Croatian Coastal Adventure Tour: Wine and Wonder

Wander through the maze of Trogir this morning to stroll along the cafe-lined promenades and side streets that are dominated by art galleries. Enter Romanesque churches and Renaissance townhouses, and then gasp at the decoration within Trogir’s stunning cathedral. 45 minutes away from Split, this old city can seduce you like a summer love story. Inspiring and exotic at first glance, the city is overflowing with places to explore and experiences to be had. Return to Split after lunch, and you will be privately guided around Diocletian’s Palace to soak up a history that complements the ornamental detail. Complete your afternoon with an entirely different perspective, as you paddle out onto the Adriatic in a sea kayak to cruise alongside the palace’s walls before traversing the park forest of Marjan. Serene yet adventurous, it is the first of your escapades that make this tour along the Adriatic so unique.

A winding foot trail leads you through Krka National Park. At first, you will in the forest surrounded by swathes of beech and fir trees. The trail then emerges into a lake of soft turquoise as waterfalls surge down the karsts with a lush veil of white to complement the forest and the lake. Keep walking, and there will be another six scenes like this with the confluence of karst landscape, gushing water and the roar of nature. Keep walking, and you will find where the water meets the sea. The village of Sibenik wraps itself against this conflux, a mass of steep stone backstreets and alleyways as if from a postcard. You will have an afternoon to relax in Sibenik with plenty of time to discover the UNESCO World Heritage cathedral and dine on a beautiful seafront terrace.

The adrenalin will be flowing today as you go zip-lining and canyoning, and then river rafting through the remote interior of Croatia. This will be a day of adventure as you descend from the city of Omis down the Cetina river. At times, you will drift along to admire the caves, the coves and nature’s method of painting the canyon. At other times, you will rush through the rapids and surge past waterfalls with water spraying into the boat as you lurch onwards. Your traditional lunch will also be an adventure with frogs and eels from the river and baked veal with homemade bread. A morning spent on the water is followed by an afternoon in the air with a series of zip lines taking you onwards. Throughout it all, it will be rare that you see anyone other than those in your group, such is the submersion in nature.

Take your catamaran across the Adriatic, and then take your first steps on an island that is dominated by tradition. Your guide will take you uphill to an old Illyrian settlement where a medieval castle hangs high above the Adriatic. Sample olives from a nearby estate, and then taste your way through wines that have been cultivated for 2,400 years, a Grand Cru Plavac mali very different from the rest of the Mediterranean. As your private half-day tour continues, you can explore Vrboska before crossing fields of lavender to Napoleon Fortress.

Your accommodation is in Stari Grad, a UNESCO World Heritage town that seems to epitomize the appeal of Hvar. The town is cute and old world, ideal for walking casually during the afternoon. This is also a town dominated by nature are you are only a few moments away from the blue-green of the Adriatic or the rolling landscapes of the hills. This evening you will dine at an olive oil grove house to enjoy the exclusive Hvar produce while looking out across the island. Everything is grown locally, and you will quickly taste why Hvar’s olive oil is so revered across the Mediterranean.

Island hopping is the most iconic of Croatian experiences with an archipelago of choice awaiting you on today’s small-group boat tour. Shards of light enter the Blue Cave from underneath to create an ephemeral color that you will not be able to capture on camera. A hidden lagoon is found at Stiniva Cove, and you can swim beneath the stunning cliffs. Keep island hopping to Ravnik, where the Green Cave is another lovely place for a short swim. By lunchtime, you will be on the Pakleni Islands to find a great seafood restaurant just a few meters from the sea. After a busy day, you can spend the evening in the abandoned Hvar village of Milna where a beautiful, yet simple, restaurant provides Croatia’s best konoba experience.

Green and glorious, the island of Korcula resembles a postcard from every angle you take. The main coastal city drips with history as the marble streets are packed with Gothic and Renaissance architecture. Great forests rise across the hilly interior, punctuated by olive groves and vineyards. The island inspires the traveler in everyone, although that should not be surprising to hear given that Marco Polo was born on Korcula. Take the fast catamaran and spend the morning on a walking tour of the town, including a visit to the legendary traveler’s birthplace. Lunch is at a family estate, and then your afternoon is free for a chance to take an adventure on the water or on the land. Like Stari Grad, Korcula town is a memorable place to spend the evening, watching the world go by from the edge of the Adriatic.

Return to the mainland on the fast ferry and the Adriatic will continue to surprise you. Wine is stored underwater with consistent temperatures optimal for aging the wine. There will be the option to scuba dive down to the bottom and see the wines in their clay jugs, including the sunken boat that is used as a unique wine cellar. This is in addition to the winery tour, and tasting will be part of your day’s tour. Continue a little further south, and the 14th-century city walls of Ston create the backdrop for an oyster plucking experience. You will grab tasty morsels straight from the cliffs, adding a little lemon juice before tasting. Seasonal mussels are usually on the menu in Ston as well, another seafood indulgence to precede your first afternoon in Dubrovnik, the most indulgent of all Croatia’s cities.

Spend your morning walking the walls as you circumnavigate this great city republic from above. The stone feels sturdy beneath your feet as sloping terracotta rooftops stretch out in the space below. Walk beneath the towers, above the baroque buildings and just across from the endless shimmer of the sea. Descend into the mazy streets as your guide illuminates the city’s long and proud history. Dubrovnik is a justifiably famous destination, and your guided tour this morning is merely an insight into what the city offers. Your guide will provide a handful of recommendations to make the most of your remaining days here, including helping to make reservations at the city’s finest restaurants. This afternoon is free, and you will have cable car tickets to ascend Mt Srd where it is possible to set off on a self-guided hike or simply enjoy the views.

The Konavle region is the rural Croatia of old, where small villages and noble mansions scatter across the lush mountain landscapes. A bicycle travels at a speed that is most suitable to the region, but fast enough to visit different villages and attractions, yet slow enough to really absorb Konavle’s raw beauty. Peddle through Lovorno and Mihanici, sample wines from the Dubrovnik Malvasia vineyards, check out a string of historical mills and small churches, and then eat lunch at a small family estate. Low-key and laid-back, this is a bicycle adventure into a land that remains mostly off the tourist trail. By the time you descend back towards Dubrovnik, you will understand a little more about Croatian lifestyle, especially how it continues to be slow and subtle.

Most people could easily spend weeks in Dubrovnik doing little more than walking the same streets again and again. Every time you leave the hotel, you will pick up on something new. From a 16th-century-looking barbers shop to side-street boutiques and the inconsistencies of the stone wall, there is more than enough to explore. Late this afternoon, you will see Dubrovnik’s city walls from a different angle. Paddle around the UNESCO World Heritage Site in a sea kayak, looking one way to the great fortifications and seeing Lokrum Island to the other. Sunset creates a meditative play of colors, and you will slowly become silhouettes on the Adriatic for a very fitting way to end 12 days along the sea.

Spend a leisurely morning in Dubrovnik, perhaps returning to your favorite seafront cafe or doing some last minute shopping. You will be transferred to Dubrovnik’s international airport in plenty of time for your homebound flight.