Sail Croatia Navigator Cruise
A week-long tour packed full of laughter, adventure and alcohol. Because what else do you do when you’re 22 years old and travelling solo? The Sail Croatia Navigator cruise is your opportunity to party your way through the Dalmatian Coast via the Adriatic Sea. Living on a boat for a week, arriving in a different destination each morning while watching the sun rise and set on the same watery horizon was one of the most beautiful weeks of my life.
About Sail Croatia Navigator Cruise
There are several sailing options to choose from with Sail Croatia, all varying in price. I chose the Navigator Tour which is more popular among young people wanting long days and nights and very little sleep. The Navigator cruise took us east from Split and visiting 3 Islands and 2 towns on the mainland then returned to Split. Breakfast and lunch were provided onboard every day with dinner being included for a few nights at different restaurants along the coast.
We pretty much got free reign to explore each town as we wanted every day, with a short walking tour to begin our adventures through every island or town. Each town came with its own activity with plenty of sights to see and experience. And of course, each destination had its own party culture along with it.
The port of Split is lined with boats ready to take the next lot of adventurers out for the coming week, we boarded in the early afternoon and set sail later that day, each destination is not far from the next so travel time is only a couple of hours but it’s all done during the early hours of each morning when you’re sleeping off your hangover.
Internet On Sail Croatia
The boats used for Sail Croatia do have wifi but the reception and speed is terrible at the best of times. I purchased a 7 day unlimited data wifi from the mainland for the duration of my trip. This worked a treat and meant I was free to roam without stressing about not being able to get in contact with our tour leader at any point.
About Croatia
Croatia sits on the outer edge of central and Southeast Europe bordering the countries of Bosnia and Herzegovina Slovenia, Montenegro, Hungary, and Serbia. While the Adriatic Sea engulfs the southern side of Croatia and it’s 718 islands. I believe Croatia is one of only a few countries with Uber Boat, but it’s probably pretty expensive.
Croatia is a popular holiday destination for young tourists because of its party culture and breath-taking scenery. Party goers flock to Croatia each year in July for the annual EDM Music Festival, Ultra Europe. A popular 3-day EDM festival which travels around the globe with concerts on almost every continent. This was my first big festival on my European OE in 2017, so if you want to know more then check out my post!
Hvar
We reached our first destination, Hvar, just in time to see the sunset. The panoramic views from the Spanish Fortress offered the perfect opportunity to watch the sunset below the horizon. As summer was ending so was the good weather, we made it to our first bar soaking wet from the rain. But that didn’t dampen our spirits and were ready for our first taste of island nightlife.
We spent our night in a club which was only 3 metres from the water’s edge. A small dinghy was moored outside and as the night progressed the weather got worse. I remember looking out the door and seeing the dingy almost doing barrel rolls in the rough water. The rest of that night I remember buckets of Moet, a special order of bottles of vodka accompanied by lit sparklers and multiple drinks being set a light on the bar countertop. We clambered back on board and set sail for our next destination at 6am.
Korcula
Korcula is another popular party island in Croatia of about 46km long and 7km wide, and is extremely popular for its wine and olive oil. Just like every other Croatia island or sea side town, the crystal clear water a sandy beaches are an inviting aspect for anyone wanting a beach holiday in the sun.
If you’re looking for a list of things to do in Korcula check out this Ultimate Travel Guide for Korcula.
Korculas’ Abandoned Outdoor Bar
Korcula welcomed us with an abandoned, outdoor bar. Almost everything had been stripped out and cleared apart from several decorative items, energy drinks and bottles of spirits. We headed back after the sun had set and a couple of people had to be herded to make sure they weren’t hit by passing cars. The night continued the boat and I added a couple more cocktails to my tab.
Dubrovnik
Dubrovnik is most famous for being a filming location for Game of Thrones. So naturally this Croatian town was swarming with tourists. Dubrovniks old town is one of the most impressive I have seen; the town sits bordering the edge of the Adriatic Sea and is enclosed by a massive 2km long 16th century stone wall. For a reasonably priced fee, you can walk the length of the wall which takes around two hours, seeing the incredible views across the rooftops of the town with the contrast of the sea directly below the other side of the wall.
Buggy Tour Above Dubrovnik
Today’s main activity was a self-driven buggytour around the hills that tower over old town. The hour-long drive along bumpy dirt roads took us to a point on a cliff that had a view which stretched for what looked like the whole Dalmatian coast.
Super Clubs in Dubrovnik
The night began with a few cocktails in old town and ended at one of the most popular clubs on the island, Revelin. Revelin is a single store club with several entertainers from go-go dancers, DJ’s and fire breathers. After several hours we left the club and went to a local takeaway joint where we bought a few beers and sat in the park debriefing over the nights events.
Something I forgot to mention earlier was that when your boat moors at each destination, it’s tethered to several other boats from the same company. This is so they don’t take up all the available space on the ports. But it also means that you have to walk around several other boats before reaching your own. It was around 2am when we climbed back onboard to make the journey back to our boat, and in the process waking several people on other boats and getting yelled at by an older lady in her nighty.
Mljet
Before arriving in Mljet we made a short stop off to a secluded bay where we were able to jump off the boat and go for a swim. The water was so clear we could see the bottom of the beach while floating at least 10 metres above.
Mljet National Park
Mljet was a much-deserved day of R&R, we visited the National Park which borders two large saltwater lakes that stretch for around 4km. We cycled around one of the lakes before stopping to board a very dodgy dinghy to visit a former 12th century monastery that sits proudly on a small island in the centre of the lake.
Kayaks could also be hired if you wanted to make your way to the island yourself; two Australian guys on our boat thought this was a fantastic idea, it’s a shame their coordination didn’t match, and they made kayaking on a flat lake look exhausting.
Makarska
Our last full day sailing the Adriatic Sea ended in the best way possible. Makarska welcomed us with a day of adventure and a night of partying. Makarska was one of the more adventurous days we had, having the choice of zip lining or canyoning and then ending our sailing adventures with a party in a cave.
Canyoning on Makarska
We had the choice to either take part in ziplining on Makarska or canyoning through the Cetina River. There was only 3 of us from our boat who chose to explore the Cetina River. We were fitted with a wet suit, boots, helmet, and life jacket. Followed by the steep decent down to the ravine where I probably experienced the coldest water in my life.
The Cetina river is 2.5kms long and can range in temperatures from 18-21 degrees Celsius, the cliffs above can reach 180 metres high. The canyoning was basic but extremely fun, nothing too hard on the body, especially since most of us had never been canyoning before. There were plenty of opportunities along the hour-long tour to jump of cliffs and ride white-water rapids. The biggest cliff we jumped from was around 10 metres.
Rave Cave Party in Makarska
The last night of partying went out with a bang. The theme for tonight was unsurprisingly ‘Sailor’, so during the day a group of us went around the local stores and found some captain or first mate hats and clothing. None of us could pass as true sailors but I think we got points for trying? We started our night with large cocktails onboard our boat before drunkenly making our way to the Rave Cave. The bar was in a legitimate cave sitting on the edge of the Osejava Park near the port of Makarska. Called ‘Deep Makarska’, this is where every party boat from Sail Croatia and other companies joined in on their last night’s festivities before everyone set off on their next adventure. It was a bittersweet end to an amazing three weeks of pure partying, if I count my Contiki Tour.
Split
The next day we arrived back in Split and all said our goodbyes. A couple of us found a bus and headed towards Krka National Park for a swim. That evening I crawled into bed at a quiet hostel and spent the next three days hibernating; only venturing out for pancakes and street side mojitos.
