Travel Counsellors - Our Travel Diaries

I was invited on an educational trip to Croatia and I immediately accepted as it was one of my life long dreams to visit Croatia. Our group consisted mainly of travel agents all over South Africa and we all met up in Johannesburg for our departure flight. We flew on Lufthansa which is still a popular airline choice to Croatia as their connecting times are the best. Once we arrived in Zagreb we were transferred to Opatija that is situated on the coastline of Croatia. What a beautiful town with all its old buildings and history. The hotels we inspected were in dire need of refurbishment but Croatia was just becoming known as a tourist destination after the Bosnian war and you could see revamping springing up everywhere.

We then embarked on our much anticipated 4 night yacht cruise down the coast line. Please note that this is not 5 star cruising that one might expect. These older wooden yachts were also refurbished and are now used as cruising boats for tourists on the Croatian coast line. The cabins are small and the bathrooms even smaller but during the summer months, you don't spend any time in your cabin. I would suggest taking the "outside" cabins that has a window as the "inside" cabins might get a bit claustrophobic. We enjoyed a breathtaking cruise. The water was crystal clear and warm - ideal for scuba diving etc. The crew onboard the boat are few but the service is excellent and always with a smile. The food was out of this world. We enjoyed starters, main courses and deserts which were all lovely. Our cruise started in Opatija and we sailed down the coast visiting small islands like Rab (the island of love), Zadar, Krka Waterfalls and National Park, Vodice and we ended up in Trogir who is also referred to sometimes as the miniature Venice.

We spend a night in Split where we visited the old town. This is also where they showed us where the big boatyards were, this is where they fix the big container and cruise ships.

But the highlight was our visit was to Dubrovnik in the South. It is such a beautiful city on the coast and we visited the Old city which was out of this world. If felt like I was in the Middle Ages. The roof of the old town was painted in red and rooftops were done in the same reddish/orange tiles. Around the city there is a walking wall where you can walk right around the city and experience the stunning views over the city and sea. We also visited the small photo gallery of when Dubrovnik was invaded in the Bosnian war when many Croatian people died trying to save the city.

The people of Croatia are over all not very friendly but after such a horrible war, one can understand that. I think Croatia will become a very popular destination among South Africans particularly those who have visited Europe and who are looking for something different.