The secrets of Elaphiti islands
There are a couple of archipelagos in Croatia one may consider visiting with yacht rental in Croatia! Today’s article will consider one of the most beautiful, not large in size, but with plenty to offer you’re your sailing holiday. Elaphites, Elaphiti, or Elafiti (in the original Croatian) are a group of small islands, covered in Mediterranean vegetation, beautiful beaches, and a whole lot more. The Elaphiti archipelago consists of 13 islands located in the Adriatic sea, nearby Croatian city of Dubrovnik. This amazing blend of blue, gray and green in the southern tip of Croatia works almost like a magnet, attracting sailors, and other tourists year after year.
Unfortunately, there’s little to be found about Elaphites out there, and that’s precisely why we at YachtHoliday decided to put together this article, and help everyone who wishes to visit this paradise create a better picture of what to expect!
"Deer islands"
Even the name of Elaphiti makes for a wonderful story, worth telling in this article. "Elaphos" is the Greek name for deer. As you may have concluded from the heading of this paragraph, and the previous sentence, deer once inhabited the archipelago. As hard to imagine as it may be, that a deer once lived in such a small surface (the largest island has a surface of 15 km2 ), the animal once inhabited the islands in large numbers. Today, sadly there are no deer on the Elaphites, but there are plenty of beautiful things to experience!
Sailing the Elaphiti islands
With 13 islands there are a lot of places to explore. The beautiful scenery of Elaphiti as well as the great touristic offer, and the glamour “spill” from the nearby Dubrovnik, makes for a perfect adventure. Here are the most popular spots to visit in the archipelago!
Lopud
The most popular, and the second largest of the group, Lopud is a small island covered in Mediterranean pine forest, and similar vegetation. Lopud is known by many things, a luxury old hotel, its churches, but it’s most popular by the jaw dropping Sunj beach! Sunj is a sandy beach opening into the amazingly clear part of the Adriatic sea. There are a number of bars on the beach where you can enjoy a tasty and refreshing beverage on the sand and in the sun!
Sipan
The largest of the bunch is located just 17 km from Dubrovnik. Its highest peak reaches 243 meters and offers a beautiful view of the surrounding islands, and of course Dubrovnik! There are two villages on the island. Sudurad on the south west looking out to Lopud (and only a brief sail away), and Sipanska luka, on the opposite north east side. Both of the settelments are beautiful, and we hghly recommend dropping anchor in each one!
Kolocep
The third and final inhabited island among the Elaphites, Kolocep is home to 163 residents throughout the year! The channel between the mainland and the Elaphiti is named after this beautiful island (Kolocep channel). Droping anchor in Kolocep will be a great experience, but we definitely recommend walking island paths and exploring the surroundings. There are 7 old churches on the island perfect to visit and explore.
Lokrum
Finally Lokrum which due to its position further south (just outside the walls of Dubrovnik) is not always consider a part of the Elaphites. Nevertheless it’s a beautiful island, and one you can visit minutes before entering Dubrovnik port. The highlight of the island is the castle built by the French (Fort Royal castle) which was after named Maximilian tower being a holiday home of Austrian archduke Maximilian. The island also contains a Benedictine monastery, and a Botanical garden. The garden is a beautiful sight of mostly Mediterranean vegetation. Lokrum is also home to a secret salt lake (Dead Sea lake).
There you go! Hopefully this article gave you an insight into the secret and beautiful world of the Elaphites! Rent a yacht and sail Elaphiti with yachtholiday.com!