Croatia by Kayak (6 Days)

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Come with us on this active and yet refreshing adventure holiday! We take you to the best two rivers of the Croatian Highlands (“Gorski Kotar”), each beautiful in its own right, and then travel on for a gorgeous day of sea kayaking as well as some more river excitement in Northern Dalmatia.

This trip is suited for everyone who likes to be in or around water, or who wants to learn more about different styles of kayaking. No former experience required – your guide will help you learn the safety rules and techniques necessary for the activity.

After the excitement of each day, relax back at the hotel, enjoy our delicious traditional Croatian cuisine and go for a short swim in the nearby river or sea. Discover Croatia by kayak – what a wonderful door into this country full of rivers, waterfalls and islands!

Short Itinerary:

Day 1 – Arrival in Zagreb or Rijeka; taking up lodging in the Dobra River valley

Day 2 – Rafting/kayaking on the Kupa River

Day 3 – Kayaking the Upper Mreznica Canyon & Transfer to Northern Dalmatia

Day 4 – Sea Kayaking on the Island of Rab

Day 5 – Kayaking on Zrmanja River

Day 6 – Goodbyes & transfer to Zadar Airport 

Itinerary:

Day 1 – Arrival in Zagreb or Rijeka and take up lodging in the Dobra River valley

Your guide meets you at the Zagreb or Rijeka Airport in the afternoon. (Details of arrival times and pick-up places will be arranged during the booking process. Pick-up at Pula or Zadar Airport available upon request.)

After a short introduction, you will be transferred to our beautiful hotel in the Dobra River valley right across an old Croatian castle, where you can settle into your room, meet the other members of the group and discuss the plans for the week with your guide. Relax, enjoy your welcome dinner and go for a walk or a swim in the calm river.

Day 2 – Rafting/kayaking the Kupa River 

Let’s start off with the longest river of Croatia! Depending on the season and water level, we will choose the best section for you. If you come in the beginning or the of the season, we may get to go rafting; otherwise, it’s kayaking time!

You will receive safety equipment (and neoprene suits, if necessary) as well as paddling introductions before you start floating down this amazing, wild, untouched river with steep forested mountains on each side. Your guide will keep you safe through exciting rapids and help you discover the rich plant- and wildlife all around you. We will stop to enjoy our lunch packages at the shore in the sun and then push off for some more action.

After the last rapid, we land and change into our dry clothes, then drive back to our hotel for relaxation, a well deserved dinner and maybe a walk up to the nearby castle.

Day 3 – Kayaking the Upper Mreznica Canyon & Transfer to Northern Dalmatia

After breakfast, and again taking a lunch package with us, we leave the Dobra River behind us and drive to our base camp at the amazing Mreznica River, which is the cleanest and most beautiful Croatian river, as locals rightly say. Again equipment, safety talk and off we go.

This tour, a combination of kayaking and canyoning, will take 4-6 hours all together. Riding down waterfalls – even if you have never done it, believe us, it‘s fantastic and your guide will keep you safe! If the falls get too high, we can jump from the cliffs, go on natural water slides or walk around them, it all depends on the situation and your comfort level.

This is a trip full of adrenaline and you will see a lot of Mreznica‘s beauties. After landing and changing, it’s time to leave the interior behind us, travel down to the wider Zadar area and take up our rooms in our beautiful hotel right close to the beach.

Day 4 – Sea Kayaking on the Island of Rab

Now that we are at the sea, we simply must visit an island! Rab is not the closest available, but offers far better beaches, bays and views than its southern neighbour Pag. After breakfast, we will drive up the beautiful coastal highway, take a short ferry to the island and get to our launching spot near the city of Rab.

Instructions and practice with this very different sort of kayak (sit-in single or double), and off we paddle. You will feel like you are one with the sea, that‘s how close you are to the water! Easy paddling around the island‘s inlets and points will get us to secluded and picturesque bays, such as you always see in the pictures. We will take time for exploring, lunch stop at a restaurant, swimming, snorkeling and relaxing on the beach.

Tired from amazement and sunshine, we head back to our hotel.

Day 5 – Kayaking on Zrmanja River

For our last day of full activity we choose the most beautiful river of Northern Dalmatia, located in the Velebit Nature Park – the Zrmanja, an up to 200m deep canyon and film location for the famous Winnetou movies.

Here we will encounter many more bigger and smaller waterfalls, and like on the Mreznica, most of them we can ride done. Visoki Buk, the biggest of them, we will merely admire and then take a 5 minute walk around it. In other places you will have the chance of some cliff jumping, swimming or relaxing on the rocks. Altogether we will spend around 4 hours on the river.

By now you will have learnt a lot about kayaking, so you can relax even more and simple enjoy the thrill of this refreshing adventure in Croatia’s beautiful wilderness. After getting back to the hotel, it’s time for another swim in the sea and a proper Dalmatian farewell feast while sharing pictures and going over all the exciting moments of the week.

Day 6 – Goodbyes & transfer to Zadar Airport

Time to say ‚Goodbye‘! Depending on your further travel plans, after breakfast your guide will transfer you to the Zadar Airport, some other place in the area or back to Zagreb/Rijeka.

Specifics:

Accommodation:

The first 3 nights we will spend in an idyllic 3-star hotel in the Dobra River valley, then transfer to a similar hotel on the coast near the city of Zadar, with direct access to the beach. Each room includes its own bathroom and shower, air conditioning, free Wi-Fi and TV. 

Meals:

Every day you will have a buffet breakfast and a dinner menu consisting of famous Croatian specialties at the hotel. For lunch, most days we will stop at a local restaurant. When our trip takes us too far away from the restaurants, or if you prefer to bring lunch with you, you can order a lunch package for (usually) 10€/package at the hotel. Besides, we will make sure to stop at local stores to stock up on snacks.

Travel arrangements:

A pick-up at the Zagreb or Rijeka Airport is included in the prices. Please ask us for pick-ups at Pula, Zadar or Split Airport, which we will provide for a surcharge.

The standard drop-off location is Zadar Airport, but we can arrange a place more suitable for your travel plans (e.g. back to Zagreb), if you wish.

You can, of course, arrive in your own vehicle and either take it down to Northern Dalmatia with you, or we drop you off, where you parked your car for the week.

Arrival time: If you arrive by flight, please arrange to arrive at the airport before 4pm on our first day, if possible.

Group requirements:

Group size: Usually, the group will consist of 6 to 8 guests plus one guide. The minimal group size is 4 guests.

In case you book a trip, but the minimal group size is not reached by 3 weeks before departure, you have the following options: we can run the trip as a private tour for you for a surcharge, we can give you a full refund or we can reschedule you for another week.

Minimum age: Children from 8 years on are welcome to come. 

Fitness & experience level: Moderate level of personal fitness required. We do not expect any prior paddling experience from you. If you already have some experience, that’s great, and we can show you some advanced skills. If you’re new to water sports, we will start with you from the beginning – that’s what your guide is there for. After the initial booking, we will check in with you as to your physical shape, health condition and special food diet. 

Languages:

Our guides speak English and Croatian as well as German or Swedish. If you would prefer a German- or Swedish-speaking guide, please contact us and we will see, who is available for your travel dates. However, please note that the entire group will likely be international and the common language spoken will therefore be English.

Equipment:

We will provide you with all specialized equipment needed for each activity – kayaks (brands: Rob Fin or Aqua Design), poss. raft (Aqua Design), life jacket, helmet, neoprene shoes, wet suit (if needed), waterproof boxes, bicycles (type: gravel bikes) and sea kayaks (brand: Prijon).

We exclusively use first-rate, European-manufactured equipment with the CE-certificate for conformity with European health, safety, and environmental protection standards.

After booking your trip, we will send you a detailed list of personal items you will need to bring along with you – like bathing suit/pants, runners or hiking shoes, backpack etc.

Dates & Prices:

Departure Dates: If you would like to book this trip on a different date than is currently available, please contact us directly, since we may be able to shift dates around.

Singe-use rooms: Available upon request for a 30% surcharge.

Child discount: Valid for children up to 15 years of age.

Low season: May 1st to June 24th; September 8th to October 31st

High season: June 25th to September 7th

Prices include:

- All transfers during the trip, including pick-up and drop-off at the airport

- 5 nights of ***-accommodation with breakfast and dinner

- Tourist taxes

- 4 days of organised day trips

- Qualified, English-speaking outdoor guide (German or Swedish possible upon request)

- Insurance

- Entrance fees for Nature Parks and the like

Prices exclude:

- Airfare from and to Croatia

- Sportswear and personal items

- Lunch packages or lunch at restaurants

- Snacks (we will make sure to stop at local stores for stock-up)

Customize this trip!

We love to accommodate your special wishes! If you would prefer a private trip just for your family or friends and want to swap one experience for another, just let us know – we will work out an offer for you and tailor your adventure holiday according to your desires.

Contact us today!