climbing. We head into the heart of Istria and our climbing site bordering the lovely lake at Zarecje. After an initial briefing and instruction session we practice on the rock face before a leisurely picnic lunch. After eating we spend further time honing our climbing skills and prizes will be awarded to the best climbers before returning to Novigrad and a 'farewell Croatia' dinner. |
| Day 8: | Slovenia and night canoeing. After a welcome dinner we head for a calm stretch of river for our night canoe trip to the lake at Most na Soci. With only headlamps for illumination, night canoeing allows you to enjoy the peace and calm of the river and to gaze at the millions of stars which light the Slovenian sky at night. |
| Day 9: | Exploration trek. Your guided trek (approx 6 miles) into the stunning pastures of the Polog Valley is designed to introduce you to the wonderful Slovenian countryside as well as some of its history and culture. You will visit a WW1 bunker, cross the river on a gondola bridge and we throw in fun and games for good measure. Picnic lunch included. |
| Day 10: | Canyoning. After a 30 minute walk up the lovely Trebusa Gorge our exhilarating canyoning session begins gently with small waterfalls and natural rock slides before tackling tougher obstacles. The highlight is a rope assisted descent down a 27 metre waterfall. |
| Day 11: | Mountain biking. The quiet and gently undulating back roads of the Soca and Idrija Valleys are perfect for a day of cycling. Natural meadows, crystal clear rivers and towering Alpine peaks are just a few of the highlights. Picnic lunch. |
| Day 12: | Free day. Explore the area or book additional activities locally. |
| Day 13: | Mini-rafting. Mini-rafts are perfect for enjoying the 16km river descent from Kobarid to Tolmin. There are white water and calmer stretches to be negotiated and we throw in some fun and games along the way. Half way down the descent we stop by the riverside to play a few more games and enjoy a leisurely barbecue lunch. |
| Day 14: | White water rafting. A fitting finalé to a memorable fortnight. This morning we go white water rafting on the River Soca. With a good mix of white water and calmer stretches, there can be few more exciting ways of exploring this stunningly beautiful river. In the evening we all gather together one last time for a farewell dinner. |
| Day 15: | Depart or extend your stay. All good things must come to an end and after breakfast we head back to Trieste for the return flights. |
travellers' tales
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how this holiday makes a difference
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This family holiday has two bases – at Umag in Istria in Northern Croatia and Tolmin in Western Slovenia.
In Istria our local partners are firmly dedicated to promoting the twin concepts of utilising local suppliers and providers and following practices which contribute towards the environmental protection of the area. They actively promote the idea of tourism with minimal pollution and to this end ensure that groups bring back any garbage which may have a detrimental impact on the environment, which is then recycled when and wherever possible. Dedication to the stimulation of the local economy extends to promoting employment opportunities where possible and this happens in terms of guiding, local restaurants and local accommodation providers. For activities local guides are exclusively used for all land and sea based activities and road transfers are organised locally as well. In Slovenia we actively encourage the development of the training of local guides who receive their diplomas from the University of Ljubljana. Our presence allows these guides to develop their international language skills through constant interaction with our groups. Tolmin itself lies on the edge of the Triglav National Park and taking clients there on one activity day we educate them in how tourism can impact on the ecology of the region if not managed carefully. Again only local accommodation providers are used who employ local staff in all disciplines. All food served to clients is locally grown and prepared and we encourage clients to sample local delicacies. |
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. |