Day 1: Dubrovnik, meeting the group and the first sail
The meeting time for the trip sailing Dubrovnik to Split with G Adventures was 4pm on the Saturday. I decided to fly to Dubrovnik on the Friday, to make sure there was no stress if my flight was delayed, and also to ensure I had some time to spend in Dubrovnik. The G Adventures trip didn’t give any time at all in Dubrovnik, so if you want to explore this famous city, you’ll need to arrive the day before the sailing trip.
Dubrovnik
I enjoyed Dubrovnik. I enjoyed walking around the narrow streets and getting lost in the maze of the streets. Dubrovnik is small, so I enjoyed walking around and exploring.
I enjoyed walking along the city walls and seeing the views across the rooftops. Another highlight of my day in Dubrovnik was taking the cable car up to get views over the city.
If you’re looking for a more detailed guide, check out my things to do in Dubrovnik here.
Meeting the group for the sailing holiday in Croatia
I arrived about 3.30pm, as we had to be there at 4pm. And there was already a group of people sat at the restaurant, who called over to me as I walked in looking slightly lost. It was lovely to be welcomed straight away, and instantly start getting to know the people I’d be spending the next week with.
I was really lucky and got a great group for sailing Dubrovnik to Split with G Adventures. There was a couple from Canada in their 60s, who were really lively and friendly. And then 5 of us were solo travellers – 3 female and 2 male. I loved having other solo travellers as we instantly became friends, as no one already had an existing group so everyone was really open to getting to know others. I’ve done G Adventures trips before and always got on well with the group, and this trip was no different.
Our skipper arrived at 4pm, and began to talk us through some of the logistics of the trip. After a short intro, he then led us down to the boat so we could see where we’d be living. And after a short intro to the boat, such as a lesson on how to use the toilet flushes and gas safety on the stove, we were ready to set sail.
The first sail
The first evening, we set sail to a nearby island, to stay in a small town called Sudarad.
The evening sail was lovely, with the beautiful light from the sun. It was a good chance to start getting to know people, and also just enjoy being out on the water. We were sailing for about 2 hours to get to Sudarad.
At Sudarad, we went to a lovely local restaurant, recommended by the skipper. It was right next to where the boat was tied up, so very convenient. A lot of us had the fresh tuna steak, caught that day. It was deliciously fresh fish. After a few drinks with dinner, we were all ready for bed.
Day 2: Sailing to Mljet and exploring Mljet National Park
Sailing to Mljet
Day 2 of sailing in Croatia from Dubrovnik to Split with G Adventures started with more sailing. We left Sudarad in the morning and started to sail to nearby Mljet island. The sailing was lovely again – the weather was perfect, which made a big difference. Everyone on the boat used these few hours to relax and also chat and get to know each other more.
We had lunch out on the water. We had pasta, cooked on the gas stove on the boat. The skipper led on the cooking, along with someone in the group who enjoyed cooking so volunteered to help. Then a couple of other people helped wash up after eating. It was nice to see everyone on the boat working together to get the food and clean up.
After lunch, we anchored the boat just off Mljet National Park, and went for a swim off the boat. It was a hot day, so it was lovely to jump into the water off the back of the boat. The water was so clear, and also very salty – so salty that you felt like you could float easily. After a refreshing swim, the skipper drove the boat to Mljet Island, where we’d stay for the afternoon and overnight.
Mljet National Park – cycling
This afternoon, we had our first chance of some of the optional excursions offered on this trip sailing Dubrovnik to Split with G Adventures. I think G Adventures give a good amount of free time, with suggestions of what to do, but it’s completely up to you if you do any of their suggested activities.
The 5 solo travellers, including myself, decided to go with the skipper’s recommendation of hiring bikes and cycling to the lakes in Mljet National Park. The cycling was hard work – there was quite a steep hill from the marina to the entrance of the park. And I’m not very good at cycling, so I didn’t enjoy the hill and got very hot and sweaty! But then there was a downhill section, which was much nicer!
The lake in the National Park was beautiful, and definitely worth the effort to get to. Cycling around the lake was fairly flat and easy with lovely views.
There’s a small island on the lake, with a Benedictine Monastery on the island. There are ferries from a small visitor centre that can take you onto the island. However, our skipper had suggested an alternative way of getting to the island. If you cycle around to the other side of the lake, there’s a place where you can wave a red flag. And the owners of the small restaurant on the island will then drive over in their small boat to collect you and take you onto the island. It felt slightly surreal, standing there waving a flag and hoping someone on the island would see!
The monastery on the island was lovely. And the restaurant sold nice snacks and drinks, including refreshing ice cream. It was a lovely place to relax before cycling back to the boat.
Evening in Polace
We spent the evening in the small town on Mljet Island where our boat was moored. Tonight’s restaurant was another recommendation from the skipper, and was amazing. I had swordfish, which was so fresh and delicious and beautifully presented. And of course, we all had a few drinks with dinner as well, including trying some more of the local beers.
Keep reading to find out what we got up to on day 3 and beyond!