6 Days - Croatia By Kayak - Adventure Holiday

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, more exploring, swimming 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 or some other place in the area.

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

Who can come along?
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. During the booking process, we will check in with you as to your physical shape, health condition and special food diet. Children from 6 years on are welcome to come.

Accommodation & meals:
The first 3 nights we will spend in an idyllic 3-star hotel near Novigrad na Dobri, then transfer to another small hotel or pension on the coast near the city of Zadar. Each room includes its own bathroom and shower, air conditioning, free Wi-Fi and TV. Every day you will have a buffet breakfast and a local dinner menu at the hotel. For lunch, we may have a chance to stop at a local restaurant. When we're not close to a restaurant, or if you prefer to bring lunch with you, you can order a lunch package at the hotel.

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)

Personal Equipment:
We will let you know exactly which personal items you will need to bring along with you.

Arrival Time & Place:
If possible, please arrange to arrive at the airport before 4pm on our first day. Pick-up at other places is possible upon request.

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

Child discount: Valid for children up to 15 years of age.
Singe-use rooms: Available upon request for a 30% surcharge.

Description	Distance
Capital City Zagreb	70
City of Zadar	25
City of Split	150