Nature, History, Culture, and Cuisine
Trip Type: Small Group Adventure
Territory:
Region: Croatia
Trip Price: From $5,550
Single Supplement: $1,125
On-Trip Airfare: $0
Duration: 9 days/8 nights
Trip Begins/Ends: Pula, Croatia / Split, Croatia
Minimum Travelers: 4 travelers
Maximum Travelers: 16 travelers
Pricing detailed for this Small Group Adventure is based upon double occupancy. Additional charges for single travelers and any on-trip airfare required for the trip apply. A booking deposit is required to reserve your space. Small Group Adventure pricing includes all lodging, meals (unless otherwise noted), activities, baggage handling, transportation, and guide service. Not included are travel costs to/from gateway cities, guide gratuities, and personal incidentals including, but not limited to, trip cancellation/interruption insurance, alcoholic beverages, and laundry service. Travel with Off the Beaten Path requires agreement to our standard Terms & Conditions.
No Sweat - 1-2 miles of walking or hiking per day, plus easy activities
Nice & Active – 3-6 miles of hiking or walking per day, plus physically active exploration
High Five! – 5-12 miles of hiking per day, plus possible peak bagging or other action-oriented fun
Your hikes are easy to moderate, under 6 miles per day, sometimes over uneven terrain. Walking in the towns and villages also often involves navigating over uneven stone streets or through ancient ruins. Expect multiple ferry rides, and a boat ride to Biševo island across waters that can be choppy at times.
Most all of our Small Group Adventures can be made private to just your traveling troupe. Just give us a call at (800) 445-2995 and tell us that you would like to “make it private”!
Generally, there are two ways to make a small group adventure private. First, you could capture one of our published departure dates for just your group. In order to achieve this, we have to have sufficient space available to create a separate private trip. Second, we could take the details of this itinerary and fashion it for just your group on dates of your choosing. For this, too, we just need to review your interest, group size, and preferred timing in order to create the trip.
In all cases, the process begins with a phone call so give us a ring at (800) 445-2995 and after just a few minutes gathering information, we can set to the task of making your trip a reality!
Arrive at the Pula airport by 2, and head off with your Trip Leader to Pula’s old town. The Roman Amphitheater here is considered to be among the best preserved in the world. We’ll settle into our gracious hotel in Rovinj this afternoon.
This morning we explore Rovinj, one of the most beautiful towns on the Mediterranean. Walk the stone streets with their old, closely built houses, and appreciate the Renaissance architecture and sea views. Later we walk Lim Fjord Nature Reserve, a lush and diverse marine estuary home to a range of birds and wildlife. Afterward we’re treated to a delightful dégustation (mindfully savored tasting) of mussels and oysters.
After time this morning in the 14thcentury Venetian village of Groznjan, we hike along the Parenzana trail, once a narrow-gauge railway. Stone viaduct arches still bridge the canyons of thunderous small rivers. After our walk and a wine tasting, we try our hands at truffle hunting. Even if we come up empty, our friendly hosts serve up truffle flavored honey, pate, and other delicacies.
We stop at the tiny medieval town of Hum, then head to UNESCO World Heritage Plitvice Lakes National Park to explore. The park is famous for its spectacular landscape of colorful lakes linked by cascading falls and travertine pools. At the end of the day we settle into memorable luxury accommodations in the heart of the park.
Today we visit Paklenica National Park, part of a UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve, some of most pristine scenery in the Mediterranean. There are several wonderful hikes through beech and black pine forests to choose from, and we enjoy lunch in a tiny mountain village. Next stop, Trogir, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, known as the Little Venice of Dalmatia, and sometimes called a city-museum because of its rich cultural heritage.
We ferry back to Split for a morning walking tour that takes us inside Diocletian's Palace one of the most imposing Roman ruins in existence. Later we board a ferry to Vis island, inhabited since the Neolithic period. Vis has two towns, Komiza and Vis, located on opposite sides of the island. Today is all about getting to know Vis town and relaxing on the beach. Dinner tonight is in a traditional Dalmatian restaurant.
After breakfast we explore the island’s interior and take a short walk to the summit of Mount Hum, highest point on the island. Former Yugoslavian president Josip Tito used a cave on this mountain as his headquarters during WWII, and we’ll get to see it on a walking tour. There was a huge base for land-sea missiles at Stupišće point near Komiža, with impressive tunnels and a bunker complex on alert in case of invasion. We enjoy dinner tonight in a traditional restaurant.
This morning we explore tiny Biševo island, situated on the ancient sailing passage known as “Diomedes’ route.“ Over centuries, the few residents have covered the landscape with renowned vineyards. Perhaps the island’s most famous feature is the Blue Grotto, a sea cave that fills with mesmerizing blue light at certain times of day. We head back to Vis after visiting the Blue Grotto, and a traditional Peka, or “under the bell” meal tonight.
All too soon, it seems, we catch the ferry back to Split and transfer to the airport for departures home.
Held in the embrace of centuries-old stone walls, this boutique hotel is nestled in the heart of Rovinj’s Old Town. You’ll love the Secret Garden.
Every window of this hilltop hotel, once a 17th century palace, offers exceptional views—of the medieval town square, Istrian landscape, or famous vineyards.
Located in the heart of Croatia’s oldest national park, this recently built lodge earns the “ethno” in its name in its respect and consideration for natural and cultural tradition.
Stay in the heart of a UNESCO World Heritage site! This 13-room family-owned hotel is in a historic Trogir building and is furnished with restored antiques.
Stylish rooms, a garden courtyard, and warm hospitality greet you at this intimate, idyllic island hotel, a short stroll from the sea.
The American Southwest is an incredibly rich – and endlessly diverse – travel destination. Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, and Southern Colorado each offer unique landscapes, vibrant and fascinating culture and history, cool towns and cities, rivers to fish or raft, mountain and canyon trails to hike or bike, wildlife to watch, and national parks at […]
The Serengeti of North America. The world’s first national park. Wonderland. Whatever you want to call it, Yellowstone National Park is a place unlike any other. With half the world’s thermal features – not to mention iconic wildlife and gorgeous Rocky Mountain scenery – Yellowstone has a lot to offer a curious traveler. The park […]
As an in-house writer for Off the Beaten Path, a good chunk of my day is spent researching travel destinations – reading magazine articles, perusing traveler reviews, gaining insight from travelers’ blogs, and speaking with locals. And whether I’m writing about Sedona, Steamboat, San Francisco, or Silver City (New Mexico, in case you didn’t know), […]
The little girl gripped the edge of the folding table. “Billy is not afraid,” she told me with a steely look as her brother handed over Billy for the slug race weigh-in. I peeled the surprisingly sticky Billy from my latex-gloved hand and laid him on the digital kitchen scale. Ten grams. A small contender […]
