Organizing different Croatia kayak tours has been our summer job for 5 years now. We started even before that, working for other agencies of the adventure travel domain. It’s a job that fills us with energy, and honestly, we can’t get enough of kayaking. Even when we are not paddling with our guests, we go on a tours of our own. Discover new places, design new adventures.
If you want to kayak in Croatia, you must know that there are many tours available. We always suggest taking a guided tour and let the good guide make your kayaking not just boring paddling, but an experience you will remember as your favorite one of your holidays.
We tried to be short and that’s the reason we chose these tours, although there are many more good tours out there. Feel free to search the area you are staying in and find your closest Croatia kayak experience.
When there is a sea, there is a kayaking tour too!
introduction to croatia kayak tours
In the vast sea of Croatia kayaking tours, we suggest you choose at least one. Even if you have never tried kayaking before, you don’t need to worry, most of the people participating in kayak tours haven’t. And finally, kayaking is not hard to learn.
When making this list, we tried to cover the whole territory of Croatia. Also, we tried to cover both river and sea kayaking. In the future, we plan to make a separate list of different kayaking types.
Why would you choose to kayak in Croatia? First of all, Croatia is a country with beautiful nature and we have written about that topic in our numerous posts. Kayaking as an activity is a very good way of exploring hidden and not easily accessible parts of the coastline. By kayaking, you get to chance to see parts of Croatia you might otherwise not see. Take the Zrmanja river, for example, it’s very hard to come to the places you see on your kayaking tour down this river.
Secondly, kayaking is a healthy activity and has many benefits. If you feel like you have been inactive during your vacation, kayaking is just a perfect way to activate a bit and make some good memories.
zrmanja river kayaking
We are starting the Croatia kayak tours list with a unique kayak tour down the Zrmanja river. That’s where my adventure guide career started and it’s a place that will always have a special place in my mind. I have kayaked down the Zrmanja river numerous times and every time was as beautiful as the first one.
All the Zrmanja river kayak tours start in a village called Kaštel Žegarski in the Zadar region. We speak about the swifter part of the river now. Few agencies run their kayaking business there and I was working for Raftrek, one of the largest adventure agencies in Croatia.
If the water level is higher, then there are no kayaking tours there but rafting ones. But during most of the summer, the water level is lower and the tours are done in a kayak for 2 persons. A lower water level doesn’t mean less fun. Kayaking down the Zrmanja river is one of the best activities to try if you like pure nature. The tour goes through the beautiful canyon of the Zrmanja river and you pass through many rapids on your way down the river.
The price for this adventure is around 40 Euros for adults, 20 Euros for children, and the tour lasts for about 4 hours.
mreznica river kayaking
We are staying in the river landscape, just moving a bit north of the Zrmanja river now. Mreznica river is situated near the city of Karlovac, and the Mreznica kayaking tours are organized near the city of Slunj where the most beautiful landscape of this river is situated.
After the Zrmanja river, I spent one month guiding the kayaking tours on the Mreznica river and, although it’s the river too, Mreznica is completely different from the Zrmanja river. It’s much more lush and green. It’s beautiful.
The kayaking tour on the Mreznica river is slightly shorter than one on the Zrmanja and it usually lasts for around 3 hours. The price is the same, 40 Euros for adults and 20 Euros for children.
dubrovnik kayaking tour
When in Dubrovnik, you need to try one of the kayaking tours offered there. It’s simply the experience of its own. You get the chance to paddle outside of the city walls and observe them from a different perspective.
This is definitely a Croatia kayak tour you must try when staying in Dubrovnik. Most of Dubrovnik kayak tours leave from the old port and they explore different places of Dubrovnik coastline. Some even go to a nearby island of Lokrum. These tours usually last for 2 and a half hours.
pakleni islands kayaking
Pakleni islands is an island group near Hvar island, opposite the city of Hvar. They are pretty close to it and kayaking toward them is not a problem. There are organized kayaking tours to Pakleni islands that will take you around this stunning island group which is also one of the must see things on Hvar island.
We had a chance to kayak this route and all we can say is that we fell in love both with the island of Hvar and Pakleni islands. Beautiful nature, clear sea, amazing adventure. Expect to pay around 55 Euros for this adventure.
makarska riviera night kayaking
Last but not least. We decided to include our Makarska Riviera night kayaking tour on this list. It’s not because it’s ours, but because it’s a tour we spent a lot of time developing and it’s one of the rare night kayaking tours in Croatia.
Bot our sunset kayaking tour and night kayaking one is being organized in the same area, but they present a totally different adventure. The night kayaking tour is done under the starry sky which is best looking during the summer months.
It’s a unique tour and we keep away from the light pollution to have the best stargazing experience. The night kayaking tour is characterized by glowing plankton that will light up with every stroke of your paddle and we also added a night swim as a part of the tour just to make it more fun and unforgettable.
