We were able to reserve a day trip to the Blue and Green Caves by shopping around the day before. Several companies offer various excursions from Hvar, it just depends on how much time you have and what you are interested in seeing. We left the port of Hvar around 9:30am with a return time of around 6pm.
We were grateful for another day of beautiful weather for exploring.
We traveled by high-speed boat, which took us about one hour to get to our first stop, Bisevo. The tour guide recommended that we bring a long-sleeved shirt, which my wife was glad to have because the wind was chilly.
The pier of Bisevo. Compared to the Blue Grotto in Capri, there were not nearly as many boats lined up to see the Blue Cave. We only had to wait about 10 minutes. The procedure was still the same: purchase tickets at the gate, then transfer to a smaller boat that is small enough to fit into the cave.
The entrance to the Blue Cave is straight ahead. As you can see, the opening is very small. You have to duck down inside of the boat in order to safely enter the Blue Cave.
We made it!
The skippers were very skilled in guiding our boat through the small space. Only one boat was allowed in at a time.
We arrived to the Blue Cave just in time, around 11am. A small opening allows just enough sunlight to reflect off the bottom of the cave, which creates the natural blue glow.
The natural glow is created entirely by sunlight, no other forms of light were present inside the Blue Cave. The water was clear enough to see the fish swimming around inside.
Walking around the island of Bisevo, spectacular views of the coastline
We headed back to our boat to continue our day trip to the island of Vis.
Stiniva beach is located on the island of Vis. It is a hidden beach; only accessible by small boat or by steep and narrow hike.
Stiniva Beach was rated as the "Top Beach in Europe for 2016." As with most of the beaches we've encountered around Croatia, this one was also rocky and the water was cold. Still beautiful, nonetheless.
Since we were there pre-season, it was almost as if had the beach to ourselves.
Just a short boat ride down the island of Vis is the Green Cave, which was much larger than the Blue Cave. When we were there they were not charging an entrance fee. However, I have since seen that this has changed. Be sure to takes some cash, just in case.
Sunlight enters through a small opening at the top of the cave and reflects off the bottom of the cave in order to reveal the green glow that you see here. For those seeking even more of an adventure, we saw people climbing up the steep side of the entrance to this cave and cliff-jumping into the waters below.
One last stop before we head back to Hvar...
The small island of Palmizana
Each island had it's own unique set of characteristics, but the clear turquoise-blue water was a refreshing and common theme throughout.
Palmizana Island
As you can see, Palmizana is very small. Just a few restaurants line the shore.
Just a short 15 minute boat ride from Palmizana and we were back on Hvar.
Dinner reservations are highly recommended at Macondo. We were able to secure an 8pm reservation outside (which are usually preferred over inside).
Lobster spaghetti, delicious and fresh!
Frittare (fried fish, shrimps, prawns, squids)
Another walk around Hvar at dusk
Beautiful sunset on Hvar
It's as if the boats are dancing in the water, happy to be a part of such a beautiful place.
Sunset on Hvar
While walking around this evening, we were able to book another day trip from Hvar tomorrow. Almost half-way into our vacation and we are so grateful for how smoothly our trip has gone.
Lately, we haven't planned detailed itineraries or extensive travel plans. We just go. We experience the culture. We make plans based on what we feel like doing in the moment. That's what you do while on vacation. Itineraries can possibly leave one disappointed. Or worse, miss out on an even greater experience.
"All journeys have secret destinations of which the traveler is unaware." -Martin Buber
And that's the beauty of a true adventure.