APARTMENT TEDO
View of Dubrovnik from road
Sightseeing suggestions on this page:
- Kravica Waterfalls - must see
- Mljet - The Green Island
- The Bacina Lakes near Ploce
- Norinska Tower - a historic icon
- Narona, ancient site of Roman administration
- Dubrovnik - The Pearl of the Adriatic
- The Trsteno Arboretum - Botanical Garden
- Medjugorje Pilgrim site
- Family river rafting and canoe safari
Kravica Waterfalls
This place is fantastic. No matter what else you choose to do in your vacation,
going here will be one of the most memorable trips. The water comes from
an underground river so it is cold to say the least. It is also very clear
making it an ideal place for children to fish with nets. It is also a very
good place to swim.
If you cross the small lake, you may relax on the rocks underneath the waterfall before heading back. If you are a daredevil you can climb the cliffs on the far side and jump into the lake like the young locals do to impress each other. If you look at the picture, it might not seem like much of a jump. But trust us: Most people will have second thoughts about even climbing up there- and much more so about actually leaping off.
If you go to Kravica in the middle of summer you are likely to experience
that you drive up there in clear weather, you stay there while it's overcast
and the sun bakes you in the car going back. Our (not very scientific)
thoughts on the matter are as following: A lot of water particles are hurdled
into the air by the drop from the river into the lake. The small particles
then vaporize when they are exposed to the hot sun creating a local mist/
overcast.
If you go there and come up with a better explanation please let us know.
There is a restaurant by the lake side sand beach. Prices are slightly higher than elsewhere but the scenery is worth it. The Kravica Waterfalls are in Bosnia-Herzegovina so remember your passport. There are driving instructions for the trip in Apartment Tedo. These and down load GPS-points will be added to this home page later.
Mljet - The Green Island
Mljet is special and even among the other beautiful island of Dalmatia
it stands out because of its different geology and vegetation. Mljet is
37 km long and only and average of 3 km wide. Much of the island's mountains
are covered by pine forest and between the mountain ranges are fertile
karst valleys.
There is now (2006) a car ferry from Prapratno close to Ston to Sobra on Mljet. The ferry leaves Prapratno at 06:30 and 11:00 and you may return from Sobra at 16:00 and 20:00. The crossing time is 45 minutes.For a car and two people the ticket cost 152 Kuna each way.
The one place you must visit on Mljet is the lakes at the western part. They are surrounded by pine forests and a lovely environment where many people spend more than a day just walking around.
There are so many places worth a visit on Mljet that if you stay longer than a day or plan to come back you should buy a guide book. In the books are often mentioned the Cave of Odysseys. Legend has it that Calypso, the stunningly beautiful daughter of Poseidon, found Odysseys after a shipwreck, fell in love with him and kept him in sweet captivity in this cave for seven years.
Visit the Sightseeing and Activity pages for more information about Mljet
The Bacina Lakes
If your skin dries out from too much saltwater at the beach you could opt for The Bacina Lakes thirty minutes drive to the North of Komarna. The six interlinked lakes form a spectacular view visible from the main coastal highway just North of The Neretva Delta.
It is possible to buy both food and drinks at the lakes, which are very popular with the locals during the weekends. If you go you should bring snorkelling gear and (if you have small children) fishing nets as well. It's not a coral reef but there are plenty of fish in there.
The Norinska Tower and its Twin
The tower by the road between Opuzen and Metkovic is all that's left of
a (presumably massive) Turkish fortification from the early 16th century.
The tower has a twin in a mountain pass inside Bosnia-Herzegovina.
We are trying to find out the name of 'The Twin' but it seems to have faded into oblivion. Very few people have heard of it and even fewer seen it. But it's there all right. If you take the inland road from Neum you'll ascent into the rouged mountains of The Balkans and you will eventually reach the fortress on your left hand side. It might take you up to an hour depending on how fast you are willing to go.
The Twin is on a plain, which is littered with rocks of all shapes and
sizes. For some reason there does not seem to be a whole lot of settlements
up there so there haven't been people looting the place for building materials
through the centuries. This is the fate we imagine The Norinska Tower suffered.
There aren't a lot of rocks in the delta where it lies but there are plenty
of people who have all build houses from rocks. So: down it went.
The road leading up to The Twin isn't bad as Bosnian Mountain roads go. If you continue along the road you will eventually hit the Metkovic- Mostar highway. Along the way the passengers in the car can enjoy some of most staggeringly beautiful scenery the region has to offer. This is the stuff postcards are made of. But there is a catch:
The driver should keep his eyes on the road! Unless he is used to driving
in mountains or is willing to learn along the way this is NOT the road
to follow. There are no crash fences and the road is so narrow that you
will have to put the car in reverse if you are so unlucky that you meet
an oncoming truck (the truck driver won't do it. You can bet on that).
The trip from Neum to the highway can easily take two and a half hours.
This might not seem possible if you look at a map. But do keep in mind
that distances are not really an indication of time, when you are in the
mountains.
Back when the Norinska Tower was build it was right on the banks of the river cutting the inland effectively off to hostile commerce. Long gone canons took care of that. Looking in the history books you can read that the Turks (The Ottoman Empire) never occupied Dalmatia. You don't actually have to read about this in order to acquire this knowledge. A brief conversation on history with any Dalmatian will inform you that this is the case. If you actually do engage in such a conversation you might afterwards argue that these don't come brief. But:
Standing by the tower knowing it was built by the Turks one can only imagine how history claims they were never there. But apparently they were not. Not for long anyway. Back then their main rivals to the land and the trade in the area was the city-state of Venice. In 1685 Venetian forces laid a siege and send the Turks back across the mountains into Bosnia. From back when the Romans were battling pirates on the river and around the Dalmatian archipelago the river has been the key to trade in the area. And as such the Turks wanted it back. And they succeeded. Over the coming centuries the tower changed hands several times between them and the Venetians. This changing back and forth finally came to an end when the Austro-Hungarian Empire took over and the tower lost all importance as the course of the river changed.
Parking your car and walking over to take a look is worth it if you like these sorts of ancient stone monuments for their slow decay. If you don't fancy old buildings erected by long gone empires you'll be delighted to hear that there are persistent rumours that the county mayor has plans to open a restaurant in the place!
Narona
Narona is some 2500 years old. Alexander The Great's historian Theopompus mentioned Narona in the fourth century BC. Back then it was one of the dozens of Greek settlements surrounding the North Eastern part of the Mediterranean. The Roman Empire eventually promoted the town to the rank of colony and it was the administrative and military centre of the region.
It took the Romans many years to gain full use of the town. The all important
waterways were full of pirates and it didn't really grow as a business
centre until they were wiped out. A few hundred years later it was the
towns own turn to be wiped out. In the middle of the seventh century AD
an earthquake laid the town in ruins. This was the beginning of the end
for the town. It never regained it's status and it is believed that it
was completely abandoned a hundred years later.
There is some excavation and restoration going on in the area but it's very limited compared to the resources most other governments would set aside for the job. Taking care of antiquities doesn't top the agenda anywhere in Croatia (or anywhere else in the area for that matter). Perhaps it's because there are so many leftovers from Roman and Illyrian times that the locals don't see them as special but as something that is simply there.
You can see the remains of the walls that once surrounded the town and there is a new modern museum on top of the Roman Forum. This is definitely not Rome but it can make a nice trip if you are interested in these sorts of things.
The new museeum is open every day between 1000 and 2000 except Sunday where they close at 1300.
Dubrovnik
One word: Go!
Allow yourself at least one excursion. Dubrovnik is known as The Pearl of The Adriatic and it is a United Nations UNESCO Heritage Site.
Rich merchants have left a city plastered with magnificent Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque building.
During the Balkan wars in the mid 90's Dubrovnik was bombed from the surrounding hills and from the sea, but has been beautifully restored so that you may not even notice the few scars left.
The Trsteno Arboretum
The botanical gardens at Trsteno North of Dubrovnik were founded in 1492. It has more than 300 species of trees and numerous plants from around The Mediterranean and the world. Together with the architecture from the Gothic-Renaissance period this makes The Trsteno Arboretum one of the finest gardens in this part of Europe.
Medjugorje
Medjugorje is in Herzegovina off the road between Metkovic and Mostar.
Since 1981 more than 20 million pilgrims have visited Medjugorje. It makes it one of the biggest Catholic pilgrim places along side Lourdes in France.
Family River Rafting and Canoe Safari
Family rafting on the Neretva River is an impressive adventure for everybody who loves the nature. During the height of summer the river is very quiet and nothing like white-water rafting. There is rafting every Wednesday and Saturday. It starts just south of Mostar and ends 15 km later in Biletic.
The boats that will take eight people each are professional rafting boats and they are managed by professional guides and skippers that will train the crew (you!). The trip is quite safe for all ages. Besides safety equipment, each member of the crew will get an oar. In the boat there is a waterproof bag or container for keeping cameras and other belongings dry. Bring swim suits, hats, sun cream and maybe some dry clothes you may change to at the end of the trip. Lunch is served at a picnic spot at the end of the trip.
The equipment and safety gear is modern and the guides are old school professionals that are used to the river and know every part of it. A rafting trip on a crystal clear and clean river with professional guides will be an adventure to remember.
The Canoe safari starts in Bozjak near Studenci just after the Kravica
waterfalls and ends at the meeting point in Struge near Capljina. The track
is 11 kilometres long and run through stunningly beautiful karst landscape
formed by the river over thousands of years.
The beginning of the trip is quiet and calm sailing and towards the end when the river runs a little faster it gets a bit more exciting with a few small and fun cascades. It is easy and quite safe even for beginners. The canoes are very stable and easy to handle. With the help of the instructors, you will soon learn how handle them. You will all get swim waists and instructions about how to behave if you should fall into the water, but the canoes are really quit safe if you don't do anything silly yourself.
Crystal clear water, waterfalls, birds, fish and the picnic lunch served halfway will make sure that you will not easily forget this day.
You are welcome to book yourself directly with Marinko Previsic who runs the tours. If you want to book through us we will make all arrangements with Marinko. The price for the canoe safari will be the same, 25 Euro per adult and half for children and this includes a barbecue meal at the end of the trip. If you do not have a car we can also arrange taxi transport or you could rent a car from Villa Bili.
River rafting is new. More information will follow later.