3 weeks: Croatia w/ side trip to Montenegro in May. Island Hopping in May (before full, high-season transp schedules kick in) 1) Dubrovnik - Mljet. Am I reading the G&V Ferry schedule correctly that Dubrov – Sobra is only 14:30 each day? Not a huge issue, can stay on Mjlet, then enjoy full next day there, but want to know other options, if any. 2) Mljet – Korcula. Looks like we can go Sobra – Prapratno on Jadrolinija ferry (4 choices @ 6/10/15/19), but to continue on to Korcula, looks like we have to get to Ston to catch Libertas bus (21 Dubrovnik – Orebic-ferry-Korcula). From Libertas website (which I can't get to show in English), it looks like the bus passes through Ston, but I can't find a timetable or confirmation that we could get on in Ston. Also, how would we get from Prapratno to Ston, any cars to hire or local bus? 3) Korcula – Hvar or Ploce or Split or Trogir. Jadrolinija website said none of those routes exist in May, (checked 3 different Hvar port options), so does anyone have any suggestions if we want to continue on northward? River Rafting in May Tara River (Montenegro) vs. Croatia locations?
We do plan to rent a car to visit Montenegro from Dubrovnik (Kotor and environs). Main question here is whether the trip to Durmitor which has a fair time and 'out-of-the-way' quotient, is worth it vs. catching a trip when we are heading north in Croatia (will be flying out of Zagreb). Finally, if going to Zabljak/Durmitor is deemed worthwhile, anyone have intel on a driving route from there to Mostar? Different map tools on the web (distancesfrom, viamichelin, googlemaps) gave different routes. I have spent hours and hours trying to find what I am looking for. I typically don't have so much trouble. Please accept my hearty thanks in advance for any assistance.
Posted by
Washington DC Region, USA
7054 posts
Hi Anne, I had a heck of a time trying to figure out the bus and ferries as well when I went to Croatia in 2011. But I'll try to give you some ideas from my experience: 1) I think it would be worthwhile just to hang out in Mjlet until you can get back by ferry - there should be plenty of natural beauty to see.
2) I couldn't figure out the Libertas schedule either since I can't read Croatian and I was about to lose my mind as well - I imagine though that it may be a bit difficult to "time" the bus in Ston. What I would consider instead is to rent a car to get to Korcula via the Orebic ferry. The drive through the Pelješac peninsula is gorgeous and you can stop at Ston and Little Ston on your way for good oysters. I ended up taking a bus tour to Korcula through Viator from Dubrovnik just to make life easy. 3) If you get to Korcula by car ferry, you can take the car up north afterward to Split via the Makarska riviera, which is really beautiful. Alternatively, there are buses that have very frequent service between Split and Dubrovnik (but since I took one from Dubrovnik, I can't guide you where the other stops are - I recall the bus did stop in Makarska somewhere). Once in Split, it will be easy for you to take a ferry to Hvar. I found that the best ferry services were out of Split, not Dubrovnik (however, when you're in Dubrovnik take a quick ferry to Lokrum, which is a tiny little place but very easy to get to and pleasant)
Posted by
Piedmont, OK
80 posts
You may have already checked it out, but i'm not sure if the rafting companies will take you in May. It seems like the river would be flowing pretty strong at that time of year and might be dangerous. We'ver floated the Tara 4 times and really enjoy it. There are at least two main areas you can depart from Zabljak and Scepan Polje. Scepan Polje is the more adventurous. Zabljak/Durmitor is much less touristy/back door than the coast and is definitely worth the side trip in my opinion. You can get there in around 3 hours from Kotor. However, if you take your time there are some cool places to check out on the way. Last year we went canyoning near Zabljak in Canyon Nevido, which was a highlight of our trip. There is also zip lining in the National Park near Zabljak and lots of hiking. As far as driving to Mostar, i havnt looked at it on a map, but we travelled from Sarajevo to Scepan Polje a few years back and it was a lot longer than i expected. We ended up on some mountain roads that were one-way in some areas and not very fast. The fastest way may be back to the main roads even if its further distance, although probably not as scenic. If you have any questions on Kotor/coast let me know. Have a good trip!