8-Day Private Sailing Tour from Split with Meals and Pickup

The unusual appeal here is the two-part rhythm: ride a BMW motorcycle through the hills and coastal roads, then return to a yacht, swim from the deck, and let the crew handle dinner. In eight days, you move through Croatia, Montenegro, and Bosnia and Herzegovina without packing and unpacking at a new hotel each night.

I like the mix of sea and road, especially the chance to reach places such as Krka, Mljet, Kotor, and Mostar in one trip. I also like the food focus, from fresh oysters in Mali Ston to the seven-course dinner at Gastro Mare. The main consideration is the price, listed at $10,909.64 per person, so this makes sense mainly for a private group seeking a high-service trip.

Key points to know before booking

• A yacht replaces your hotel room: You spend the sailing nights aboard the yacht, with swimming stops, evening meals, and time in coves.
• A BMW motorcycle adds real variety: The road portion includes coastal curves, mountain routes, and a gravel section near Sveta Nedjelja.
• Three countries fit into one route: Croatia, Montenegro, and Bosnia and Herzegovina are connected by road, sea, and private transfers.
• Food is part of the experience: Expect breakfast on several mornings, lunch on some days, and dinner each day, with preferences supplied in advance.
• The pace is active but not purely athletic: You ride, walk, swim, kayak, visit wineries, and explore old towns.
• Weather matters: Sailing may be moved or canceled in poor weather, with a new date or full refund offered.

Why this Adriatic combination works

A standard Croatian sailing trip gives you sea views and island towns. A standard motorcycle tour gives you mountain roads and inland villages. This journey joins the two, which is its strongest idea.

You start with a motorcycle introduction and route briefing, then ride to Krka Waterfalls National Park and Šibenik before reaching the yacht in Mandalina marina. From then on, the yacht carries your luggage and provides your base, while motorcycles take you inland or along roads that are not practical to reach by boat.

That arrangement saves time. You do not spend each evening checking into a hotel, finding dinner, and arranging transport for the next morning. You simply return to the boat, swim if conditions allow, and sit down to a meal.

The arrangement also requires flexibility. The schedule covers long road days, border crossings, ferry travel, sailing time, and several sightseeing stops. You should be comfortable with a full day that may combine a motorcycle ride, a short walk, a meal, and a late return to the yacht.

Day 1: Krka waterfalls, Šibenik, and your yacht

Pickup is arranged from Split Airport or another convenient Split location, depending on your arrival time. The Desmo Adventure team then holds a short meeting at its office, explains the route, and introduces you to the motorcycle fleet.

The first road section leads to Krka Waterfalls National Park. You spend about two hours walking through the park and seeing its famous falls. Swimming under the waterfalls depends on water conditions, so treat that as a possibility rather than a promise.

From Krka, you continue to the old town of Šibenik and then ride country roads and curving coastal roads toward Mandalina marina. Your yacht waits there with your belongings, and it becomes your accommodation for the rest of the trip.

I like the logic of this opening day. You get a first taste of the inland scenery, a major natural attraction, and a historic coastal town before settling into the boat. If your flight arrives late, ask how much of the motorcycle introduction and Krka visit can still fit into the day.

Day 2: Blue Lagoon and an evening near Hvar

After breakfast, the yacht sails from Šibenik toward Hvar, with the main crossing taking about five hours. The route includes a stop at Blue Lagoon, also called Krknjasi Bay, on Mali Drvenik Island, where you have about two hours for swimming.

Meals and drinks are prepared around the preference list you provide. That matters on a private sailing trip because food is not just a quick stop between activities. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner become part of the day, with the hostess or chef and crew serving meals aboard.

The yacht reaches a cove in the Pakleni Islands in the late afternoon. You can swim, visit nearby beach bars such as Laganini, Hula-Hula, or Carpe Diem, and eat dinner on board.

You also have the option of visiting Hvar’s old town at night. The schedule gives you a pleasant choice: stay on the yacht for a quiet evening or go ashore for streets, bars, and nightlife. The drawback is that sailing time can feel long if you want constant sightseeing, but the swimming stop and open-water hours are the point of this day.

Day 3: Hvar, wine country, oysters, and Korčula

Day three shifts the focus back to the motorcycle. You walk through Hvar’s old town, then take a gravel road toward Sveta Nedjelja. This is one of the more active sections, and anyone uncomfortable on a motorcycle or loose road surface should discuss the route before booking.

At Sveta Nedjelja, you visit the Plenković winery and its underwater wine cellar. The stop offers more than a standard tasting because it connects the wine to the island’s setting and maritime character.

You then ride to Sućuraj and take a ferry lasting about 45 minutes to Drvenik on the mainland. From there, the road continues toward Ston on the Pelješac Peninsula, with time for winery visits and an oyster experience in Mali Ston.

The seafood stop is a real highlight for me. A private boat ride to the oyster farm lets you taste oysters close to where they are raised, rather than treating them as an anonymous restaurant course.

The final ride leads to Orebić, where the yacht is waiting. A short 15-minute sail takes you to Korčula, where dinner is served aboard. Later, you can walk through the old town, known in the tour plan as the birthplace of Marco Polo.

This is a busy day, and the combination of gravel riding, ferry timing, wine, oysters, and a late old-town walk may feel ambitious. It is also one of the days that best shows why the land-and-sea format is useful.

Day 4: Mljet National Park and a seven-course dinner

After breakfast and a morning swim, you sail for about two hours to Mljet. The visit to Mljet National Park includes a choice of bicycle or a small hike, followed by a look at the park’s two salt lakes.

You also take a kayak ride to an ancient monastery. The visit is limited to about two hours, so you will get an appealing sample of the park rather than a long exploration of every trail and shoreline.

In the afternoon, the yacht heads to Kobaš Bay on the Pelješac Peninsula. You can swim, relax near a beach bar, and eat at Gastro Mare Restaurant, where chef Antonio Bjelko prepares a seven-course dinner using organic ingredients and seafood caught from the sea.

This is probably the most food-centered evening of the trip. Breakfast at the restaurant follows the next morning, so Kobaš is not just a dinner stop. It gives you time to slow down after the previous day’s road and ferry schedule.

Day 5: Ston’s walls, Miloš wine, and Dubrovnik after dark

After breakfast and a swim in Kobaš Bay, the route continues toward Dubrovnik. You stop in Ston, where the famous defensive wall stretches above the town and peninsula.

The day also includes another oyster-farm visit with a local guide and a tasting of Ston oysters. If you enjoy seafood, this repeated focus is a strength. If oysters are not your thing, the day still includes the town, the wall, wine, and coastal riding, but food remains central.

At Miloš Winery in Pelješac, you spend about 30 minutes learning about winemaking and tasting the winery’s wine. The route then climbs Mount Srđ for about an hour, offering views over Dubrovnik’s old town and the Adriatic islands.

You leave the motorcycles at ACI Marina Dubrovnik around 4 p.m. The yacht then sails a short distance to a position in front of Dubrovnik’s city walls, where dinner is served.

This is one of the most memorable settings in the program. After dinner, you can walk Stradun and explore Dubrovnik’s old town before returning to the yacht. I would not expect a full Dubrovnik sightseeing day here. The value is the evening atmosphere and the unusual view from the water.

Day 6: Montenegro by motorcycle

After breakfast beneath the Dubrovnik walls, you travel toward Montenegro. The route includes Srđ Hill, a Croatian border crossing, Boka Kotorska Bay, Tivat, Kotor, and Budva.

In Tivat, you stop for coffee at Porto Montenegro, the well-known marina. In Kotor, you walk the compact old town, then continue through the hills around Kotor and Boka Kotorska.

Budva brings a different mood, with its old town and beaches. You will see several of Montenegro’s best-known coastal places in one day, but this also makes day six one of the most demanding. Border formalities, mountain roads, walking, and multiple stops can leave little room for an unhurried visit.

The route returns to Croatia for the night in Cavtat. Dinner and an evening swim are planned aboard the yacht, and Cavtat is used as a picturesque anchorage for the night.

This day suits you if you want a broad first look at Montenegro rather than a slow stay in one town. If Kotor is your main goal, make sure you understand how much walking time is available before committing to the full route.

Day 7: From Cavtat to Mostar

The final yacht morning includes breakfast and a swim. Before noon, you begin the motorcycle journey toward Bosnia and Herzegovina, while your belongings and suitcases are returned to the Desmo Adventure office.

That luggage transfer is practical. You can ride without carrying your full bags, then collect them after returning to Split at the end of the trip.

The road passes through Trebinje, Stolac, and Blagaj before continuing to Mostar. The day introduces smaller towns and a different cultural setting from the Croatian coast and Montenegrin bay.

In Mostar, you walk the old town and see the famous bridge, which was destroyed during the war in the 1990s and later rebuilt. The route also gives attention to the city’s Catholic and Muslim communities, the Neretva River, and the different architectural traditions on either side.

Mostar is not treated as a quick photograph from a roadside stop. You have time to learn about the war years and see how the city’s divided past remains part of its present. That historical context adds weight to an itinerary otherwise centered on scenery, food, and recreation.

Day 8: Neretva Canyon, Blidinje, and the return to Split

The last day begins early, with a ride from Mostar alongside the Neretva River canyon. The road climbs toward Čvrsnica Mountain and Blidinje Nature Park, passing small villages affected by the 1990s conflict.

In Jablanica, you visit a war museum for about an hour. This stop continues the historical thread from Mostar and gives you a clearer sense of the region’s recent past.

At Blidinje, lunch is served at Hajdučke Vrleti. The meal focuses on Bosnian specialties prepared with traditional recipes, giving the final day a local food experience instead of another standard restaurant stop.

The return to Split takes about two and a half hours. Your luggage waits at the Desmo Adventure office, followed by arranged transport to the airport or a nearby hotel.

It is a long closing day, so do not plan a tight onward flight without confirming the timing. The route ends with mountain scenery, regional food, and history rather than a leisurely final afternoon at sea.

Food, crew, motorcycles, and comfort

The package includes dinner each day, with breakfast on four days and lunch on five days according to the stated inclusions. Personal spending money is not included, so allow for items such as drinks or purchases outside the planned meals.

The food receives especially strong praise in the supplied comments. Specific mentions include fresh seafood, peka, red wine, and the hostess Nina, who made one group feel especially well cared for. The crew names Boris and Gogo also appear in the trip feedback, with Boris praised for patient sailing instruction and Gogo described as a friendly skipper.

The motorcycle fleet is another major strength. The BMW GS 1250 is specifically mentioned, with new bikes and reliable performance repeatedly highlighted. You should still be comfortable riding a large motorcycle, since the itinerary includes curving coastal roads, mountain roads, and gravel.

The yacht gives you a private base, but a yacht is not a hotel. Cabin space, shared areas, motion at sea, and weather can shape your comfort. Ask for the yacht specifications, cabin layout, and exact food inclusions before paying the full amount.

Is the $10,909.64 price good value?

At $10,909.64 per person, this is a very expensive holiday. The price has to cover a private yacht, captain, chef or hostess, motorcycles, route support, meals, sightseeing, transfers, and the work of coordinating three countries.

The value improves if you are splitting the private experience with close friends or family and want a single company to arrange the difficult pieces. Planning the yacht, ferries, border crossings, motorcycle rental, luggage movement, restaurants, and airport transfers independently would take considerable time.

The price is harder to justify if you mainly want a beach holiday, a simple sailing week, or a focused motorcycle tour. You are paying for variety and convenience, not for eight slow days in one place.

Before booking, clarify the yacht model, number of cabins, drinks included, motorcycle insurance, fuel, border requirements, and exactly which breakfasts and lunches are part of your package. The stated information lists several meals as optional, while the itinerary describes frequent chef-prepared meals, so this deserves a direct question.

Who should book this trip?

I would recommend it to a private group that wants comfort without giving up active sightseeing. It works particularly well for experienced riders, couples traveling with friends, and people who like good food as much as scenic roads.

You should also enjoy changing pace. Some hours are spent sailing quietly, while others involve gravel riding, ferry loading, border crossings, old-town walks, or an early morning departure.

I would be cautious about booking if you dislike motorcycles, motion on boats, busy schedules, or long road days. The tour is private, but private does not mean slow. Your group can have a more personal experience, yet the route still covers a great deal of ground.

Free cancellation is available up to 24 hours before the local start time. Poor weather can cause a cancellation, in which case a new date or full refund is offered.

Should you book the Croatia, Montenegro, and Bosnia tour?

Book it if you want the Adriatic from two angles: a yacht deck and a mountain road. The route brings together Krka, Hvar, Mljet, Dubrovnik, Kotor, Mostar, Blidinje, wineries, oysters, and regional meals in a way that would be difficult to coordinate alone.

I would first confirm the yacht details and all meal inclusions, then make sure every rider is happy with the motorcycle size and the demanding schedule. If those points fit your group, this is an ambitious, high-comfort trip with unusually broad coverage of the southern Adriatic.

FAQ

How long is the private sailing and motorcycle tour?

The experience lasts approximately eight days, beginning in Split and ending with a return to Split after the final ride from Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Is pickup available?

Yes. Transportation can be arranged from Split Airport or another convenient location in Split, depending on your arrival time.

Which countries does the route visit?

The itinerary covers Croatia, Montenegro, and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Are meals included?

Dinner is included for seven days, while breakfast is included for four days and lunch for five days according to the stated inclusions. Personal spending money is not included.

Do I need to ride a motorcycle?

Motorcycle riding is a major part of the itinerary. The route uses premium motorcycles and includes coastal, mountain, and gravel roads.

What happens if the weather is poor?

The experience requires good weather. If poor weather causes cancellation, you are offered another date or a full refund.

Can I cancel for a full refund?

You can cancel at least 24 hours before the local start time for a full refund. Cancellations or changes made less than 24 hours before the start are not accepted for a refund.