Mljet

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Otok Mljet (IPA: [mʎɛ̂t]), in Southern Dalmatia, is one of the larger islands in off the coast of Southern Croatia. Although many people live on the island (mainly in the port of Sobra on the east end), the west end port of Polače holds the entrance to the national park of Mljet. This park includes an inland sea and another small island nested within it, and is a must-see for visitors.

Understand

Mljet used to be a Roman possession (indeed, Polače means "palace" and holds some Roman ruins). Over the course of history, the isle traded hands with the rest of the Balkans (to the Ottomans, the Austro-Hungarians, etc.) It was promised to Italy at one point in the early 20th century. Once the Kingdom of the Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes was declared, the island became part of that country.

Ancient Greeks called the island "Melita", or "honey," which over the centuries evolved to become the Slavic name, Mljet.

Landscape

Over 72% of the island of 1000 km² (388 sq mi) is forest. The island's geological structure consists of limestone and dolomite forming ridges, crests and slopes. A few depressions on the island of Mljet are below sea level and are known as blatine ("mud-lakes") or slatine ("salt-lakes"). During the rain seasons all blatine are filled with water, and they turn to brackish during dry seasons.

Climate

The climate is Mediterranean; an average air temperature in January is 9°C (48°F) and in July about 24°C (75°F).

Fees

There is an entrance fee of €20 per person to enter the Mljet National Park. If you are joining an excursion organised by a travel agency to Mljet, it may not include this entrance fee, so make sure you check before booking. The entrance fee includes the boat round trip Mali Most - Pristaniste - Sveta Marija, operated by solar powered boats, roughly half-hourly departures from any point.

Get in

By boat

Sobra (east-end), Polače (west-end) and Pomena (west-end) serve as ferry ports for the island.

Ferry services may change by season so check the operators' websites.

From Dubrovnik

The Nona Ana catamaran operates twice daily from Dubrovnik to Sobra and Polače on Mljet island. Tickets are €7.50 one way per person. Polače is nearer the National Park than Sobra.

From the Pelješac peninsula

There is car ferry operating five times a day between Prapratno on the Pelješac peninsula and the port of Sobra on Mljet island (€17 for a car, €3 foot passenger).

From Split

There is car ferry from Split on Saturday and speed boat from Lastovo on Tuesday and Thursday.

The Krilo Star (passenger ferry) travels daily between Dubrovnik and Split, passing Pomena.

From Korčula

From Korčula you can get to Sobra on Mljet island by car ferry operated by Jadrolinija on Mondays and Fridays. The ferry leaves Korčula Town at 14:00 and arrives at Sobra at 16:15. Sobra is some distance from the National Park, which is located on the western side of Mljet island. Alternatively, join a day trip excursion from Korčula organised by a travel agency:

• Kantun Tours organises an excursion to Mljet by speed boat (the journey is around 30 min one-way) for €33.50 per person return (not including the €12 entrance fee to the National Park).
• Mediterano Travel Agency can provide a return boat journey between Korčula Town and Mljet for €24 per person or an excursion (including a guide and the National Park entrance fee) for €48 per person.
• Korkyra Info Travel Agency offers an excursion (with a guide and including the National Park entrance fee) for €47 per person.
• Korčula Adventures offers an excursion to Mljet by luxury yacht (guide, lunch, snorkelling gear and National Park entrance fee included) for €60 per person.

By plane

Mljet has no airport. Dubrovnik Airport on the mainland provides the main international connection for the island.

Get around

By bus

There are two bus lines on Mljet, one connecting Sobra with Pomena and another connecting Saplunara with Sobra. Buses run each direction once a day, usually one in the early morning and one in the evening. Check times online.

By car

There is only one major road on the island which runs through or near most cities. The road is paved, but condition is only fair. Speed limit is usually 40 km/h (24 mph). For most of its length, the road has long uphill or downhill includes.

If you come without a car, you can rent one at several local agencies:

• MiniBrum has a rental office at the Sobra ferry terminal. They rent a variety of small, often cutely decorated, cars. Aa small diesel Fiat for two days costs about €120 plus fuel.

By bike

Mountain bikes can be rented in several places such as Pomena, Polače and within the National Park. This is a good way to get to and explore the National Park. However due to the island's size, topography, and road conditions, it's not realistic to expect to also explore the central and eastern parts of the island by bike from the west end.

See

• 1 Mljet National Park (Nacionalni Park Mljet) (Enter the Mljet National Park through the bus transfer from Polače or from Pomena.). The two lakes (jezera) and the monastery on the island in the middle of the large lake (veliki jezera). Boats leave for the monastery every hour or so, check the timetables within the national park. The monastery was a hotel until it was damaged in 1991 and now houses a cute restaurant called Melita. €12. (updated Sep 2016)
• 2 Saplunara beaches (Start at Saplunara Bay then work your way to Blace beach). There are three sandy beaches within Saplunara, starting with the bay itself. The bay is slightly overlooked, but as you work through, you eventually got to Blace beach which is 800 m (1/2 mile) long and secluded among stones of Mljet southern shores. This hidden bay and beach is surrounded by pine trees, faces South and looks like a lagoon. The entrance from the sea to Blace beach is only 8 metres wide so the sea water inside the lagoon gets very warm and is possible to swim here even at the times when sea water outside is still cold and not suitable for swimming. Because of its isolated location, Blace Beach and Bay is popular among naturist and nudists too. Out of season, a lot of debris collects on the beach and is not cleaned making it significantly less appealing. 
• 3 Abandoned military bunker (Leave Pomena in western direction and continue down the road for 3 kilometers. The bunker can either be accessed directly from the road or through several of the former artillery plattforms from the northern side of the island tip.). On Mljet's western end there is a military bunker driven into the rocky terrain that features an elaborate underground passage formerly used by the military where today only spiders and bats reside. Several stairways lead outside to artillery plattforms facing the sea towards the north. While the many underground rooms are empty, you can still spot a German 8.8-cm Flak artillery from World War II on one of the plattforms. Bring a flash light and enter on your own risk! 

Do

Swim around, snorkel and try to find the large mussels (about 60 cm (2 feet) long) in the smaller lake (malo jezero).

Rent a mountain bike and ride around the big lake (veliko jezero) and small lake (malo jezero) which are connected to each other.

• 1 Rappel or Swim to Odysseus/Ulyssey's Cave, Odysseus's cave sits under the village of Babino Polje (pull over on the road parallel to Babino Polje then it's a 20-minute walk towards the south coast from there). A large egg-shaped cave in the rocky coastline, accessed by a 30-metre tunnel used as a harbour by local fishermen. Legend has it that Odysseus found his shelter here after surviving a shipwreck, hence the name. He supposedly was shipwrecked here and due to the beauty of the island's nature and his love for the nymph Calipso, Odysseus stayed on the island for 7 years. When the sun gets to the highest point, the water illuminates in a fantastic way. There's also some gravity-defying, quite amusing graffiti around the rocks. There are two entrances: one from the seaside (swimming) and the other one from on high (rappelling). As you walk along the path towards the cave, look out for the cute road sign painting on the rocks! Once you're near the cave, it's a natural beauty and popular for rappelling. Free.  
• 2 Follow the hiking trail up to Veliki Grad, the highest mountain of Mljet (~500 m). The trail starts in Babino Polje.  
• There are daily diving tours in Pomena.

Eat

There are several places to eat out in Pomena, around the harbour. Most appear to cater to the yachting fraternity and specialise in very fresh fish; live seafood are kept in tanks next to each restaurant. There's also a great restaurant between the harbour and the hotel. It looks like it's a private house but with a large barbecue area built on, and it does excellent barbecued fish. Besides that, there are several restaurants in villages Polače, Soline and in Babine kuće. There is also restaurant on the island of St. Mary.

Drink

There's not a lot of nightlife in Pomena; the hotel has an inside bar with a cheesy band, and an outside shack that sells drink. It's best for a quiet getaway rather than a party!

• Vila Mungos, Sobra 35, ☏ +385 20745224, komar.d.o.o@du.t-com.hr. 

Sleep

• X-Rooms Mljet, Polace 8, ☏ +385 99 821 8619. In the centre of the National Park Mljet, 5 m from the beach and 150 m from the main ferry port. 
• Hotel Odisej (In the centre of the National Park Mljet), ☏ +385 20 475 777, fax: +385 20 475 973, info@hotelodisej.hr. Overpriced, dilapidated hotel with a perfect location. Could be fantastic, but seems to have barely been touched since the 1970s, complacent with being the only hotel on the island and within the National Park. There may not be many places on the island that advertise online, but there is plenty of accommodation on the island, no doubt cheaper and better than this. 
• Stermasi, Saplunara 2, Maranovici (Go to Saplunara on the far east of the island and follow the big signs!), ☏ +385 20746179, astrit.stermasi1@du.t-com.hr. Check-in: 15:00, check-out: 10:00. Accommodation on the far east of the island near the warm waters of Blace beach. Run by the Stermasi family, who seem to be expanding the number of places, each room has a personal touch to the decoration and with the excellent restaurant attached, it's a place to stay to explore a different side to the island. €40-75. 
• Vila Mungos, Sobra 35, ☏ +385 20745224, komar.d.o.o@du.t-com.hr. 

Go next

On summer days speed boat goes from the port of Sobra to Dubrovnik every day at 06:15 (Tuesday and Thursday at 06:00) and at 17:35. From port of Polače speed boat goes every day at 16:55.

From Sobra car ferry goes every day to Prapratno (peninsula Pelješac) at 06:00, 09:00 and at 12:00, 16:00, 19:00 (on Sunday and holidays it goes at 10:00 not at 09:00).

With speed boat you can also go to island Korčula from Polače and Sobra on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, and with car ferry from Sobra on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday. There is speed boat from Sobra and Polače to island Lastovo on Tuesday and Thursday.

To Split you can go from Sobra with car ferry on Saturday.