National Park Mljet (island of Mljet, Croatia) - 10 things to do and see

National Park Mljet (island of Mljet, Croatia) - 10 things to do and see

Discover everything you need to know about the Mljet National Park on the Croatian island of Mljet. Find out the best highlights, including the top activities and sights!

The Mljet National Park is a beautiful park that covers most of the northwestern part of the island of Mljet in Croatia.

Although the MLJet national park is primarily known for its two picturesque salt water lakes, it has a lot to offer, including exploring the riverside paths by bike, hiking and cave research.

In this travel guide, I reveal the best activities in the MLJET National Park as well as some useful tips and information about how to come here, what to expect and where you can spend the night.

About the Mljet National Park (Croatia)

The island of Mljet is located near the Pelješac peninsula, which is part of the southern part of the Dalmatian coast. Known as Croatia Greenest and one of the largest islands, Mljet houses a diverse Mediterranean vegetation and alepo pine forests on an area of ​​around 5,300 hectares.

For access to the park, the local authorities need an admission ticket that you can buy at a kiosk in Sobra, Pomena or Polače.

Entry fee for the MLJet National Park: 70 Kuna (approx. 9.2 euros) Opening times: 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. (high season) and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (low season)

The most important natural attractions of this nature park are the two Salzwasser lakes Veliko Jezero (Lake Lake or Lake) and Malo Jazero (small lake). These lakes cover a large area of ​​around 4 kilometers.

In addition, visitors within Veliko Jezero will find a small island called Sveta Marija or Islet Melita, on which there is a beautiful former Benedictine monastery from the 12th century called CRKVA Sveta Marije.

Drive to the Mljet National Park

As the southernmost of the larger Croatian islands, travelers have to take a boat to get to Mljet.

The most popular ways to get here are one of the popular Croatian cruise and sailing routes, the charter of your own boat or a day trip from Dubrovnik or the nearby islands.

There is no official entrance to the park. Instead, visitors can enter the national park by bike or taxi from the main harbor in Sobra or about the entrances in Pomena and Polače.

In the following I go into each of these options a little more detail.

1. On a Croatia sailing cruise

The far best way to see all the amazing highlights of Dalmatia is to book a Croatia sailing cruise.

Although there are many to choose from, I have had a great experience with Sail Croatia. This company is one of the best at the Adriatic and offers several shipping and sailing options, including Navigator (for parties), Explorer (for adventure) and elegance (for luxury).

In order to see as much as possible in a sailing week, I decided to explorer from Dubrovnik to Split and stop in Mljet on the second day.

2nd day trip by Dubrovnik, Korčula or Hvar

Another great option to get to Mljet is a daily trip from Dubrovnik or one of the other popular islands.

Due to the distance, most of these tours are a full -day matter, which is great because they will also see a lot of the Croatian coast on the way.

Travel tip: If you find yourself in Dubrovnik, Robert von Hidden Marine will conduct one of the best rated quick boot tours with the option to visit the MLJET National Park and the famous Odysseus cave.

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3. Public ferry

One of the great things traveling on the Croatian Islands is the extensive network of public ferries.

You will find several ferry connections according to Mljet of places such as BOL (Brac), Dubrovnik, Hvar, Split and Stiri degree.
Ferry to the nearby island of Vis

Map of the Mljet National Park

The green island of Mljet extends over a fairly large area with several paved foot and bike paths as well as a variety of hiking trails.

Below is the map of the MLJet National Park, which you can find near the entrance. This includes the entire national park that makes up the upper third of the island. You will find that the hiking trails on this map are also well marked.
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Activities in the MLJet National Park

So, after the logistics are cleared, let us dive into this list of activities in the MLJet national park, Croatia!

As you will find out, the MLJet National Park is one of the most beautiful national parks in Croatia and differs a little from other popular places such as Plitvice and Krka.

In order to visit most popular attractions, viewpoints and areas, I recommend spending a whole day here.

1. Rent a bike to explore the national park

One of the best ways to explore the MLJet national park to rent a bike is by far.

This is because there are many hiking trails that are perfect for riding and exploring. So we got around in the park and I would consider it essential if you want to visit more than just the main.

You can find bike rental in the main harbor and in the park itself. The costs are around 200 Kuna per day.

2nd Malo Jezero (the small lake)

Malo Jezero is the smaller of the two salt water lakes in the Mljet National Park. However, this lake is probably the most beautiful, because of its bright, turquoise water, which almost reminded me of the Sugba lagoon in the Philippines.

You can circle the outer scope of this small lake and swimming is allowed.

3. Veliko Jezero (the big lake)

Veliko Jezero is the large lake in the MLJet National Park. Connected by a narrow channel, Veliko Jezero is much larger and deeper than Malo Jezero. Along the edge you will find many beautiful, remote bathing areas that are very inviting.

4. Benedictine monastery on the island of St. Mary (CRKVA SV. Marija)

One of the best activities in the Mljet National Park is a visit to the island of St. Mary (Sveta Marija).

This is a small island in a book section by Veiko Jezero (the Great Lake).

To get here, you have to take a short boat trip from the bike path or from the Pristaniste ferry port and cross the large lake in the middle.

For those on the footpath look for a red flag that you can pick up and wave to signal the boat driver to pick them up. This ferry is included in your entry ticket and you therefore do not have to pay any additional costs.

As soon as you have arrived on the small island, you can explore the old monastery and the connected restaurant. This is also a great place for swimming!

5th Mali Most (the little bridge)

At the eastern end of the large lake you will find Mali Most (translated small bridge), an old bridge that crosses a narrow channel.

Now Mali Most only serves as an essential part of the route that surrounds the lakes, but it is also a great place to swim. Due to the narrow water round, the tidal currents become very strong, which means that they can drive and out into the lake.

Mali Most in its original form

6. Walk up the hills

Hiking is one of the main activities in the Mljet National Park. When you scroll up to the card above, you will see many marked routes, namely A, B, C, D and E. These are well -groomed routes with striking markings that make it easy for all skill levels to follow them.

Since we only had one day in the park, we decided to hike to the highest hill that is closest to the salt lake. This path is called Mt. Montokuc and is a green hill that is covered with Aleppo pine forest and reaches a height of 256 meters above sea level.

From above we had an excellent view over the entire northeastern part of the island, including Veliko Jezero and Malo Jazero. In the south the lonely bays from Blace and the two rocky cards Utrnji Školj and Vrjanji Školj were seen.

Tip: Scroll at the beginning of this article to display the hiking map.

7. Spilice cave

While we drove through the Mljet National Park, we discovered a large cave that does not seem to know Google himself.

This cave is called and extends to a depth of at least 70 meters. To get here, follow the cobbled path to the right after crossing Mali Most on a route against the clockwise of the lake.

Drive about 300 meters away and you will see a small path that leads up and into the forest. In less than 3 minutes you can reach the entrance to the cave, which you can enter and explore at will.

Tip: The deeper sections of the cave are very dark, so I would recommend taking a headlamp with you if you have one!

8. Visit Govedari, Pomena, Polače and Soline

There are several small villages in the MLJet National Park. The chances are good that on the way you can get past several of them on the way by bike. The most remarkable villages within the park and its surroundings are Govedari, Pomena and Soline.

Here you will find many local restaurants, souvenir shops and local houses.

Polače is the oldest settlement on the island of Mljet, which goes back to the Greek and Illyrian period and currently has several buildings from the Roman period.

It is also possible to book sporting activities, including kayak rental (or tours), a hiking tour or a boat tour from Pomena.

9. Odyssee cave

Although the cave of the Odyssey is technically not part of the MLJet National Park, it is one of the island's largest attractions.

This cave is permeated by the Greek mythology, as it was told by one of its greatest ancient poets, Homer. In fact, the name comes from the old story of Odysseus and Calypso.

You will find the sea cave of Odyssey on the southern coast of Mljet near Babino Polje. There are also many sandy beaches in the area, so it's worth taking a look!

10. Enjoy the sunset

I think you can certainly say that Mljet attracts the kind of audience who want to switch off and enjoy nature.

After a long day with hiking, cycling, kayaking or sailing, it is one of the best things you can do in the NP MLJET to simply enjoy the sunsets of the Dalmatian island. Unfortunately, the national park is usually closed in the evening.

However, I recommend going down for pier in Pomena to enjoy breathtaking sunsets.

Overnight stays in the MLJet National Park

There are many accommodation on the island of Mljet, but if you want to explore the national park, I recommend staying in Pomena, Polače or Goveđari. Below you will find the best accommodation options of the NP MLJET.

• Hotel Odisej - located on the coast near Pomena, this hotel offers a breathtaking view in the best location of the island.
• Apartments Slavica - Fantastic Apartments only 2 minutes walk from the beach in Pomena.
• Villa Klacina - fantastic villa with pool and view of the Große Lake in Mljet!

More Croatia travel guide & adventure inspiration

I hope this short travel guide liked you with 10 inevitable activities in the MLJet National Park, Croatia!

Take a look at some of my other travel guides and travel savings contributions for Croatia below.

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