C R O A T IA & M O N T EN EGR O Cycling... · C Y C L E , H I K E & K A Y A K T H E D A L M A T I A...

CROATIA & MONTENEGRO

C Y C L E , H I K E & K A Y A K T H E D A L M A T I A N C O A S T B Y B I K E , F O O T & K A Y A K9 - D A Y S

From the stone walls of Dubrovnik to the beautiful surrounding archipelago, the Western Balkans are theperfect place for an active local living adventure. Over the course of 9 days, you’ll discover Croatia,Herzegovina and Montenegro’s cultural and natural charms, spending your days actively exploring the areaand immersing yourself into the local culture. Enjoy homemade meals in all three countries and spend yournights in character-rich, family-run guesthouses. Admire panoramic views of the Dalmatian coast andmountains as you bike between villages, farms and vineyards of the Peljesac peninsula. Learn how to cookCroatian dishes with a local family and sample regional wines and olive oils right at the vineyard. Hike andbike around the sea-fed lakes and dense pine forest of Mljet Island’s National Park. Learn about farmingoysters and mussels before having a picnic-style lunch of the freshly harvested shell fish, accompanied bylocal wines and liqueurs. Kayak across the stunning Bay of Kotor to explore mysterious Cold War-era tunnelsand 14th century settlements.

Our Western Balkan adventure begins inDubrovnik, a beautiful walled medieval citywedged between the Adriatic Sea and themountains of Bosnia-Herzegovina. Uponarrival you will be met by a BikeHikeAdventures representative and transferredto a cozy local B&B. The rest of the day is atleisure until the early evening when we’llmeet for a traditional Dalmatian dinner. Accommodation: B & BMeals: Dinner

BikeHike Adventures For more details call BikeHike Adventures at 1-888-805-0061 or 1-604-731-2442 email [email protected]

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We start with a hearty homemadebreakfast and then have a short drive tothe village of Gruda. From here we get ourbikes fitted and adjusted to our likingbefore setting off for a 35 km/21 mi bikeride along the Konavle Valley. The routeveers past the Ljuta River and fertilefarmlands of vineyards. We have a goodclimb to the small villages above the valleyas we head towards Pridvorje. We make astop along the way to a family home, wherewe have a tasting of local liquors and wine.Afterwards, we have a cooking class of localcuisine that we will feast on for today'slunch. Later, we return to Dubrovnik forsome free time before dinner andovernight in the same comfortable B&B. Biking Distance: 35 km / 21 miAccommodation: B & BMeals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 1 DUBROVNIK

ARRIVAL

KONAVLEBIKING

Day 2

This morning we have a 20 minuteshuttle to the town of Ivanica on theCroatian border with Bosnia andHerzegovina, This part of southernBosnia and Herzegovina is very rural withold traditional villages. There is an oldabandoned Austrian railroad here thatcrosses the border and goes through thevalley of Popovo Polje, before continuingon to southern Croatia. The last train wasin 1970 and since then the tracks werelifted and the route has been paved.During the last war between the Croatsand the Serbs this was a war zone andthere are still many reminders of thattime with devastated villages, houses,and war bunkers. Today however thisarea is beautiful and the way of rural lifehere is much less developed than inother parts of Europe. Our base is in thesmall village of Zavala, where there areonly 15 inhabitants. We stay in veryunique accommodations, the old railwaystation which was destroyed during thewar but has recently been renovated andreopened into a small hotel. We'll havesome time to wander through the villageand explore the Vjetrenica cave andZavala, a 15th century mona. Dinnertonight will be at the B&B restaurantwhich is superb. Biking Distance: 44 km / 27 mi Accommodation: B & BMeals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner



After breakfast we pack our bikes andluggage into our vehicle and drivethrough the hilly Popovo Polje valley tothe Dalmatian coast of Croatia and thetown of Ston. We'll stop at our hotel tounload our bags and then drive to thevillage of Ponikve. From here we followthe old Napoleonic road down to thevalley of Ston. There are stone vineyardsand Mediterranean gardens scatteredalong the road. From the crest above thevalley there are fantastic views of MljetIsland, Ston Bay with its oyster farmsand many small islands, and also theforts and city walls of Ston. Once we hikedown to the valley the winery owner willmeet us and take us back to the villageof Ponikve and to his winery. We'll havea tasting of his excellent wines, as wellas sample extra virgin olive oil andherbal teas all produced on his property.Afterwards we'll drive to Hodilje wherewe'll embark on the boat of a localoyster producer. We'll sail along the baydotted with oyster and mussel farms,docking on a small island where we'll beshown the technique of farmingshellfish. Then it's time for a picnic lunchof mussel buzara (a traditional stew)plus oysters and homemade wines andliqueurs. We'll then return to Ston andhave the remainder of the afternoon atleisure to explore this walled city. We'llmeet for dinner around 7pm. Overnightin a cozy B&B. Hiking Distance: 10 km / 6 mi Accommodation: B & BMeals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 3HERZEGOVINABIKING

Day 4ZAVALA - STONHIKING

We have an early morning today with a7:00am ferry to Mljet Island, one of themany islands of Dalmatia. The ferry ride is45 minutes along the Adriatic Sea withbeautiful views of mountainous islandsscattered in the sea. Once we reach theport of Sobra, we'll drive to the NationalPark of Mljet. We'll stop at our hotel, unloadour gear and freshen up and then hikealong a path above the town in the directionof Montokuc peak, the highest peak in thepark at 1100 feet/335 meters. The vistasfrom the top are spectacular with salt lakes,lush Mediterranean vegetation and smallvillages. On the way down we follow a pathto the salt lakes and then to the port ofPristaniste where we'll take a water taxi toSt. Mary island on the lakes. We'll havelunch here and then water taxi back toPristaniste and walk back to our hotel. Theremainder of the day is free before a groupdinner in the evening. Overnight at a cozyB&B on Mljet Island. Hiking Distance: 13 km / 8 mi Accommodation: B & BMeals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner



This morning we take the 9:00am ferry fromMljet back to the Peljesac peninsula. Once wereach the port of Prapratno we'll drive alongthe coast to Herceg Novi in Montenegro. Thedrive is two hours. Herceg Novi is the Bay ofKotor’s youngest town, established in the 13thcentury and its Old Town and three fortresses(one Spanish, one Turkish and one Italian)stand guard to the entrance to the Bay of Kotorat the foot of the imposing Mount Orjen, thehighest coastal peak of the Dinaric chain. We'llhave our first Montenegrin lunch in the OldTown next to the harbour. We will sample thetraditional coastal dishes such as black risotto(freshly caught kalamari and the ink used tocolour the rice) and Sopska salad (feta cheeseand cucumber). After lunch we'll check into ourhotel and prepare for a late afternoon / sunsetkayaking tour. We'll gear up with sit-on-top seakayaks and our guide will give an instructionalpaddle. Then we'll set off paddling across thebay to the small fishing village of Rose and thenonwards towards the entrance to the Bay withoptions to explore the Cold War era submarinetunnels or pull up on one of the tiny beachesand enjoy a swim. We'll paddle back towardsHerceg Novi as the sun sets and enjoy thespectacular view of Mount Orjen and the otherpeaks around the Bay as the rock turns fromgrey to pink as the sun sets. After the kayaktour the evening is free to explore the historicOld Town and waterfront areas with manydifferent restaurant choices. Overnight at acomfortable family-run hotel in Herceg Novi. Kayaking Duration: 3 – 3.5 hrsKayaking Distance: 6 km / 4 miAccommodation: HotelMeals: Breakfast, Dinner

Day 5MLJET ISLANDHIKING

Day 6MLJET ISLAND - HERCEG NOVISEA KAYAKING

After breakfast we will transfer by car andferry to the small town of Gornja Lastva onthe mountainside above Tivat. From thevillage, we will start our hike to thespectacular Vrmac Ridge, with views to bothKotor Bay and Tivat Bay as well as the AdriaticSea. We will hike along the ridge towardsKotor using the area’s century old pathwaysand trails constructed as part of theMontenegrin Coastal Transversal route. AtTrojica, we descend again on the switchbackpathways into Kotor. The path is in goodcondition for most of the way but some partsmay be overgrown. After the hike, we willhave some leisure time to explore Kotor’shistoric walled town with its narrow trafficfree streets, piazzas and cafes before headingback to Herceg Novi. Departing from Kotor byroad, we’ll have the chance to visit Perast andits historic waterfront and small monasteryislands before heading back to Herceg Novi.Tonight, we’ll enjoy an evening meal with alocal family in their homestead just outsideHerceg Novi on the lower slopes of MountOrjen. A popular method of cooking food is touse a ‘sac’. This is an iron pot with a lid whichis buried inside the ashes of the fire andtraditionally almost anything can be cooked ina ‘sac’. We’ll feast on locally grown food andtaste locally produced wines. Another localspecialty is ham cured on the mountains anda cheese that is soaked and cured in olive oil.Over 1000 different types of herbs growaround here and we’ll also learn how they areused for making tea and medicines. Overnightin the same family-run hotel in Herceg Novi. Hiking Distance: 9-13 km / 5.5 - 8 miHiking Duration: 4.5 – 5.5 hoursAscent: +170 m (560 ft)Descent: -90m (300 ft) or -375m (1,225 ft)Accommodation: HotelMeals: Breakfast, Dinner



Today we hike from Herceg Novi on theancient Austro-Hungarian pathway to thesmall village of Zlijebi and to the littlechurch of St Nikola, patron saint of sailors,which watches across the entrance to thebay. Zlijebi is located 2500 feet above thebay and the views are spectacular! The totalhike is 7 kms/4.5 mi. We'll start with a 10minute drive to the trail head, cutting outthe town. After visiting the village we'llascend by foot another 350 feet on the oldtrail and then descend to the village ofKameno to a small village, which is just afew kilometers from the Croatian border.Lunch is a picnic on the trail and we'll meetour driver for a drive back to Croatia, andinto Dubrovnik. Our Croatian guide willgreet us at the hotel, and once everyone isfreshened up from our last day ofadventure, we'll meet for a group farewelldinner. Hiking Distance: 7 km / 4.5 miHiking Duration: 4 hoursAscent: +250 m (820 ft)Descent: -350m (1,150 ft)Accommodation: HotelMeals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 7VRMAC RIDGEHIKING

Day 8HERCEG NOVI - DUBROVNIKHIKING

Trip IncludesMeals as indicated, all accommodation (twin shared), all internal transportation,Cannondale CAAD8 Road Bikes or Trek 8.2 Dual Sport Hybrid bikes, airport transfersand English-speaking guides. Not IncludedInternational airfare, airport taxes, gratuities, meals not included, and items of apersonal nature.



We have breakfast in our hotel and thenhave a group transfer back to Dubrovnik foronward flights home. Meals: Breakfast NOTE about Ascent/Descent numbers: The ascent/descent numbers are usuallygenerated using Ride with GPS. The numbersare TOTAL ascent/descent for the day andthese numbers do not suggest altitude. Thereare usually multiple small ascents anddescents added up throughout the day toreach this total ascent/descent for the day.(While our numbers are generally consistentwith Ride with GPS, depending on themapping technology used, numbers mayvary).

Day 9DUBROVNIKDEPARTURE

TRIP INCLUSIONS

C R O A T IA & M O N T EN EGR O Cycling... · C Y C L E , H I K E & K A Y A K T H E D A L M A T I A...

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