Adventure travel – enduro riding in Croatia

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Adventure travel - enduro riding in Croatia
Igor Spajia

Adventure travel - enduro riding in Croatia

Adventure travel - enduro riding in Croatia

Adventure travel - enduro riding in Croatia

Adventure travel - enduro riding in Croatia

14th pictures

Adventure travel - enduro riding in Croatia
Tijac

1/14
Igor Spahija is one of the makers of Šibenik Adventure. The prices depend on the season.

Adventure travel - enduro riding in Croatia
Spahija

2/14
The south of Croatia is a real paradise for enduro fans.

Adventure travel - enduro riding in Croatia
Spahija

3/14
Dream setting between the light blue sea and deserted mountain ridges.

Adventure travel - enduro riding in Croatia
Spahija

4/14
The tours offer enduro fun with rental motorcycles for every level of ability.

Adventure travel - enduro riding in Croatia
Spahija

5/14
A paradise for enduro riders awaits just outside the university town of Šibenik.

Adventure travel - enduro riding in Croatia
Spahija

6/14
No matter where the anchor drops, sunsets await everywhere like in the travel brochure.

Adventure travel - enduro riding in Croatia
Spahija

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The vast, almost uninhabited hinterland sets no limits to the joy of motorcycling.

Adventure travel - enduro riding in Croatia
Spahija

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Igor knows where to go. With the guide you can see more than any other tourist.

Adventure travel - enduro riding in Croatia
Spahija

9/14
Beach or mountains – you can go (almost) anywhere with the Enduro.

Adventure travel - enduro riding in Croatia
Spahija

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Contrasting program: lonely bays beckon on bike-free days.

Adventure travel - enduro riding in Croatia
Spahija

11/14
The tolerance towards enduro riders seems to be limitless around Brodarica.

Adventure travel - enduro riding in Croatia
Spahija

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The national dish Brudet recharges the empty batteries.

Adventure travel - enduro riding in Croatia
Tijac

13/14
When the bora blows, the sailing trip becomes a sporting experience.

Adventure travel - enduro riding in Croatia
Spahija

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In the Krka National Park: with the KTM on the heels of Winnetou.

to travel

Adventure travel – enduro riding in Croatia

Adventure travel – enduro riding in Croatia
Off-road Winnetou

The south of Croatia is a real paradise for enduro fans. With the right contacts, this can even be combined with a summer vacation in a family-friendly way.

Uwe Seitz

05/12/2016

A little after five in the morning. The small Croatian coastal town of Brodarica is still in the twilight. Everyone is asleep all around, only the sea rushes gently across the street and rocks the few fishing boats in the pale light of the street lamps. Without a real eye for such a holiday idyll, we sneak around the KTMs in the yard, check gasoline and oil again and then throw ourselves into our off-road gear. If others are already half asleep looking forward to the next day at the beach, we have completely different plans.

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With a strong kick, the silence of this August morning is instantly over. Fortunately for the neighbors of Moto Bean, as the small KTM workshop with the accessories shop is called, we let the motorcycles roll down the driveway to the main street. There, however, two-stroke saws are tearing up the idyll.

Enduro – sea – sailing – adventure vacation

Moto Bean in Brodarica is also the headquarters of Šibenik Adventure, a small start-up owned by Igor Spahija and Ante Petkovic. Both are crazy about bikes, especially when it comes to enduro bikes. From this her business idea developed: Enduro – sea – sailing – adventure vacation. Igor Spahija is not only an accomplished off-road driver, but also an excellent skipper who knows the Dalmatian Adriatic inside and out.

A few days later he takes us on the chartered sailing boat out to the Kornati islands, a UNESCO-protected, crazy-bare island world in the Croatian Adriatic, which, in addition to the breathtaking underwater world, also has a lot to offer in culinary terms.


Adventure travel - enduro riding in Croatia


Spahija

The tours offer enduro fun with rental motorcycles for every level of ability.

But this early morning we’d better step on the gas and get away from it all. Whereby – actually we are only really throwing ourselves into it, because two corners further we are already in the middle of the enduro paradise, throwing up thick clouds of dust and leaving the last houses of Brodarica behind us – and with it pretty much every trace of civilization for the next five hours.

Exactly we are less than 100 kilometers northwest of Split, directly on the Dalmatian coast. Compared to the well-known holiday resorts on the Istrian peninsula in the north, there are far fewer tourists here, but a lot of nature, apparently no bans on enduro driving, and spectacular national parks on top of that. Like that of Krka. It became famous in the 1970s when several Winnetou films such as “The Treasure in Silbersee” were made here with Pierre Brice. Krka is our destination today, almost 50 kilometers of pure off-road route. Where the Apache chief once chased nefarious bandits, we live out our enduro passion in a way that is hard to imagine in Europe.

Every now and then the terrain becomes more difficult

After a few simple bush drives and light scree slopes, on which Igor and Ante check how our driving skills are, we soon climb up the steep vineyards in our breaks at sunrise. In between there are sandy dirt roads, almost deserted settlements and wild, romantic gravel roads with large waves, over which the 250s are great for jumping or on which nice drifts bring additional fun.

Every now and then the terrain becomes more difficult, we have to maneuver around boulders and tree stumps with the clutch pulled or fight our way through dense bushes in trial style. Enduro paradise! Finally we reach the ridge of the small mountain range behind the coast and enjoy the view. The sea in Dalmatia is littered with islands, and on this clear morning we realize why the locals speak of their “Sea of ​​1000 Islands”. The deep blue water merges seamlessly into the deep blue sky, and in between the differently sized speckles of faded rock shine – mostly decorated with the rich green of the fragrant island vegetation.


Adventure travel - enduro riding in Croatia


Spahija

Beach or mountains – you can go (almost) anywhere with the Enduro.

The guys know their way around and show us the bay of Šibenik and the most important islands on the horizon. The party island of Hvar in the far south or the island of Vis, which is well worth seeing with its Roman ruins and picturesque old town – which we circumnavigate with the sailing boat days later and snorkel extensively through the “green grotto”. During this first pause we inevitably also come to the Balkan War.

If you look closely, you can still see traces of this man-made catastrophe here and there. Igor was a soldier before the war began, then had to fight in the Croatian army and still knows exactly where the front was. But whoever expects heroic stories will be disappointed. Igor is happy that “this nonsense” is over. With a wicked smile, he asks us in English to finally put our helmets on again: “There is more, boys.”

Best travel times from March to June and September to November

Empty promises are not his thing. Soon the sweat is pouring down in rivers. Deep canyons, dense forests with narrow trails and new mountain ranges alternate with endless grasslands including beautiful jumping hills. You should have a certain basic level of fitness for the tours, and it is slowly getting really hot due to the summer sun, which is now rising rapidly higher. The best time for Šibenik Adventure tours is from March to June and from September until well into November.

Then it will not be so mercilessly hot until noon, and the southern Adriatic is still warm enough to bathe in it. But if you get up early to avoid the summer heat, you can take part in an extensive enduro tour even in the middle of summer – and enjoy the rest of the day in the crystal-clear water while serving the family with a perfect beach holiday. Depending on the size of the group and your wishes, Igor alternates between enduro and relaxing sailing days. Or you hang on to several sweaty motorcycle excursions for a few days by boat in the beautiful island world of Dalmatia.


Adventure travel - enduro riding in Croatia


Spahija

Contrasting program: lonely bays beckon on bike-free days.

We still have the relaxing hours on board ahead of us, and we still have to earn the fine wine on deck with freshly caught fish – very tasty in the Dalmatian national dish, Brudet. Now we want to go to Krka by motorbikes. But our inner battery is slowly going to zero, and hunger arises. Igor seems to suspect that, because after another steep climb of almost 80 meters in altitude, which really challenges us again and where we stop and visit the route before we help each other over the rocks, we reach one of the many restaurants that no tourist would ever find.

Often these better takeaways are located on small district streets and lure with huge charcoal grills right on the roadside. The fantastic thing about Igor’s excursions is that we slip out of the bushes with our machines from the off-road adventure right next to the restaurant. Briefly knocked the dust out of the clothes, fresh on the table. The landlord knows that. Igor’s troops come regularly.

Nobody threatens, nobody scolds

In Dalmatia, along with fish on the coast, there is traditionally mainly meat – grilled of course, even in the morning. So we can enjoy fresh lamb with fresh, coarse onions and fleshy tomatoes. It feels like there is no better food for hard-driving enduro riders, and the amount is plentiful. The spirits come back quickly, and after the obligatory little schnapps at the end, which here is called brandy and is made from local herbs, it goes on.

When we pass remote farmsteads or old women with their flocks of sheep, we wave friendly or just watch us curiously at the fence. Nobody threatens, nobody scolds, the few people are extremely friendly – apart from one or two watchdogs who occasionally run small races with us and the KTMs. So gas!


Adventure travel - enduro riding in Croatia


Spahija

Igor knows where to go. With the guide you can see more than any other tourist.

Finally we reach Krka. Driving deep into the national park is of course taboo – here too, of course, it is not possible without rules. If you want to see the famous waterfalls and countless pools, you have to go up the river across the bay of Šibenik and join the long line of tourists in the high season.

But we are much further east, where the lower arm of the river is often just a trickle and small ponds and extensive swamps shimmer deep below us in the canyon. Completely captivated by the landscape, we puddle along the spectacularly steep edge until Igor maneuvers his 250cc towards the valley behind a row of trees. After weeks of searching, he actually found a descent to the water limit, which we now descend sitting far back. Right on the river bank there is the next break with stories of men, heroic driving maneuver analyzes and lots of water from the bottles brought in rucksacks.

A great way to go on vacation

The return trip will be a challenge again. The sun has long been high and hot in the sky when we reach Brodarica again. It is almost twelve o’clock. With our rattling bikes we go straight to the beach bar and have a cappuccino at the end of the tour. Our children have long been splashing around in the sea, our women are sitting relaxed on the quay and haven’t missed us at all.

There is also no resistance to our plans to do the next tour tomorrow. After all, in three days we will go out into the Croatian islands with the sailing boat and Igor as skipper. There lonely bays await our snorkeling explorations and excellent insider restaurants await our appetite. A great way to go on vacation!

Information about enduro riding in Croatia


Adventure travel - enduro riding in Croatia


Spahija

A paradise for enduro riders awaits just outside the university town of Šibenik.

Prices: The costs for the enduro tours are split into 90 euros rent for the motorcycle including fuel per person and day. The guide costs 25 euros per person. For another 25 euros there is a lavish Dalmatian dinner. The driver’s equipment must be brought along.

Accommodation: The guys from Šibenik Adventure can accommodate a group of up to four people in their own apartment right next to the workshop for 25 euros per person per night. Families with children will find a huge selection of simple apartments in Brodarica, which even in the main season usually only cost around 80 euros per night. There are also hotels with up to four stars. There is also a campsite on site. Alternatively, there is a sailing boat as a sleeping place, which can be rented through charter companies in Šibenik or Murter and anchored directly in Brodarica. Šibenik Adventure maintains excellent contacts with these rental companies, is happy to mediate and receives good conditions. A boat costs around 500 euros per week per person, the skipper 100 euros a day.

Getting there: It is approx. 930 kilometers from Munich by car. Split is the nearest airport by plane (approx. 100 km). Flights cost between 200 and 300 euros, more in the main season.

Contact:

Šibenik Adventure
sibenikadventure@yahoo.com
Tel .: +38 5/98 36 25 27
www.sibenik-adventure.com

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