Tom`s travels: Mljet/Meleda (01-04/05/2025)

We left Sarajevo with the Planine hiking club early to try to beat the crowds, and after a bit of time crossing into Croatia, we eventually reached the Prapratno ferry port. Once there, we had our timeslot and so we had to wait for a bit for our ferry. In the meantime, we walked around the place, enjoying the views and the nice, crystal clear water. Once on the ferry, we finally crossed and reached Meleda shortly after, a nice, elongated island on the southern part of Croatia, almost entirely covered with forests. We reached the port of Sobra, located in the central northern part of the island, where we disembarked and then started driving eastwards. The road was windy through the unexpectedly very mountains and very green landscape, and we eventually reached the village of Saplunara at the eastern tip of the island, where we would be based for the next few days. Once there, we checked into the accommodation where we had a small room in a shared apartment with a terrace with a beautiful view right on the bay. We didn't have any plans for the rest of the day until dinnertime, so we decided first to head to the beach right below. I also went for a swim; the water was still very cold but really amazing and crystal clear. There was no one else around, all the others still unpacking or chilling in their rooms, so it felt like a small bit of personal paradise. We chilled a bit at the beach and then decided to walk over to the nearby peninsula. We walked along the coastal road with amazing views of the sea and the mountainous landscape of Meleda, eventually reaching a tiny bay, Limuni, where we had the whole place for ourselves. We walked through the bay, and I headed into the shallow water to see some fish. Then we lay on the warm sand and enjoyed our time there. After a while, we decided it was time to head back. We got back to our accommodation, changed, and then headed to meet the rest of the group for dinner. We had some nice grilled fish and veggies and enjoyed them till after sundown. We then headed to sleep, ready for the next day of hiking.

During the night, we had barely managed to sleep. A couple, a Bosnian guy and a Dutch woman, who were staying in the other room of the apartment, had yelled all night and woke us up basically every hour. We didn't think too much about it, hoping it was a one-time thing, but ended up regretting not doing anything about it as we would discover the night after. After breakfast, we gathered with the rest of the group and left to drive all the way to the western end of the island. The panorama along the way was really nice, mountainous, lush, and with great views of the sea. Eventually, we arrived at our destination, the Meleda National Park. The park was created in 1960, covering an area of almost 5,300 ha, including the island's western cape and two popular lakes, which, thanks to canals, are salty. After getting to the main parking, we got our tickets, which, as we were a group, cost less, but still outrageously expensive, as is common in Croatia. The price was 10 euros per person instead of 15, but in the summer, the prices go up to even 25 euros per person. At that point, our group leaders let us know we had free time to explore however we wanted and then meet up later in the afternoon back at the parking lot. So Ania and I decided to hike the majority of the park and enjoy it to the fullest. The day was perfect, sunny, not too warm, with a light breeze. We reached the waterfront where a ferry takes passengers to the other side, but we decided to walk along the bank of the lake and circle around it. The view was amazing, surrounded by the lush forested hilltops and with the salty lakes glistening in the full sunlight. The added bonus was that there weren't many people around, as it still wasn't peak season, so we had the place mostly to ourselves. We passed by a small sleepy village right by on the waterfront and then reached a small bridge that goes over the small canal connecting the large and the small salty lakes. At that point, instead of taking the bridge and shortening our walk, we continued on, this time going around the small lake. At that point, the trail headed up a hilltop from where we had a nice view over the western end of the island. Then, continuing on, we went back down and reached the large lake's shore once again. Here we found a spot where a sign said to take a small pole with a flag and wave it towards the restaurant to get picked up. One of the workers spotted us and then came to pick us up on a boat to lead us to the restaurant. The restaurant is located on the island of Santa Maria, a small island located on the large lake, which is itself a lake of another island, Meleda. The island is named after the monastery of Santa Maria, which was built by the Benedictine monks from the monastery of Pulsano in Puglia. With the foundation of the monastery, they became the lords of the island in 1151 and held on to it until the Republic of Ragusa annexed it in 1410. They still held on to the monastery and expanded it in the following centuries, fortifying it with walls and towers for potential pirate attacks. During the Napoleonic era, the monastery was disbanded and eventually turned into a hotel in the 1960s, before its church was reconsacrated in 1998. Once on the island, we decided to eat at the restaurant there, where I had a nice scampi alla busara. Then, after eating, we visited the church of the monastery with its simple but nice interior. Then we had a walk around the island, enjoying the beautiful viewpoints at every corner before circling back to the restaurant. We then asked to be dropped off across the lake and from there continued on our hike. We walked along the shore and then stopped at a nice spot where we chilled a while and I had a nice, refreshing swim, as the water was shallower and calmer, it wasn't so cold. After the break, we then continued on, passing another bridge, this one over the canal connecting the large lake to the open sea. Moving on, we then reached the eastern tip of the national park and of the small peninsula, where we had a great view of the rest of the island jutting out eastwards. The water in this small bay was really beautiful with all kinds of different green and blue hues. We then turned around and headed back for the bridge, which we then crossed and continued along the northern shore of the large lake. We had nice views all along the way and eventually got back to the cars and the rest of the group. We drove back to Saplunara, and after a dinner by ourselves, we headed to sleep.

Unfortunately, that night, the couple next door yelled again, and the situation escalated. We tried asking them to stop, but it only seemed fine for the first few hours, but then we were woken up again in the early morning by the yelling. So after a bad night's sleep, we were ready for the next day. Our plan that morning was to drive to the central part of the island, where we parked the car in the small village of Babino Polje, and from there started our ascent to the Veliki Grad peak, the highest spot of the island at 514m. The hike was relatively easy, but we stopped often as the rest of the group was quite slow. Once at the top, we had a great view of a large part of the island, as well as being able to see the sea on both sides, north and south. We could also clearly see the Sabbioncello peninsula just north and in the distance the islands close to Ragusa to the east, and the islands of Curzola and Lagosta to the west. Once we were ready, we headed back down the way we came up and reached the cars. We then had a short drive through a narrow country road to reach a small parking lot among olive groves and a forested area. Here we followed a trail heading downhill until we reached the coast. From a vantage point, we then were able to see the Odysseus Cave, a large grotto with an exposed ceiling towards the sky, but with the entrance from the sea. It is believed that the island of Meleda corresponds to the ancient Greek Ogygia, mentioned in Homer's Odyssey and where Odysseus shipwrecked during his travels. From the viewpoint, we continued down and reached the rocky shore where a small wooden hut was set and people were enjoying the view, talks, and beer. Some of us, including me, decided to jump into the sea, which at that point was a little rough, and then swim to reach the above-mentioned cave. The experience was really cool as the entrance to the cave was very long and dark, but the sunlight coming from the side of the open sea and then coming from above the cave gave the water some incredible colors. Once we had a nice swim there, we got back on the rocks and then returned to the cars. For our last stop of the day, we drove on the northern side of the island to a small fishing village called Kozarica, where most had a wine tasting while the others, us included, decided to just chill at the waterfront and enjoy the view towards the Sabbioncello peninsula. We then returned to our accommodation and had dinner before heading to sleep.

At night, the couple next door had amped up their yelling and fighting, and so, quite worried for what might happen, we called the organizers, who, eventually, after trying to calm the other two, decided to switch us to another sleeping place in order for us to manage to sleep. In the morning, we woke up, finally rested but annoyed at having had to move during the night. It was the departure day, but we had time until lunch to enjoy the day. We decided to walk a little around the coast where we were staying, and then headed to the beach for a bit of relaxing and swimming. Then we left for the village of Sobra, where we eventually got on the ferry that brought us back to the mainland. Driving towards Sarajevo, we eventually stopped not far from Mostar to have dinner at a restaurant called Kolo with a nice view right on the Buna river with fresh-caught fish. After that, we then drove back to Sarajevo to end the trip.