Saturday
Boarding from 11:30 to 13:00 in Zadar, meeting the ship crew and fellow passengers. We set sail towards the islands of Zirje or Prvic where we will have our first swimming break. We then make way towards Vodice, a lively tourist resort. Spend the evening enjoying a glass of wine whilst lounging in one of the many pleasant taverns or restaurants. Transfer to Vodice will be organised for passengers arriving late by plane; for them, boarding upon arrival.
Sunday
Several miles southwards, we will leave the Adriatic sea, enter the mouth of the Krka river and continue travelling up the river as far as Skradin, a small town in the vicinity of the Krka Falls National Park. From Skradin we go for a hike through the National Park until we reach "Skradinski buk", the best known of the waterfalls, where the rushing Krka River does a 46-metre plunge, forming a set of 17 waterfalls laid out in an 800-metres long row, with cascades up to 10 metres wide. Having enjoyed the views of the waterfalls, we return to Skradin by boats and board the ship. We return to the Adriatic Sea and sail towards Zlarin, a fishermen's village on the like-named island where we call it a day.
Total walking time cca 3 hrs, no major climbs or descents.
Monday
After breakfast we head towards the Kornati National Park. "On the last day of creation God decided to crown his deed and thus created Kornati out of tears, stars and breath", wrote the Irish writer George Bernard Shaw, a 1925 Nobel-prize laureate. Wonderful nature, numerous small and large islands (it has been said: an island for every day in the year) and beautiful sea make Kornati a unique paradise on earth. It is the largest and densest archipelago in the Adriatic, consisting of 147 islands, islets and reefs with the total land surface area of 69 km2, scattered within the sea area of 230 km2. They stretch over a length of 35 km and width of about 13 km, between Dugi Otok (The Long Island) in the Northwest, islands of Zirje in the Southeast and Pasman, Vrgade and Murter in the North and Northeast. We will make a stop at the Vrulje bay on the Kornat Island (the largest of the archipelago), where we commence the hike of the day. Our aim is the highest peak on the island, the Metlina Hill (237 m). The peak offers the loveliest imaginable view of this island paradise. We then make our way down to the chapel of Our Lady of Tarac. We will spend the night in Tarac or one of the nearby bays.
Total walking time cca 3 hrs, a 237 m climb and descent
Tuesday
We sail towards the deeply-cut bay of Telascica, a Natural Park in the southern part of the Dugi Otok Island. We dock at the Mir bay and begin the hike. The road takes us uphill to the steep rocks overlooking the Kornati National Park, the Telascica Bay Natural Park and a part of the Zadar archipelago. We continue our hike across the rocky coastal terrain, reaching the Mir salt lake, which featured in the western movie “Winnetou”, in the role of the Silver Lake. After having walked all around the lake, we return to the ship which will, passing by the islands of Velika and Mala Lavdara, Rava and Iz, take us to the Zverinac Island where we spend the night.
Total walking time cca 2 and a half hrs, a 100 m climb and descent
Wednesday
From Zverinac we sail to the village of Bozava on the island of Dugi Otok. Our hiking tour takes us from Bozava to the Kapelica Hill (135 m), overlooking the Saharun bay, the Molat and Zverinac islands and the Veli rat lighthouse. The hike continues along the dry stone walls spanning the island to the fishermen’s village of Soline, through the Polje village to the Veli Rat lighthouse, where our ship will be waiting for us. After lunch we continue towards the Molat Island, where we will have dinner and spend the night.
Total walking time cca 3 hrs, a 134 m climb and descent
Thursday
Our ship takes us from Molat to the Simuni bay. From Simuni bay we follow the old goat track, across the dry stone walls covered terrain to the village of Kolan. The hike continues through the Kolan valley, mildly uphill and past numberless herds of sheep grazing on scant grass, through the fields resembling Moon surface rather than pastures. Upon reaching the Sveti Vid peak (348m), offering the view of not just the numerous surrounding islands, but the mighty Velebit massif as well, we will head back to Simune and continue to Povljane on the Island of Pag, where we spend the night.
Total walking time cca 5 hrs, a 348 m climb and descent
Friday
We leave the Island of Pag and, while breakfasting, sail out for Zaton, where our hike of the day will commence. Through the pine woods and across the main road we walk to the early Christian town of Nin, the erstwhile seat of Croatian bishops and kings, abounding in antique ruins and excavation sites. The hiking tour continues to the sandy Sabunike beach and a visit to a black thermal mud cove, after which we return to Zaton. The last part of our cruise takes us from Zaton to Zadar. An experienced tour guide that will give us a tour of Zadar’s historical core and show us many monuments and other places of interest will be waiting for us in the Zadar port.
Total walking time cca 4 hrs, a 50 m climb and descent
Saturday
At about 09:00, after breakfast, we say hello and disembark.
Entrance fees for museums and other places of interest are not included in the price.
