Croatia

The self guided VBT biking tour was just the trip for my husband and I, along with two friends. The locations in Croatia had stunning views and the biking routes were the perfect distance for us. So glad we got ebikes!

Croatia is an incredibly beautiful country. I loved everything about it. The sea, countryside, walled cities, vineyards, olive groves and the overall hospitality by the locals. I will definitely come back to explore the islands and nearby countries. VBT did a great job of planning a 6 day itinerary and Adreaj was a fantastic host. With that being said I DO NOT think the trip was a great value. In fact it was overpriced for what we received. The first 3 hotel nights were nice but adequate. The 3 nights we spent at the Marko Polo were subpar. The grounds and facilities were fine but the rooms were low budget, outdated with mold in the shower. Since the trip was self guided we were on our own for all expenses. If VBT had included a dinner with a local host or a local tour the trip would have felt more enriched. We ended our trip at the beach at a beautiful hotel in Dubrovnik. We loved the area and stayed an extra night. I also have mixed feelings on the biking. We lost two days due to rain and high winds. One day we biked from Orebic' to Loviste. It was absolutely beautiful. The roads had very little traffic but were windy two lane roads with no shoulder. Climbs were two miles, challenging even with an e-bike. The last part of the ride was right along the sea on a bike path. The other day we biked in Korcula 2 short rides. We biked to the beach and through vineyards and olive groves. Just know Croatia is very hilly so be prepared for a challenge even with an e-bike. This is my second trip with VBT. My first trip also had subpar hotels.The next time I plan a bike trip I will be researching other companies.

We had a great time exploring the Dalmation Islands with VBT via yacht (Futura). We went toward the end of May and the weather was great (not too hot, with some rain), and for the most part, not too inundated with tourists. The scenery was beautiful, the rides were challenging (recommend e-bikes), the food, excursions, and guides were great!

Our vacation with VBT was the best ever. Our guides, Marko and Natasha made the trip easy, fun and pampered! The boat was complete with our group of 30. We did both the pre and post extensions to Split and Dubrovnik. We enjoyed both medieval old town and also were able to take side trips inland and enjoy the country's scenery and lakes. We would highly recommend this biking experience. The islands that we biked were hilly but scenery was amazing. Just do it!!

This was an absolutely delightful experience. I am very impressed with VBT's way of supporting the local economy by hiring local guides, and setting up dinners with locals. Our hotels were great, the guides were wonderful, and i learned so much about local culture and history. Our guides, Mario and Neven, are just wonderful people and so helpful fun to be around.

Just returned yesterday from Croatia. This was our first VBT tour and I'm sure it will not be our last. Our guides, Marko and Vanja were exceptional and we hated to leave them. They went above and beyond with recommendations for restaurants, things to see and do during the tour as well as the post tour extension in Split.

This trip exceeded my expectations due to Dani and Vida, our amazing guides.They were able to share their personal stories in a professional manner that enriched the trip and we became friends. They were aware and alert to each individuals needs and responded to those needs. They were knowable and worked smoothly was a team. I would travel with Country Walkers again due to Dani and Vida.

I can't say enough good things about our recent trip to Slovenia/Croatia. We were Country Walkers "newbies", urged by friends to try it, and thoroughly enjoyed all of it. We were initially attracted to the location, as I have ancestors from the region, but we had no idea about the gorgeous landscape, mountains, and warm and friendly people (most all are English speakers, since it is their second language in grammar school.) Hotels were above expectations, comfortable, and have addicted me to eiderdowns. The food also was better than " tour quality" and even included a private dinner at Tito's mansion on Lake Bled one evening, overlooking the lake. Excursions to a winery and Roman ruins lent educational interest (especially due to excellent guide Nada in Pula), as did the truffle hunt (thoughtcrimes, sadly, our truffle hound was unsuccessful in his hunt the day.) I must give the most credit, however, to our 2 Country Walkers guides-Vida and Irena, both avid hikers and mountaineers (among other sports), friendly, organized, and careful with our wellbeing. All tours should be fortunate enough to have such leaders. All in all, it was a thoroughly enjoyable experience.

We had an amazing time on this trip and could not have been happier with our decision to take our first ever group tour with Country Walkers. Everything about our trip was seamless. Our tour guides, Dani 1 and Dani 2, were knowledgeable, mature, funny and amiable, each in his own way, and added greatly to the trip/experience. Their local knowledge of culture, food, people, history was unmatchable. We had deep trust in them, and we knew that although everything seemed to go smoothly, they were constantly working behind the scenes to adjust plans due to weather, changes in schedule, etc. They made it look easy, but we knew it was not. Of course the hiking was nice, the views and location fantastic. The food was sumptuous and always different, so we sampled many things and felt we got exposed to all kinds of traditional Croation fare. The wine and grappa were always flowing generously. The eating locations themselves were unique. We heard rumors that this tour was being regrouped or cancelled and were quite surprised as everyone in our group seemed quite happy indeed. It would be a shame to lose these fantastic guides/guys.

This walking tour was awesome. The different venues, hikes and lodging was all terrific . The single factor that made the trip so good, were the two Guides. Dani and Dani were so thoughtful, knowledgeable, and their trips to lunches and meals and wine tasting, at various venues were remarkable. Getting to know some of the locals at these venues, and visiting places off the beaten path, were one of the high points, in my view.