If you only have a few days in Split but want to see some of the islands, the Waterworld ‘6-islands-one-day’ tour is one of the best ways to get your dose of adrenaline, islands and vitamin sea.
I have been living near Split for 3 years now and have walked past the ‘6 islands, one day’ signs for just as long and honestly, I always thought they were a little gimmicky. I may also be biased because I have worked on yachts up and down the Adriatic for five years, so the idea of seeing 6 islands in one day seemed ridiculous to me – the point of sailing or cruising Dalmatia, is to relax, enjoy and have time to explore.
That was until my mother visited with her partner, it was their first time in Croatia and they wanted to see as much as possible in a week. We already had days planned with the family, so disappearing on a boat for a week was out of the question, it was also out of high-season so the ferry and catamaran timetables didn’t easily allow for spending one whole day on the islands – so, I decided to give the 6-islands tour a go.
After a little research, I came across Waterworld, they had incredible ratings on Trip Advisor, a certificate of Excellence and their social media is active and on-point (a very solid 11,000 followers on Facebook).
We were greeted enthusiastically by Peter, the owner of Waterworld, a Dutch guy now living in Croatia. He introduced himself and his team, told us about the plan for the day then we boarded the speedboats – worth noting there were Waterworld jackets on every seat just in case you needed them (nice touch). We were a group of around 18, split into two boats, so we raced off together.
Our first stop was to be the longest leg of the journey, we were headed straight for Biševo near the island of Vis, to see the Blue Cave. It is approximately 80 km to Biševo from Split and we got there in just under 1.5 hours – which means that we were travelling at speeds around 30-knots, not too shabby. The trip, while long, was incredible, to see the islands and landscapes speeding past us, it was a completely different view than I was used to – considering when we sail, we were generally go around 9-knots.
It is hard to visit Croatia and not see pictures of the Blue Cave, it is a natural phenomenon and top touristic attraction (read more here). Once again, I have sent many guests there, but never went inside myself – always thinking it is another tourist trap. And, yes, it is busy, you cannot take your own boat inside but instead need to queue and go in on an official boat from Biševo. Thankfully for us, we were with Peter and they organised the tickets while we had a toilet break and got a coffee from the café by the pier.
Getting on the official boat, we were once again greeted by an enthusiastic local who regaled us with jokes and stories about the island. The entrance to the cave is low and narrow, so we all had to duck down to enter. Inside there were already a few boats, but they navigated around each other well – it instantly made sense to me as to why they stopped people coming in on their own boats, it would be absolute chaos!
So, is the blue cave worth it? Absolutely. Yes, we only got to spend around 10 or so minutes actually in the cave, but I have never seen such blue, iridescent light and water in my life – for fear of sounding cliché, it really was magical.
But, there was no time to linger, we still had five more islands to visit! After the Blue Cave, we had a quick stop to the ‘Monk Seal Cave’ which lies on the SE part of the island, according to legends (and fishermen), this cave used to be populated with monk seals, but were killed off by fishermen because they tore their nets and scared off the fish. There were no monk seals there at the time, but the cave is very impressive – standing at 17 m above the sea level, it is 160 m long and the entrance is around 6 m wide.
Caves are where it’s at, so we didn’t stop there, next up was the island Ravnik to visit the Green Cave. Here you can take in your own dinghy, so we cruised in with our Waterworld crew, it is nice, but not as impressive as the blue cave. It was also a little harder to navigate because people can go in on their own boats, so a lot were swimming, which to me (safety at sea) just equals danger – limbs + propellers are not a good combo. Peter was well aware of this, which is why we didn’t stay to swim but instead sped off to our next destination – the island of Budikovac, or Budihovac to locals.
Budihovac is the epitome of island life, there is only one man – Andro – living there, who tends to his vegetables, animals and small restaurant. Of course, there are other workers, but they travel from Vis every day. There are no ferries to Budihovac and no cars on the island, it is as tranquil as you get. To top it all off, there is a stunning ‘turquoise lagoon’ – the photo speaks for itself.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hC3m-h2Bhls
We had around 1.5 hours of free time to swim and explore the island, before lunch at the restaurant. Peter told us that he is the only organised tour that is allowed to come for lunch, which makes me happy that there are not hordes of people invading the island every other hour, it would ruin the authenticity in a heartbeat.
And speaking of authentic, you don’t get much more Dalmatian than being greeted by a donkey or shouted at by a local! Juliana (the donkey) and Andro (the sole resident) are both characters unto themselves.
Turns out Andro has had a life at sea before settling on Budihovac (a character I will definitely get back and interview another time) and, according to him – he makes the best lobster stew in the world! Peter and Juliana are good friends, she instantly came up to greet him – a connection you can’t fake!
For lunch, we had the option of a seafood or vegetarian pasta, simple, but fresh. Being that I was showing my mum and her partner the ‘true Dalmatia’ we also had to order some pršut and sir (prosciutto and cheese) as a starter. Tough life.
Leaving with a full stomach and peaceful soul, we set off for Hvar town on the island Hvar. Here, Peter told us about some of the highlight attractions – pointing out that walking to the Spanish Fortress was a must. We had 1.5 hours to explore, which gave us plenty of time to meander the streets and walk to the top of the Spanish Fortress for one of my favourite views in Dalmatia. Of course, 1.5 hours isn’t long to truly discover a destination, but it was a nice ‘taste’.
Last and definitely not least was the island of Brač, to the quaint sleepy town of Milna. I have been here a dozen times, it is a destination many stop off at while sailing, but I had never been to Vinoteka Pavić, which is where Peter took us for a wine tasting. There is no sign outside, so it is a doorway easily missed (as I have a dozen times over), but inside another Dalmatian treasure awaits… We were greeted by Mrs Pavić, a lively woman who told us about the history of the wine cellar – which had been in the family for a ‘casual’ 360 years. Incredible.
Here, we tried cold-pressed olive oil, vinegar, white wine, red wine, cuvee – straight from the barrel and grappa to really cleanse the system! The cellar is tiny, but is essentially a wine-museum in and of itself, with traditional apparatus decorating the room. There was an option to purchase wine, olive oil and even handmade soaps from natural ingredients – I walked away with mandarin soap, which I am regretting not buying more of. Upon leaving I asked Mrs Pavić if she had a card or web-page, she laughed at me – I love Dalmatia. You can look out for this doorway…
Now, it was time to board the boats for the last time and make our way back to Split. When we arrived back, Peter gathered everyone again with his crew and thanked us all, saying we are now ‘part of the Waterworld family’, we took a compulsory group photo and bid farewell to our new friends.
Like I said at the beginning, I thought these kind of tours are just a gimmick for tourists, but my mum and her partner had an incredible time and got to see the coastline and get a feel for some of the islands, all in one day. We got to be on a boat, see the blue cave, swim in the turquiose lagoon, say hit to a donkey, eat pršut and sir, seafood pasta, taste wine in a 360-year-old cellar… it is as close to a typical day in Dalmatia as you get.
There are plenty of tour companies, so why choose Waterworld? I can’t say anything for or against the other tours, all I can say is that Peter and his team really give a s*** (pardon my French). Seriously, his passion, enthusiasm and knowledge of the area and locals, really made the trip what it was. Waterworld is not the cheapest, in fact it is one of the more expensive, but I think as travellers we all know, that normally you get what you pay for. We paid for a 6-islands-one-day tour and what we got instead, was an authentic experience. Thanks to Peter and your team for making it a truly memorable day – and taking the hosting pressure off me for a day.
Waterworld have a host of other organised tours, check out their page for more info or head to their Facebook for more of an insight into what it’s all about.
For more stories like this, advice on tours or sailing trips around the Adriatic, why not visit Total Croatia Sailing and LIKE our Facebook Page.
