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Spotlight on: Korcula Buggy Official

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This year, Korcula Buggy Official celebrates fifteen years of operating a highly innovative and exciting way of exploring the lovely island of Korcula. Run by Branko and Ana, founders and owners, the company offers the original and best safari experience on Korcula, something you can verify through their reviews – they’re one of the highest-rated experiences in Dalmatia on review and tour websites such as TripAdvisor and Viator! (Wow!) Branko and Ana offer a truly personal experience, going beyond what other companies offer to give guests the ultimate tour of Korcula. So let’s find out a little more about Korcula Buggy Official and what they offer, shall we?

About Korcula Buggy Official and their tours

Branko and Ana really know their stuff when it comes to Korcula. Don’t believe me? Well, both are from the island, with Ana’s family established on Korcula for around 150 years, whilst Branko’s family has been there for around 700 years!

Ana and Branko of Korcula Buggy Official
Ana and Branko of Korcula Buggy Official

Unlike other similar tours on Korcula, the personal experience is what Korcula Buggy Official is all about. One of the highlights of the tour is a visit to their own private estate and winery, which includes a hunting-style tasting room – featuring no less than 165 trophies – and a beautiful terrace overlooking the sea. It’s here that Branko and Ana serve their own, original Dalmatian delicacies – Ana’s homemade bread, prosciutto, liqueurs, and their own wine. Utterly delicious!

Homemade liqueurs and marmalade tasting
Homemade liqueurs and marmalade tasting – how wonderful

Korcula Buggy Official have evolved over the years by really listening to their guests, and Branko and Ana believe that’s helped them make their tours better than ever. Their finely crafted tours mean they explore the best parts of Korcula, with the right amount of activities and just the right tour length to keep everyone happy.

How did they come up with the idea of buggy safari tours on Korcula? The spark was ignited by spotting an open-top car in Split that looked very much like a buggy – that’s what planted the seed.

Unfortunately, four years ago, another agency bought buggies, copied their entire itinerary, and even stole the name. This has sadly led to Branko and Ana’s company sometimes receiving bad ratings from people who’ve been scammed – they find Korcula Buggy Official online, think they’re the ones responsible, and leave a bad review. The other company does all sorts of things online to ride on their reputation and lure guests into booking with them. This other company are frustratingly parasitising their hard work, but…they’ve decided to stop stressing about it. It transpires the other company even offer free bottles of wine in exchange for reviews, but anyone can see that over 60% of the other company’s ratings are fake.

Branko & Ana’s Happy Guests

Korcula Buggy Official have had so many beautiful moments, especially when they see guests leave completely thrilled…and even a little bit sad to be saying goodbye! They especially love their older guests because they truly appreciate the story behind the tour.

Korcula Buggy Official's happy guests
Some VERY happy guests!

Korcula Buggy Official has over one thousand authentic reviews, which clearly demonstrate the fruits of their labour. They always give their guests more than what they pay for. Some even exclaim that Korcula Buggy Official’s tour was the best excursion they’ve ever been on, or that it’s the best tour in all of Croatia.

Korcula Buggy Official
A vineyard tasting stop

What’s the best time of year to tour?

Branko and Ana say the most beautiful months are May and September – or even mid-October. In May, nature opens up with some incredible scents, while October is beautiful because the landscape is resting after the heat of summer; the air is calm, there’s no wind, and everything is quiet – as if it’s waiting for life to begin again.

Prices and booking tours

Prices start at €60 for shorter boat tours, while a standard tour is around €80.

There is really no comparison between their tours (which range from €60 to €85) and the agency that copied them. The other company’s ‘private’ tour, which costs over €150, is barely at the level of Korcula Buggy Official’s €70 tour. Guests often get confused by these manipulations. But you know which one to choose!

You can enquire about tours and book directly on WhatsApp on +385 97 777 7808.

More info & booking tours

You can find out all there is to know about Korcula Buggy Official on their website korcula-buggy.com, or look them up on Instagram at @korculabuggyofficial.

Marco Polo Challenge

12th edition of Marco Polo Challenge on Korcula this Sunday, 24th April

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This Sunday, 24th April 2022, the 12th Marco Polo Challenge triathlon will take place on the gorgeous island of Korcula – the reputed birthplace of the famous explorer after whom the triathlon is named.

Marco Polo Challenge, Korcula

About The Marco Polo Challenge

The middle distance triathlon, which will cover 1.9 km, 90km and 21km of swimming, cycling and running, takes place over the whole island of Korcula. This main event is to be held alongside a sprint distance triathlon, a sprint team relay and a 5km charity-fundraising run event.

The Marco Polo Challenge marks the opening of triathlon season in Croatia, and the event also hosts the middle distance Croatian championships. It is being jointly organized by Triathlon Club Split, Korcula Tourist Board and the town of Korcula in cooperation with Vela Luka and Smokvica municipalities and their tourist boards.

The organisers have prepared cash prizes and athletes will also have the opportunity to raise money for charity.


Nika Silić Maroević, Korčula Town Mayor, says:

“Welcome to Korcula – the island of Marco Polo that will enchant you with its natural beauty and cultural heritage. Discover our beautiful island; enjoy wandering around streets shaded by old stone houses, the most romantic sunrises, beautiful beaches and unique sword dances. Discover the taste of traditional local seasonal food and the finest Korcula wines and the extra virgin olive oils. Korcula is an ideal year-round triathlon holiday destination, as you will see for yourself during the competition.”

Hana Turudić, Korcula Town Tourist Board Director, says:

“Croatia has more than a thousand islands, and Korcula is different because of its wide range of activities. Korcula has been declared the safest Croatian island for a paradise vacation by Forbes magazine, which placed it on a list of the 12 safest islands in Europe. Get your bikes, running shoes and wetsuits ready for the challenging race and have a great time in Marco Polo’s home town. We invite you to extend your stay on Korcula and enjoy everything a warm springtime in the south of Dalmatia can offer.”

Korcula

Korcula – an ideal location for a triathlon

Korcula offers good weather conditions all year round, with open water swimming without wetsuits possible for most of the year.

Additionally, as the race is taking place in early season, the event’s accommodation sponsor, Aminess Hotels & Campsites, is offering participants top-of-the-line accommodation at extremely affordable rates.

Ivan Pavić, Race Director and General Secretary of Triathlon Club Split, says:

“We are thrilled to be bringing the championships in middle distance triathlon to this beautiful island of Croatia, and we are confident that athletes will have not only a great race experience but also a wonderful weekend in Korcula at the end of April.”

More info

All the details about the Marco Polo Challenge triathlon can be found on the official website: www.marcopolo-challenge.com. Learn more about Korcula on the Korcula Tourist Board website.

Marco Polo Challenge
24th April 2022, Korcula
www.marcopolo-challenge.com

Lumbarda, Korcula

Reader’s Trip Report: Korcula and its many charms

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We were delighted to be contacted by a gentleman named David who recently enjoyed a holiday on Korcula with his wife. Read on below for his charming trip report, including tips on what to see and do on Korcula, and where to eat. – Visit Croatia

Hello, there, I just thought I’d drop you a line to tell you what a fantastic time we had in Korčula last month.

We were surrounded by folk who were spending one or two days there and then zooming off to Bosnia, Austria, Romania, Montenegro and wherever. This sounds like far too much admin to me!

Especially as there was so much to see and do to keep us busy for our 10 glorious days – which included a day trip to Dubrovnik.

Trip Report Korcula

Korcula Town

We went kayak-ing round the islands, and hired bikes and rode to the most beautiful ‘secret’ bay – Samograd – and were the only people there. Obviously, we had our own private swim in our own private bay. Luxurious!

On the way back, we enjoyed a fabulous lunch at a restaurant in Račišće where there was a christening/confirmation party going on (I think – my Croatian is non-existent!) at which some guests were entertaining everyone with lively local vocal music on the accordion. Sublime!

In fact, wherever we went, wherever we ate (and/or drank), everywhere was top notch and very nice. Especially the Konoba and, more especially, Konoba Nona, where we visited regularly — and not just because it was on the way to and from our hotel (the very excellent Liburna).

Lumbarda, Korcula

Lumbarda

We also hired a small boat to explore some of the nearby islands. In truth, it’s primary function was to get us to Lumbarda where we could swim and eat lunch at our favourite bar, the truly marvellous Bilin Žal.

And we still had lots on our To-Do list, including: a trip to Mljet, donkey trekking on Korčula, visiting Vela Luka and more.

The weather was gorgeous, the town was lovely; everyone was friendly, everywhere was tidy and clean. And, at one point, as we sipped the lovely local Grk wine, watching the warm spring sun disappear into the beautiful blue Adriatic, I said to my wife Annie: “Do you know, I don’t think I have been this relaxed for decades.”

So, I’d just like to say and very big thank-you for being there. And being so marvellous.

And many thanks too, to the people of Korčula who were so wonderfully warm and welcoming.

One day, hopefully, we will return to enjoy the many charms of Korčula once more!

Dave and Annie Hardy, Laugharne, in West Wales

Thank you, David and Annie, for sending us such a lovely report on your holiday on Korcula!

Ferries in Croatia - Jadrolinija catamaran

New Jadrolinija catamaran line from Dubrovnik to Korcula, Hvar and Bol!

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Croatia’s main ferry company Jadrolinija will be running a brand new catamaran line for summer 2016! The new Jadrolinija catamaran line will connect Dubrovnik with Korcula, Hvar Town and Bol – meaning that some of the Croatia’s most popular destinations and islands are connected.

Ferries in Croatia - Jadrolinija catamaran

A Jadrolinija catamaran departing Hvar Town

Operating daily from 1st July to 11th September, the catamaran will sail from Dubrovnik in the morning and make the return journey in the late afternoon/evening. That means that you could potentially make day trips to Hvar and Bol from Dubrovnik using this catamaran service. (And to Korcula of course as well – although this was already possible.)

What will also interest many travellers is that this catamaran can also be used to make day trips from Hvar to Bol on Brac! (Although, as you can see from the timetable, not the other way around.) There’s currently only a catamaran service – also run by Jadrolinija – connecting Jelsa on Hvar with Bol.

The full timetable:

Dubrovnik - Korcula - Hvar - Bol

Full details of this service and prices can be found on the Jadrolinija website. We’d definitely recommend pre-booking this Jadrolinija catamaran if you intend to travel on it – booking can be done Jadrolinija’s homepage – as we’re sure this will be an exceedingly popular service.

Kapetan Luka have run another catamaran service for a few years which has also proved to be exceedingly popular. Their service also runs daily (in high summer), and several times a week in May and October, connecting Split, Milna (Brac), Hvar Town, Korcula, Pomena (Mljet) and Dubrovnik. This line however goes from Split in the early morning (reaching Dubrovnik at midday), and from Dubrovnik in the late afternoon (reaching Split at 8.20pm). The full timetable, prices and ticket booking can be found on the Kapetan Luka website.

For more on travelling around Croatia by sea, check out our Ferries in Croatia and Ferry and Catamaran Prices sections.

Bon voyage!

Three Men Go To Venice…via Croatia

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Croatia was nicely featured in a BBC2 broadcast of the first episode of a new series last night, the latest in the Three Men In A Boat set of documentary shows. Featuring comedians Dara O Briain, Rory McGrath and Griff Rhys Jones, previous programmes have seen them take part in various japes – on boats – in Britain and Ireland. This particular series sees the trio start their journey in Montenegro, making their way up the Adriatic – via various Croatian towns and islands – with the aim of reaching Venice to take part in a gondola race there. (I suppose they could have just gone straight to Venice for water escapades there, but that probably wouldn’t fill two 1-hour episodes. Having said that, Griff Rhys Jones revealed that the original title of the show was supposed to be Three Go To The Balkans, but that was apparently deemed unappealing sounding.)

The Croatian section of last night’s episode (with more of Croatia featured next week) showed them in Dubrovnik, Korčula and Vis. Having sailed into Dubrovnik in rather stormy weather, on a boat that was part of a holiday flotilla, they awake to glorious sunshine and there’s a comedy-sketch-like scene where Rory McGrath returns with breakfast for all of them – including some kind of pig’s ear – only for the other two to have decamped to a local cafe.

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