Sea Kayaking in Dubrovnik

Sea Kayaking in Dubrovnik is a fantastic way to spend a day in the town – a combination of sightseeing and kayaking around the Old Town.

Starting from Pile, in the near vicinity of Lovrjenac Fort, you will paddle along the walls of the Old Town, passing near Buza, Sveti Ivan tower,  Porporela, Old Harbour, crossing the small bay and paddling further all the way to Lokrum island.

At Lokrum, you can visit its Benedictine monastery or simply snorkel around the blue, warm waters, check Betina Cave and its pebble beach. Take a break there for lunch or refreshment and paddle back across the bay towards the walls of the Old Town.

Great way to spend a warm summer day in the heart of the city, combining sightseeing, outdoor activity and beach. I love it 🙂

Sea Kayaking to Lokrum

The nearest distance to Lokrum from the Old Town is just 0.35 nautical miles, which is about 650 meters (0.65 km), so it is very easy to paddle to Lokrum if the weather is fine and water is calm. On the above photo, you can see the island viewed from Gradac park.

I took the above photo to show you the visual distance from the city walls to Lokrum. It is close indeed.

Booking a kayak tour:

You can book in advance group tour to Lokrum by kayak. I am happy to recommend following tours as they are lead by experienced paddlers and you get all equipment needed for safe trip including kayaks, life jacket / vest / personal flotation device, waterproof bags and snorkelling equipment. Here is more info:

• the cheaper version of the tour that cost just 37 Euro and includes snorkelling break. Excellent for morning or afternoon trip, lasting 3 hours – check full info
• the more expensive version of the tour, that cost 147 Euro, which includes lunch and entrance ticket to the island. If you have time, this is a great tour lasting 5 hours – get info here

Map of Kayaking to Lokrum

People of all age enjoy this activity here. On the top photo, you can see couple of whole families paddling near the beach.

Paddlers from all around the world enjoy this activity here. This is a place to meet like-minded paddlers and to get on the water in safe numbers to reduce the risk of accidents for paddlers on the water. The core is based around the beaches and town walls. Come and say hello and have fun meet some new paddlers.

Sea Kayaking in Sunset

Dubrovnik is a south-facing city, visually opened to the South, East and West, while on the North, Srdj hill limits views. In ideal weather conditions, due to its location, you can see the coast of Italy from the city’s shores. Sunsets in Dubrovnik are amazing any time of year.

Watching the sunset from a kayak is something you should definitely try if the weather is good (important!). Check with kayak rental agency if they expect a windy afternoon and stay away from the activity if they suggest you to wait until tomorrow.

Yes, you can do it in the vessel on your own, although, unless you are a very experienced paddler and a very good swimmer, my recommendation is to do sunset kayaking here in the supervised group only. Here is a good and not expensive sunset kayak tour, that cost just 36 Euro – check info here

Popular routes: Split to Dubrovnik, Dubrovnik to Split, Hvar to Dubrovnik, Dubrovnik to Hvar

Exploring further

If you are into sea kayaking and plan to visit any of the surrounding islands, there are numerous opportunities to sea kayak around there too. Sipan Island is particularly popular as there are several caves that you can visit with a kayak.

Another good area to kayak is in Korcula archipelago, which is a sheltered group of islets about 120 km away from the Town, where you can do a sort of micro island hopping for a day or afternoon. Check some info here. The good thing about this location is that it is sheltered enough that you can still paddle even if the wind is pretty strong in the channel.