Today’s podcast episode takes you into Dubrovnik Croatia, where you will hear from a local named Ivan as he talks with us about a popular sea kayak tour. You get to hear stories of the cursed island of Lokrum, which is just off of the coast of Croatia by Dubrovnik, followed by what to expect during a sunset kayaking tour.
The Everywhere Travel Podcast by Amidlife Traveler: Sea Kayak Tours in Dubrovnik Croatia
Listen to “Croatia Kayak Tour Around the Cursed Island of Lokrum” on Spreaker.
Map of our Dubrovnik Sunset Sea Kayak Tour
Where to book the 2.5 hour sunset kayaking tour that is talked about in this travel podcast:
Show Notes: Sea Kayaking Tours in Dubrovnik
Everywhere Travel Podcast by Amidlife Traveler
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Today we’re taking you into Dubrovnik Croatia, where you will hear from a Croatia local, Ivan, talking about a sea kayak tour that lets visitors enjoy paddling around Old Town Dubrovnik city walls, around Lokrum Island, and into two caves on the Adriatic Sea. As you will hear when you listen to the podcast, Ivan is a very helpful nice guy who works for a company called Sky Bar in Dubrovnik. They organize sea kayaking tours during the day, and in the evening Sky Bar is a popular Dubrovnik nightclub. This travel podcast was recorded in Pile Square Dubrovnik, just outside of the Sky Bar where visitors can stop by and learn about or book kayak tours since it is pretty easy to find at less than 100 yards from the Dubrovnik’s Pile Gate and near the bus stop.
One reason we chose this company for our sunset sea kayak tour around Dubrovnik is because their kayak tours run out of the very historic and scenic location called Pile harbor which is a little bay right next to Old Town Dubrovnik on the edge of the old city walls. It is an absolutely gorgeous bay and was a filming location for Game of Thrones. Pile harbor was the Game of Thrones filming location for the Battle of Blackwater Bay and where Myrcella departed Kings Landing to head of to Dorne. To be able to do a kayaking tour that started and stopped from this cool location was on our Croatia vacation bucket list.
When you listen to this short travel podcast, you are transported to Dubrovnik and listening to a conversation with Ivan describing what people get to see and do on their sea kayak tour and about some of his thoughts about visiting Dubrovnik in Croatia. After you hear from Ivan, then travel podcast host Lora shares her opinion after taking the sunset kayak tour around Lokrum Island and describes what it feels when you are in the kayak paddling around Old Town Dubrovnik.
About the sunset kayak tour
Kayaking tours are one of the favorite tourist things to do in Dubrovnik. The sunset tour is one of the most popular tours and takes about two and half to three hours. Sea kayaking tours are relatively new to Dubrovnik, starting around seven years ago to give tourists some physical activity and the history in the same time with something more exciting than walking around the city. Today, there are about seven different companies offering sea kayaking tours in Dubrovnik.
The tour we chose was a sunset tour that departed and returned to a small beach inside of Pile Bay. Pile Bay is also an iconic filming location from Game of Thrones, with the famous Battle of Blackwater Bay at Kings Landing, Here is a video taken from the dock inside Pile Bay showing where kayaks come and go from.
Can you take pictures during the Dubrovnik sea kayak tour?
Yes, if you trust using the white waterproof barrel and have a waterproof case on your phone. Each kayak will have a white barrel that is sealed to be waterproof. This not really recommended for accessing while you are kayaking, but instead while you are stopped. While you are inside the kayak, the person in the front of the kayak cannot acces the barrel, only the person sitting in the back. But it is easy to get into when you stop at places like Bettina Cave.
This means cameras, wallets and valuables can be stored inside so people can take pictures and use cameras while on the water in their kayak. If you have more stuff like a large bag or backpack, often the tour company will have a special box or place at the beach to store items that can be picked up later when you return.
Kayaking around Dubrovnik’s cursed island of Lokrum.
Many Dubrovnik kayak tours (including this one talked about it the podcast) go around Lokrum Island, which if you ask Dubrovnik locals are likely to hear that it is cursed. Lokrum has a story dating from monks a long time ago around the eighteenth century. At that time, Benedictine monks lived on the island in the monastery of Saint Mary. By the stories, one night the monks went out of the monastery with candles upside down, making a circle around the monastery and made a curse around everything on the island.
According to Ivan in the podcast, there is a lot of superstition about it and freak accidents like a burnt Fire Department house and some other stories which are basically a degree of spooky stories. People can think what they want about it, but there is a national Croatian belief of many people that Lokrum is a cursed spot. The story says that if you fall asleep on Lokrum Island that will die, but no one actually wants to try that. Of course it is really easy to avoid the curse if you visit, just stay awake and don’t sleep on the island. Podcast host Lora noted during this episode that she had visited Lokrum Island earlier that day and confirmed that it was full of tourists, peacocks, and fire hydrants.
Today, Lokrum is still completely uninhabited island off the shore of Croatia. No people live on the island, but there are animals like peacocks and bunny rabbits roaming free plus lots of nature trails to watch and beaches to explore. There is still a monastery on the island, where visitors can learn about the monks and the curse, and there is also a film prop of a real throne from Game of Thrones there inside the monastery that the city of Dubrovnik purchased from HBO. Curious what Lokrum Island looks like when you visit for the day and discover a lovely warm beachy area to swim? Here is a photo from a Lokrum Island visit earlier that day (before the kayak tour) of people enjoying swimming in the Adriatic Sea.
What to expect from a Dubrovnik sea kayak tour experience:
There are single kayaks in front and back in the rear and those guides are in charge of the group, and most guests are in double kayaks. The whole tour starts from a small bay called Pile Bay which is just close to the Dubrovnik Old City Wall across the channel. The first stop is close to Lokrum Island. Every person who takes the sea kayak tour can expect to get wet, even if you do not choose to get out of your kayak and swim in Betina Cave. Your legs will get wet just climbing in and out of your kayak, and when paddling there will likely be some spray kicked up from your kayak paddle that drips on you. Is the kayak tour hard? Nope. This is a great activity for a family vacation, where everyone can learn to paddle together in a safe environment and go at your own pace. Guides will take the time to spend more time with those who would like extra attention or assistance.
Inside Fisherman’s Cave / Pigeon’s Cave on Lokrum Island
The kayak tour route crosses through a narrow passage and inside of a cave. The kayak tour calls this Fisherman’s Cave (because it is a spot where locals fish) but for visitors walking around Lokrum Island’s nature paths the signs call this location Pigeon’s Cave. From standing on Lokrum Island viewpoint, you are at the very top of a cliff looking down on the entrance to the cave. There is not a path to walk down, so to go inside of this cave on Lokrum Island you will need to go in by water such as a kayak or boat.
Inside the cave it’s not very deep, maybe 50 meters deep, and it has an interesting approach like a snake. And the best feature about it besides that it is cool (as in great) is that it’s really cool (as in temperature). Once inside you can kind of cool down a bit from the hot temperatures and relax a bit.
Inside Bettina Cave, a popular stop for kayak tours in Dubrovnik
So, after a short break inside Fisherman’s Cave / Pigeon’s Cave, then the tour continues around Lokrum island (including passing the nudist area) and crosses the channel back to mainland Dubrovnik. Here, kayakers go inside another cave called Bettina Cave, with a small sandy pebble beach. For short height cliff jumping in Dubrovnik, people can try that here or most kayak tours also bring snorkeling gear for people to use. Don’t expect to see much fish since there is so much activity, but you are likely to see other tourists snorkeling and walking around. Many Dubrovnik kayak tours also include a sandwich or snack for guests, so the stop at Bettina cave is also a quick lunch or snack break too. Because each kayak has a waterproof barrel to store items, it is possible for guest to also bring your own food and drink.
Leaving Bettina cave to paddle back, kayaks pass by one of Dubrovnik’s most expensive and exclusive hotels on the waterfront with its own private waterfront beach area. It is said to cost multiples thousands of dollars per night. In this travel podcast you hear Ivan speculate on the rumor that Brad and Angelina stayed there in Dubrovnik, and when on the kayak tour one of the guides mentioned it was rumored that some of the Game of Thrones cast stayed there too.
Is a sunset kayak tour in Dubrovnik worth it?
While half of the travel podcast you get to hear from Ivan about the tour, the second half is a kayak tour customer telling you her opinion…. Absolutely yes, the sunset sea kayak tour is a great thing to do in Dubrovnik!
Here are the words from podcast host Lora…
“I’ll just give it to you straight. The sunset kayak tour was actually one of my absolute favorite things that I did while in Dubrovnik… “
When you’re in the kayak. It doesn’t feel like you’re doing touristy stuff. You don’t feel like you’re in a pack of tourists because you’re on the water paddling, the boat is rocking and you’re hearing the waves and you’re getting slightly wet. It just feels good to be out there on the water and the views to be floating. It was just really cool to be floating at sea level looking at the massive huge old town of Old City Dubrovnik (the filming site for Kings Landing and Game of Thrones!).
Kayak route choices in Dubrovnik: Short to Betina for more snorkeling? Or long around Lokrum Island?
And after you get out of Pile Harbor at the beginning our tour guides gave us a choice. Since we had two guides so one group could go straight the short route to Bettina cave which is where they’re snorkeling and swimming or there is a longer advanced route which goes all the way around Lokrum Island and inside a cave there.
“About half of our group (everyone with kids) chose the shorter route to Bettina Cave, but we chose the longer route that included Lokrum Island and were SO GLAD to choose that route.”
The paddling was great, it was very scenic going inside that cave on the island and it had a surreal serene feeling inside with soft lighting. It was beautiful, and we loved experiencing it. Afterwards, Bettina cave was a tad disappointing and to be honest it would have been fine to skip that whole part. Bettina was so crowded with tourists and people splashing and it was really not anything remotely related to the peaceful being on the water paddling with a kayak. It was basically the beach stop with about 50 kayaks in this really small cave, with people jumping off rocks and swimming around. It was just super crazy packed and crowded with tourists.
The coolest part of the tour? Maybe the sunset paddle back to Kings Landing?
One of the coolest parts about the tour was the return as we were paddling back towards Old Town Dubrovnik / Kings Landing in Game of Thrones, while the sun was setting. It just felt like being inside of a brochure, a postcard, or tv show or video. Experience this live and in person feels like one of those travel moments that feels almost like an out of body experience where you think to yourself, “I can’t believe I’m sitting here seeing this experiencing this…it’s real..this isn’t something I’m watching on TV.”
End summary? The Dubrovnik sunset kayak tour we took from Sky Bar was a highlight of our Croatia vacation. Highly recommend for travelers who enjoy active vacation experiences, families looking for something fun for kids in Dubrovnik, or any photo geeks out there. We found the team at Sky Bar was friendly and helpful, but no matter which kayak tour company you choose in Dubrovnik you are likely to discover helpful and friendly locals.
LOOKING FOR MORE ON KAYAKING IN DUBROVNIK.?
CLICK HERE to read a short review with more information on this sea kayak tour route
A list of kayaking tours in Dubrovnik – what is the best kayak tour for your vacation?
There are many kayak tour options for visitors to Dubrovnik, while we chose the sunset tour leaving from Pile Harbor, there are other tours of different lengths, that start from different locations. So, what is the best kayak tour for you? Probably the one that is convenient for you to find, fits easily into your schedule on the day and time you want to go, and then visits something that you want to see or do. All of the kayak tours we believe offer similar things, but not identical. The kayak route, the size of the group, how long the tour is… all of those factors combined will help you find the best sea kayak tour to fit your vacation expectations and budget. We chose the one we did because it was convenient to find, left when it fit into our schedule, included a sunset paddle and left from Pile Bay. You might have different priorities for finding your perfect sea kayak tour.
In general, our understanding is that most of the kayak tours offer the same or very similar route along Old Dubrovnik city walls, Lokrum and the Betina Cave. Here is a list of some sea kayak tours leaving from Dubrovnik to help you plan your Croatia vacation… happy travels!
Dubrovnik 3-hour Sea Kayaking Tour with Snack
Dubrovnik 3-hour Sunset Sea Kayaking Tour
Dubrovnik Sunset Kayaking Tour
Lokrum Island and Dubrovnik City Walls Tour by Kayak
Dubrovnik 2.3 hour Kayaking Tour
2-hr combo: Game of Thrones Walking Tour & Sea Kayak Tour
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Dubrovnik Croatia Sea kayak tour experience and review. Travel podcast story from locals and travelers
