Adventourus Active Vacations

8 day Escorted tour

South Dalmatia is the smallest region of Croatia with the lowest number of inhabitants. On your cycling tour you pass unique small towns and flourishing island landscapes. You see the wonderful island Korcula with its picturesquely situated old town, the winegrowing peninsula Pelijesac and the island Mljet with its impressive national park. The islands of South Dalmatia are higher than those of the Kvarner Bay and Central Dalmatia, which means that the bike-tours offer beautiful and long descents (and admittedly also quite a few ascents). Our tour guide leads you through towns that are well worth exploring, such as Trogir, Split, Hvar and Korcula, almost all of which are protected as UNESCO World Cultural Heritage sites.

Individual arrival in the picturesque harbour of Trogir, (about 5 km away from Split Airport). After checking in on the motor yacht before 2 p.m., the ship will take you away from the mainland to the island of Split. Your first bike-tour in the afternoon leads you to the mountain of Marjan, a recreation area of the inhabitants of the island. In the evening your tour guide will take you on a stroll through Split. Overnight stay in Split.

The ship will take you to the island of Omis. You will bike from Omis through the valley of the Cetina river, which has dug itself deep into the cliffs. On little side roads and through diverse land-scapes you cycle back to Omis, with its pirate castles. In the afternoon you will cross over to the island of Brac. There you have a swim break and an optional bike tour from Pucisca. You will explore hands-on the famous white marble of Brac, which was used for building the White House in Washington and the parliament building in Berlin.

Day 3: Island of Brac (45 km)

The tour starts with a long, but moderate climb to the ridge of the island, whereby you will pass countless mulberry, kiwi and fig trees, pinewoods, olive groves and vineyards. The descent to the beach in Bol with impressive panoramic views on the neighbouring island of Hvar makes the ascent worthwhile. After lunch, you undertake a longer cruise to the island of Korcula, where you will spend the night in the capital of the island, the town of Korcula, which challenges Venice for the honour of being the birth place of Marco Polo.

Peljesac with its towering, nearly 1.000 m high, mountain massive of Sv. Ilja has been the impres-sive backdrop for the last two days of the tour. The morning ascent above the sea takes you up through Dalmatia’s most famous winegrowing area, home to renowned wines such as Plavac and Dinga, on your way to Trstenik. In the afternoon you will travel by ship to the island of Mljet. The green island of Mljet is also known as the “island of honey”. In the 12th century the Benedictines established a monastery in this beautiful isolated place, surrounded by woods of pine and holm oak trees. The local pine forest is supposed to be the most beautiful of its kind in the whole Mediterranean. Ulysses is supposed to have spent seven years here. You will bike along the saltwater lake of the island, in which there is yet another small island.

The peace and isolation of the copious gardens with large cypresses characterises the image of this arguably most beautiful Dalmatian island. You will cycle along the 12 km long costal road to Racisce, where you have lunch. After pedalling the short distance to Pupnat, you continue on the old 200 m high mountain pass route above the bay of Pupnat to Blato. This town is built on seven hills like Rome. A night in the safe harbour of Vela Luka.

After your arrival in the harbour of Hvar, you take a interesting city tour. You pass its large Ren-aissance square with the cathedral which is surrounded by many late gothic palaces. You can visit the historically important Spanish fortress, the cathedral and the old theatre.

During today's bike tour you will pass small island villages with picturesque stone houses, aligned like pearls on a chain. You reach the end of the bike-tour, the historical town of Stari Grad, on the nearly traffic-free mountain pass route.

Cruise to the island of Solta. On your last bike-tour you will see fields surrounded by ancient stone walls as well as numerous olive, fig and carob trees. The lavender and rosemary shrubs give the island its specific fragrance. In Maslinica you load your bikes onto the ship and enjoy the last crossing back to Trogir.

After breakfast your cycling tour comes to an end and you may begin your journey home. We would also be more than happy to extend your stay in Europe.

PRICE & DETAILS

DEPARTURE DATES:

Departs almost every Saturday from April 7th to October 27th

Premum ship departure dates:

April 28     May 12, 26      June 9, 23, 30     July 14, 28     

August 11, 25       September 8, 22        October 6, 21

- 7 nights accommodation in a double cabin with private facilities

- 3 meals per day, starting with 3-course dinner on Sat. and ending with breakfast on the day of departure. Packed lunches included daily.

- 21 speed trekking bicycle with pannier

- maps & road guide book

- multilingual German / English speaking guide

- 7 days of escorted cycling

- Entrance fee to the National Park Mljet

Optional Services:

- Additional night (B&B): from $65 CAD /Person in double room and $80 CAD in single room

Excluded are:

- taxi to/from Split Airport (approx. 15€)

- alcoholic & soda drinks and aboard the boat (tally system)

- local harbour taxes of 20€ (paid to captain)

- gratuities to guides and crew

- Helmets: these are mandatory and may be rented for free aboard ship, however we recommend you bring your own.

Logding:

KAPETAN JURE

MV 'Kapetan Jure' is a 27-metre-long and 7-metre wide comfortable and spacious wooden motor yacht that was built in 2000. 11 of the 15 cabins are on deck. 10 of these are furnished with two beds, arranged side by side, while one cabin has bunk beds. The remaining 4 cabins are below deck, and are furnished with a French bed (140 cm wide) and a porthole.

The spacious saloon offers enough place for having the meals and spending some time with new friends. The large sundeck is big enough for extensive sunbathing. Captain Anton and his crew form an experienced team.

You may also upgrade to all Superior 4 star hotels, at an additional $785 per person.

ROMANTICA (premium ship)

The M/S Romantica is a brand-new motor yacht, which sails for us in the Croatian Adriatic especially for group charter and special tours. The Romantica from captain Jure was launched in May 2007. It possesses solid structural steelwork, which, as the name says, connects romance with modern trends and functionality .

17 comfortably equipped double cabins with a size of 9-10 square meters also offer sufficient area to larger groups to accommodation. The generous cabins feature elevated equipment.

The far sun deck offers couch mats for sunbathing and relaxing. A characteristic of the ship is a platform at the tail of the ship, from which you can swim in the sea very comfortably.

ADONIS

“Adonis” is a  24-metre-long and 6-metre-wide two-masted yacht that was built in 1975.  Captain Tihomir rebuilt the ship for cruising in 2002/2003, and each of the 12 cabins was furnished with a shower and a toilet.  There are 8 cabins on deck, each of which has a door that opens to the outside. Captain Tihomirs' crew offers excellent service and cuisine with delicious typical Croatian food. If you'd like to be shown the most beautiful bays for swimming, Tihomir is a proven specialist, because he knows waters of the Kvarner bay like the back of his hand. The cozy saloon invites you to spend some time with new friends. On the covered rear deck of the ship is an inviting table situated where you can enjoy your meals. 100 square metres of sundeck offers enough room for enjoying the sun while under way.

MODERATE TO HILLY: A good level of fitness is required. The daily routes of 30-60 km cover hilly terrain but can be completed without any time constraints. You will also come across some longer and rather steep climbs, where you might have to push your bike. You can skip a bike-tour and spend a day sunbathing on the ship if you wish.

You can decide every day for yourself whether you would like to cycle individually, using the maps provided, or join one of the tour guides.

The nearest airport is Split, 10 minutes by taxi from the dock in Trogir (approx. $25)