There are a few things to know about the city of Ploče and its surroundings at first. It’s the youngest city in Croatia and its 10,000 inhabitants (including the suburban area) found their place under the sun of southern Croatia, a region known as Dalmatia. It’s an industrial city and the second-largest seaport in Croatia. The City of Ploče is the last point of Croatian largest highway and it takes around 5 hours to reach Zagreb, the capital of Croatia. The city is also in a perfect position between Split, Dubrovnik, and Mostar. It’s surrounded by many tourist potential…
…and tourism was almost nonexistent for the previous 20 years. But that’s about to change.
The theme of tourism in the city of Ploče is rather controversial. If anyone is to talk about it there is always quite a big population of locals ready to make fun of him/her. To be honest, even I don’t believe that Ploče will ever be a good place for mass tourism and that’s fine. That’s even better. Because there are many more types of tourism which include fewer people willing to spend more in order to have the best possible experience of the place they’ve come to visit. But so far locals don’t seem to take into consideration any other kind of tourism except the “beach&sea” one. It’s important to know that tourism doesn’t happen overnight. It takes years, patience, and focused work of everyone included in the tourism industry to move things from a dead point.
In short, here are a few reasons why the city of Ploče could become an adventure tourism oasis in the near future :
— it’s situated just in the middle of famous cities of Split, Dubrovnik and Mostar
— within 5 minutes of driving you have beautiful Baćina lakes
— within 10 – 15 minutes of driving you have the whole Neretva Delta at your disposal
— The first peaks of Biokovo mountain are just 20 minutes away, with the highest peak being a little bit more than 1 hour away
— Jezero Valley, a place full of vineyards and some of the best cycling trails around is just 20 minutes away
— Pelješac peninsula perfect for so many activities is just 1 hour of ferry ride away
— nearby Višnjica peak has some trails that, if cleared a bit, could become nice downhill routes
— The City of Ploče is the last point of the main Croatian highway connecting it with Zagreb and Split
The list could go on with a few more reasons, but we already have enough to make a case. Adventure tourism won’t take place in the heart of Ploče, but this kind of activity always takes place far away from urban areas. However, the city can be a pretty good base for further exploration of the area. And even if someone wishes to spend a day on a beach, the first beaches of Makarska Riviera are just 20 minutes of driving away. A bit about the city of Ploče surroundings.
Baćina lakes are a group of 7 lakes, six of which are connected. The place was much more familiar during the 80’s but tourism is slowly reviving with more and more people visiting the lakes each year. The main road connecting Split and Dubrovnik passes near Baćina lakes and you can always see people admire their beauty from a nearby viewpoint but rarely visit and spend some time in their nature. On the other hand, it’s good because Baćina lakes are one of the rare places where you can find some peace and quiet even during the high season in Croatia.
But tourists will find out about this place eventually and a number of visits will begin to rise. As soon as a large number of people start to visit one place it loses its attraction. You can’t experience the place to the fullest when walking in a line and that’s the reason we believe adventure tourism is a way for Ploče tourism to go forward. There are few tourist operators working on Bacina lakes currently and one of our kayaking tours is organized there as well. Other tours include Stand-up paddling and traditional boat tours.
Neretva River delta is another beauty of nature, situated just opposite Baćina lakes. It’s a completely different environment made by the Neretva River on its last 10 kilometers before it meets the sea. Nowadays Neretva Delta is most famous among kite surfers who come here in large numbers because it’s among the best places for Kiteboarding in Croatia. Apart from that, Neretva delta is perfect for any kind of windsurfing and some other activities as well – kayaking, stand-up paddling, cycling… There is a true labyrinth of man-made canals in the delta that are perfect for kayaking .
Jezero valley is another part that belongs to Ploče municipality. It’s full of vineyards and recently some wineries opened their doors for visitors who want to try local wine and other products. The good thing about Jezero Valley? It’s perfect for a cycling tour. In order to reach their vineyards locals made a large network of unpaved (and paved) roads that make a real road labyrinth through the valley making it heaven for bikers.
There is a river called Matica that flows through the valley but the water level is too low for any water activity during the summer. Once in the past, this place was a huge lake and in the 30’s a tunnel was made to drain water from it and that’s how this fertile valley came into existence.
Makarska Riviera is a story in itself. With beautiful beaches and a crystal clear sea, it’s a really popular Croatian tourist destination. Adventure options of Makarska Riviera lay up in the mountains. Biokovo mountain range stretches for a hundred kilometers and it has its end just near the city of Ploče. The highest peak of this part is St. Ilija with 773 meters above sea level. It’s not the highest peak but the view from it is astonishing and it’s a popular peak among tourists who visit Gradac and surrounding places in the summer.
If you are searching for a higher peak you can always drive to Makarska and visit Biokovo nature park and the highest peak of this mountain and coastal Dalmatia – St. Jure (1762m). Makarska Riviera is good for mountain biking as well with an unpaved road stretching from Gradac to Drvenik (15 km), connecting all of the old villages. Biokovo mountain offers many opportunities for rock climbing as well with Gradac and Drvenik being the closest rock climbing sites to Ploče. Hiking is the perfect activity for preseason and postseason periods. It’s possible to hike in the summer as well but it’s not advisable because the heat makes it not so good experience.
Pelješac peninsula is the second – largest Croatian peninsula with Istria being the largest one. It’s famous for its wines and crystal clear sea. If the sea is clear along Makarska Riviera then it’s 10 times clearer here. Pelješac is perfect for cycling and sea kayaking. It has a lot of beaches reachable only by boat so there is a chance that you’ll have some just for yourself. Just across Pelješac lays the island of Korčula and 15 minutes of ferry ride is enough to reach it. Korčula is also perfect for many kinds of adventure activities.
Višnjica is a small hill near Ploče. With a height of just 200 meters, it offers a relaxing short hike or, if you are an adrenaline hunter, a downhill ride from its peak. Even though it is rather low, the view from the peak is really nice with the Pelješac peninsula and the Neretva delta in the focus. On the top, there is an old abandoned military structure built during the World Wars and used by the army to observe approaching vessels.
