Learn to fish, visit a working farm, hike the Velebit mountains, and explore the lunar landscape of Pag island
LOCATION
Starigrad Paklenica, Croatia
DURATION
8 days / 7 nights
GROUP SIZE
Maximum 8 people
SEASON
September / October
FROM
£2100 / person
all experiences included
INCLUDED
- ✔ 7 nights in a 3 or 4 star hotel in Starigrad Paklenica
- ✔ Transfer from Zadar airport
- ✔ All activities, excursions and entrance fees
- ✔ All meals
- ✔ Photo safari led by experienced local guides
NOT INCLUDED
- ✘ Flights to Zadar
- ✘ Travel insurance (required)
CROATIA TOUR
This is not a tour. It is an invitation into real Croatia.
Most people who visit Croatia see the same coastline from the same boat. They eat in the same restaurants, photograph the same views, and come home with the same stories. This is not that.
Based in Starigrad Paklenica, a small fishing town at the foot of the Velebit mountains, an hour north of Zadar, the 8-day Croatia Tour is built around the people, places and rhythms that most visitors never find. A fisherman who has worked these waters for thirty years. A family farm where lunch is made from what was harvested that morning. A canyon that feels like the beginning of the world.
Days are shaped by weather and by what the place offers that morning. If the bura wind is too strong for the boat, we go to the mountains. If the mountains are in cloud, we visit the farms. There’s no fixed schedule — just a plan that changes with the conditions, the way it would if you lived here.
Breakfast is included every morning at the hotel. Everything else, we figure out together.
DATES
26 September – 3 October 2026
Spaces Available
17 – 24 October 2026
Spaces Available
Tours confirmed 6 weeks before departure.
Early enquiries warmly encouraged.
A note on the schedule: Dalmatia in autumn is glorious but alive — winds come and go, mornings surprise you. All experiences listed below happen during your week, but not necessarily in this order. The day we go fishing depends on the sea. The day we hike depends on the sky. This flexibility is how the locals live here, and it’s why the week always feels right.
WHAT WE DO
Eight days of the real Croatia
01
ARRIVAL / EVENING
Arrival and first tastes
Transfer from Zadar airport to your hotel in Starigrad Paklenica. Depending on when you arrive, we meet for coffee, cake and introductions. Then, if evening allows, a short drive to discover how Medica (meh-dits-ah, a herb brandy) and honey champagne are made by local producers. Dinner together to begin.
02
FULL DAY / ACTIVE
Paklenica National Park
A full day in the Paklenica National Park. We hike into the gorge — limestone walls rising 400 metres either side — and lunch at the mountain lodge “Paklenica”. In the afternoon, we visit the Podzemni Grad (underground city), a Cold War-era tunnel complex carved into the rock. Then time to rest by the canyon pools before dinner.
03
MORNING / FOOD AND SEA
Fishing with a local fisherman
Out early with one of Starigrad’s working fishermen. You learn to set and pull nets, and to read the water. Back on shore, those who want to can help clean the catch. Then together we cook it, simply, the way it’s always been done here. Free afternoon to rest, swim or wander. Dinner in the evening.
04
FULL DAY / PHOTOGRAPHY
Photo safari
A full day with a specialist photography guide, following the best light across the Velebit. The Velebit light in September and October is extraordinary, and this part of Croatia is largely unphotographed. You don’t need to be a serious photographer to enjoy it. Dinner on return.
05
FULL DAY / SLOW AND SENSORY
OPG farm day
A day among the olive groves and farmsteads of the Zadar countryside. First, an olive OPG (a family-run farm), tasting oils pressed from trees older than most European nations. A chance to learn how make traditional bread by hand, feed the animals, and understand what a working family farm here actually looks like. Dinner at the farm.
06
FULL DAY / ISLAND AND HISTORY
Island of Pag by fast boat
Across the channel by fast boat to the island of Pag — a landscape so bare and pale it’s often called the moon of the Adriatic. We visit olive trees that were already old when the Roman Empire fell. Then the Solana Pag salt pans: vast, geometric fields where salt has been harvested since Roman times, once so valuable it was called “white gold”. Lunch on the island. Back by evening.
07
FULL DAY / WATERFALLS AND WINE
Krka National Park and wine tasting
South to Krka National Park, visiting turquoise pools and travertine waterfalls built up, step by step, over thousands of years, all linked by wooden walkways through the green. Then a wine tasting at a local winery to close the day. This evening is your farewell dinner together.
08
MORNING / DEPARTURES
Farewell breakfast and departure
A last breakfast together. No schedule, no group commitments, people leave when their flights require. Those with afternoon or evening departures are welcome to wander Starigrad, swim one last time, or simply sit with a coffee and the view.
GOOD TO KNOW
Practical information
Getting there
Fly to Zadar (ZAD) directly from London Stansted, Manchester, Edinburgh and several other UK airports with Ryanair and easyJet. We arrange a transfer from Zadar airport to your hotel in Starigrad (approximately 1 hour). Let us know your flight details when you book.
Accommodation
All guests stay together in a small, well-located hotel “Vicko” in Starigrad Paklenica, metres from the sea. Rooms are comfortable and well-appointed. Single supplement available on request. Full details on booking.
Fitness Level
Moderate. The Paklenica National Park hike involves several hours of walking on uneven terrain — good walking shoes are essential. All other activities are gentle. You do not need to be particularly fit, but you should be comfortable on your feet for a few hours.
Group size
Maximum 8 guests. Minimum 6 for the tour to run. If numbers aren’t sufficient, we will contact you promptly with options including a full refund or transfer to the alternative date.
The weather
September and October in Croatia: warm days (20–25°C), sea still swimmable in September, dramatic autumn light in October. Occasional bura wind — strong but brief — which is why we build flexibility into the schedule. We recommend packing layers for evenings.
Any questions?
This is a small and personal operation. If something isn’t covered here, email us — Martina answers every enquiry personally. No chatbots, no booking agents. Just a conversation about whether this tour is right for you.