Trip to Croatia

Croatia | May 29 - Jun 9, 2018

Our Croatia tour came at the end of a longer trip. Our time was limited so we wanted to ensure we made the most of the time we had in Croatia. Veselka worked with us up front to determine what kind of experience we were looking for. Our goal was to see and experience Croatia, not only the highly touristed areas, which of course are beautiful, but also Croatia beyond that. We wanted a taste of the Croatia that required a bit of exploration.

Veselka paired us up with some fabulous guides for our Dalmatian Coast trek. In Dubrovnik, Darko was our escort on a countryside cycling trip and cooking class adventure. He made the day so much fun for us. He was very knowledgeable about the region and could answer the endless stream of questions with patience and thankfully, a great sense of humor. It was a fabulous day and we were so sad to see it end.

Our next guide was Vedran in Hvar, who was tasked with taking us on a trek through a beautiful valley where we explored abandoned villages and saw incredible mountain scenery. A stop for lunch with a colorful character was a nice addition to the hike. Vedran also gave us the option of extending our hike from its planned end point, up the coast back to Hvar town. It was not a requirement for him but he volunteered to extend our hike by several hours to give us an incredible experience and access to views otherwise unobtainable... and he also suffered the endless barrage of questions gladly... and we had many great laughs along the way. We were sad to see the day end and bid farewell to Vedran.

The last parts of the organized trip were the most intimidating for two prairie girls from Canada. Sea Kayaking was our first taste of being on the open water. We adapted quickly and were amazed to find that we were able to kayak across open water to islands just off the coast. It was a glorious day and Edi was the perfect guide for the sport. He knew his stuff, and he was so much fun! Again, we didn't want to say good bye.

The big event was the 3 day sailing trip in the islands. Land girls on a sail boat... there were a lot of things that could have gone wrong for us. Captain Bartul was a wonderful guide and ensured we got the most from our sailing experience. The evenings moored in little, out-of-the way marinas located in tiny villages, nestled in beautiful, secluded bays were so much more than we expected.

Both of us were so pleased with the experience from start to finish. We have traveled extensively for a lot of years and this trip lands at the very top of our list of highlights. Croatia is magnificent, but what took the experience beyond that was the planning on the part of Veselka and the wonderful guides we had the privilege of spending our time with. They made us feel like we were hanging with friends and we brought home some truly special memories as a result. Just can't say enough about it!

Jennifer and Kelly from Canada