During my gap year with Letz Live, I was given the amazing opportunity to sail around the islands of Croatia for 7 days. While making friends with a bunch of other Letz Live gappers. It was incredible and a once-in-a-lifetime experience, surrounded by the best people and scenic views!
It’s hard to describe how great the trip was but hopefully, this gives you a little taste…! Here are my Croatia Sail Highlights.
Day 1
This was our first day on the boat, the excitement was high and we sailed out of Split port quickly arriving at our first island, Hvar. Day 1 was a perfect mixture of jumping off the boat to refresh, as well as having a stroll through Hvar town itself taking in all it has to offer.
We were given a list of things we could do during the day, but we were also allowed to explore on our own path and time. Hvar offered great nightlife options but at the same time, we enjoyed the relaxing atmosphere of being able to sit back on the boat and enjoy the sunset of our first day on the water.
Day 2
After our first night, we were all woken up to the tropical sights of our boat passing by new little islands and beautiful blue water as we set off for our journey to Korcula. (This was by far my favourite place that we visited!) We spent the morning getting to know each other better and getting a few hours of tanning time up on the top deck of our boat. Oh and of course, we had a long swim stop off the boat along the way. Bliss!
We arrived in Korcula and were given the afternoon to explore, the town was picturesque and offered an array of markets to stroll by and a lovely cliffside beach to swim at. We dined alfresco on the boat that night and ended our day with new friends and stories to tell.
Day 3
As we sadly sailed away from Korcula, we were all very excited as we would be arriving in Dubrovnik to spend the next two nights. Dubrovnik was like nothing I had ever seen before, the tall medieval walls surrounding the town made it feel like a scene out of a movie. (Game of Thrones if you’re a fan of that!)
Dubrovnik offered thousands of beaches for us to enjoy, a walking tour of the historical side, or just having yet another gelato! My friends and I decided to escape from the heat and stayed in the water for most of the day before heading back to the boat for a night out in our new destination!
Day 4
Waking up, we all eagerly headed back into the town itself to head down to our activity of the
day. Kayaking around the medieval walls of Dubrovnik. We kayaked all the way around and then
headed to a little cove to swim and snorkel, which was beautiful. We embraced the beautiful sights and then readied ourselves to kayak back.
This experience was amazing and definitely a highlight of my trip as it was something different and offered a different view of Dubrovnik that we wouldn’t have seen from land! On our way back to the boat, we had to grab a fridge magnet to remember our time!
Day 5
Today was the day that we sailed away from Dubrovnik to a tiny town on the coast of the mainland of Croatia, Trstenik. While we sailed along, we all enjoyed our daily swim stop along the way where we floated in the refreshing water until lunchtime. This little town was a nice break away from the crowds, we were able to enjoy a delicious wine tasting offered by the locals of Trstenik. Small business boutique shops liked the small beachfront, and we were able to enjoy each other’s company on the boat and enjoy a delicious meal prepared by the chef.
Day 6
As we waved goodbye to Trstenik early in the morning, we were excited to be blessed by Makarska. Makarska offered an incredible beach for us to enjoy the whole day, as well as a beautiful old town that had everything you could want during a day off the boat. The beach was definitely the highlight of the day, it was sheltered by pine trees and surrounded by a plethora of restaurants or bars for us to enjoy.
That night, we headed out dressed in our incredible captain’s outfits and hats. Tons of fun was had by everyone! Another day just to embrace Croatia and have no stress!
Day 7
Today we arrived back in Split, a full circle since we had left Split 6 days ago! It was our last day to enjoy the time spent with our new friends and talk about what plans we all had for the rest of our holidays. Split, of course, offered great options of things to do. My friends and I enjoyed a delicious dinner right by the water and we explored the nearby market with thousands of handmade Croatian souvenirs for us to choose from.
Day 8
Our last day was a sad day. That morning we left the boat early and said thank you and goodbye to our crew who were amazing and kept us safe for our whole week with them! As we all said goodbye to one another, we reflected on the amazing time that we had spent with each other over the last week and the new bonds to show for it. We waved goodbye to our boat for the last time as it headed off on its next journey and us onto ours.
Overall, my Letz Live Croatia Sail was amazing and I would recommend it to anyone doing a Gap Year in the UK. It’s a perfect way to spend a week of your holidays and see Croatia and everything it has to offer. Thank you to Letz Live and Contiki for creating this amazing experience for all of us!
