On our newest tour starting in Croatia you explore on the Otac Nikola the coast of Montenegro, and on a cycling tour to Albania you discover Europe's last mystery. Departure point of this journey is Dubrovnik, one of the most beautiful towns in the Adriatic and a listed World Heritage site; on account of its historical importance it is often called the "Athens of Croatia".

Montenegro, the youngest state in the world, is your next destination. Together with your guides, you discover here the bay of Kotor, whose steep limestone cliffs make it one of the most impressive landscapes in the entire Adriatic. On the Otac Nikola, with its friendly, attentive crew, you spend 10 exciting days on land and on water, and riding along on your bike you become acquainted with landscapes of unique beauty.

Individual approach either by car, or by plane to Dubrovnik airport. After check-in, the afternoon is at your disposal, either for a walk through this interesting town with its beautifully preserved fortifications or for a short bike ride to a nearby beach. Before dinner a local guide will accompany you through Dubrovnik and tell you everything about its eventful, turbulent history. The dinner afterwards is the first meal on Board of the Otac Nikola. You spend the night in Dubrovnik.

Early in the morning you start on a four-hour boat trip. This will take you to the harbour of Zelenika, the gateway to the largest and best protected bay in the Adriatic. From there you start on the first bike trip along the level coast to Kotor, which is framed by mountains as high as 1700 m. The destination of this ride is Kotor, famous for its medieval centre. Overnight in the harbour of Kotor.

For the first 20 km you will be pedalling along Kotor Bay to Tivat. During a coffee break, you can get back your breath for the moutainous part of the trip. Riding through sleepy mountain villages, you will be delighted by frequent fascinating views across the sea before reaching Budva. The town was originally located on an island but is now connected to the mainland by a sandbank. The protected historical centre was almost completely destroyed by an earthquake in 1979. Fortunately, it has painstakingly been reconstructed according to records from Austrian archives. Today, Budva is one of the most popular summer resorts on the coast of Montenegro.

After breakfast you cycle along the coast to Sveti Stefan. Once a pirate stronghold, Sveti Stefan is now one of the best known and most exclusive hotel complexes in the Balkans, favoured by all sorts of prominent visitors. The construction of a casino gave Budva the nickname "Monacco of the Adriatic". After a refreshing dip at one of the wonderful sand and pebble beaches, it is time to return to Budva. From there your ship takes you to Petrovac, a small, idyllic harbour.

Starting in Bar, today’s track initially goes to Stari Bar. Basically Stari Bar is the original city of Bar that was sacrificed after the earth quake in 1979. In the meantime some buildings were reconstructed and are worth a visit. Also one of the three oldest olive trees of the world is to be admired here. You continue cycling in southern direction to Ulcinj situated in the vicinity of the Albanian frontier where you can take a swim on the east side of the Adriatic Sea on the 13 kilometres long sandy beach. From here the ship brings you back to Bar where you stay overnight.

Today you become acquainted with the less level side of the famous Skutari Lake. The transfer bus takes you as far as the lakeshore. With a length of 48 km and a width of up to 14 km, it is the largest lake of the Balkan peninsula. A peculiarity - shared with Lake Vran on Cres- is that part of its bottom lies below sea level. The lake is a haven for migrating birds and was declared a National Park in 1983. In the evening the bus takes you back to the boat waiting for you in Budva.

In the morning you bicycle on a little-frequented mountain road to Kotor. There you can relax for the whole afternoon. Enjoy the atmosphere of the old town and savour the culinary specialities of the region. Overnight in Kotor.

In the morning a fairly long boat trip takes you back again to Dubrovnik. Simply lean back and relax on board and let the picturesque view of Kotor Bay work its magic on you.
Back in Dubrovnik, your tour guide takes you on an interesting bike ride to a look-out point from which you have a fabulous view onto the historical town. At dinner you say farewell to your tour guides and the crew.

Check out till 9:00 a.m. and individual return home.

Alterations:
We reserve the right to make alterations to the planned route due to changing wind and weather conditions, and where required by organisational necessities.

Requirements (level 2-3):
The bike tours require a good basic fitness, which the participants should have acquired through regular bicycling. The trips reach altitudes between 200 and 500 m. The day trips of 30-50 km on average traverse without time pressure hilly and mountainous terrain. Some steeper and longer ascents must also be tackled, but it is perfectly acceptable to push the bike if necessary.

Instead of going on a scheduled bike tour, you can also set aside a whole or half a day for swimming. Most of the roads are asphalt and not much used outside the holiday season. Decide for yourself each day whether you want to go biking alone, using the provided information and maps, or to join one of the two tour guides or other participants.

Bringing Children:
In principle we believe that only children with sufficient stamina and a minimum age of 10 are capable of tackling the bike tours. Please note that the minimum height for rental bikes is 1.40 m.

Catering:
The cook travels along as a member of the crew and prepares every day a sumptuous breakfast and one hot meal.

Number of participants:

• min. 16
• max. 30