Croatia | Gliding Through the Elaphite Islands

A trip to Dubrovnik wouldn't be complete without a day touring the Elaphite Islands. As a group of five we thought it best to avoid the overfilled tourist boats and opt for a small speedboat of our own.

Our car transfer arrived promptly at 9am to escort us to the Dubrovnik port. I had thought the boat would take off from the old town port but instead the boat went out from the actual port, the same area used by the ferries, cruise ships and larger catamarans to reach further Croatian Islands.

For about $150 per person our group of five rented a boat that was supposed to comfortably fit eight (possible but a tight squeeze). There was a bathroom on board, a full table at the back that fit all five of us, as well as seating off the bow of the boat for 4-5 to comfortably sit even as the boat moved between locations.

To start our day we hit the sea cave on Kolocep island, an area where we could swim into a cave ominously illuminated by the blue seeping into the cavern. Tide timing and weather conditions are everything with this cave and we hit at just the right time; low enough time to scoot in without having to dive under and few enough tourists to have a moment just to ourselves. From the cave we followed the coast which may have been my favorite part. The island was stunning; beautiful foliage, birds diving, perfect lighting and not another boat in sight.

Up next we took a short break at Sunj beach, a rare sandy beach on Lopud. We swam up, ordered some beers and french fries and enjoyed the views. On our next stop we headed to the other side of the island and had an amazing lunch at Restaurant Dubrovnik. The fresh seafood was phenomenal. I enjoyed the fish soup as well as the octopus. The best item on the table, though, was the fresh seafood stew served tableside. It was rich and flavorful.

From here we stopped at Sudurad on Sipan island to swim in the crystal clear waters, and then the small town of Sipanska on the other side of the island.

In hindsight, we would have skipped the sandy beach - it wasn't clean and was swarming with children and bees - as well as the last town of Sipanska as it was very sleepy with little to see or do aside from have a drink along the water. It was also and the farthest stop on our trip so the transport time would have been better enjoyed elsewhere.

We had a fabulous day and I highly recommend squeezing the Elaphite islands into your trip to Dubrovnik.