28-Nights Zagreb to Athens: Monasteries & The Mediterranean - 18-to-Thirtysomethings

Zagreb to Athens: Monasteries & The Mediterranean
Buckle up for a 29-day adventure through the Balkans that'll leave you breathless in all the best ways. Walking tours, day hikes, ancient monasteries, and medieval fortresses await, with nature at every turn. Explore the foothills of the Albanian Alps and make your way down to the sparkling Mediterranean, sipping regional beers, tasting local flavours, and forming friendships along the way. Wander through the UNESCO city of Kotor and the medieval town of Budva, marvel at the jaw-dropping Plitvice Lakes National Park, and spot wild horses on a thrilling jeep safari. Stretch your legs on hikes through historic towns and natural wonders, scrambling around fortresses and monasteries while uncovering the rich history of this incredible region.

Highlights
Wander through history in the UNESCO city of Kotor and the medieval town of Budva, Stare in wonder at the awe-inspiring Plitvice Lakes National Park and the wild horses that can be seen from a jeep safari, Stretch your legs on local walks and hikes in both historic towns and natural wonders, Scramble around fortresses and monasteries gleaning knowledge of days gone by

Accomodation
The variety and local flavour of our accommodation is a favourite part of our European 18-to-Thirtysomethings trips. Although the properties we use are simply furnished and with few facilities, we base our choices on location, character and cleanliness. We will stay in a mixture of hotels, some hostels, and private rooms in local households. All accommodation on this tour will be multi-share. This may involve 4-6 group members sharing and even (on rare occasions) dormitory-style rooms for the whole group. The majority of accommodation will have shared bathroom facilities. Where we use multi-share hostels, rooming requests of any kind cannot be taken. Note that most accommodation in Europe does not have air conditioning units in rooms. Air conditioning is not routinely installed in European homes and workplaces. However, nearly all hotels will provide a standing or desk fan for your room on hot nights. If you do not already have one in your room, please ask your CEO to organize one for you with reception. For private accommodation please see tours in our Classic Travel Style. Please note that pre & post additional accommodations cannot guarantee same gender rooming thus mixed gender rooming may occur.

Group Leader
This G Adventures group trip is accompanied by one of our CEOs (Chief Experience Officer). The aim of the CEO is to take the hassle out of your travels and to help you have the best trip possible. They will provide information on the places you are travelling through, offer suggestions for things to do and see, recommend great local eating venues and introduce you to our local friends. While not being guides in the traditional sense you can expect them to have a broad general knowledge of the countries visited on the trip, including historical, cultural, religious and social aspects. It is important to note that in Europe, all guiding is based around local guides all of whom are licensed to work only in a particular city. As such, our leaders are able to provide orientation walks which will show you the layout of each town and city as well as the location of local services such as post offices and laundromats, but are unable to legally share historical facts and figures in public places. If you wish to take a guided city tour in any location our CEO will do their best to help you arrange this and pay locally.

Group Size Notes
Max 16, avg 10.

Meals Included
23 breakfasts, 5 lunches, 2 dinners

What's Included
Your G for Good Moment: Tour of Shedia Home and a Beverage, Athens
Your Welcome Moment: Meet Your CEO and Group
Your First Night Out Moment: Connect With New Friends
Your Big Night Out Moment: Split
Your Foodie Moment: Sarajevo Food Tour, Sarajevo
Your Big Night Out Moment: Sarajevo
Your Big Night Out Moment: Budva
Your Foodie Moment: Tirana Cooking Class, Tirana
Your Local Living Moment: Hike to a Shepherd Outpost with Lunch, Tragjas
Your Big Night Out Moment: Corfu
Your Big Night Out Moment: Athens.
Orientation walk in Zagreb. Entrance to Plitvice Lakes National Park. Day trip to Hvar. Guided tour of Diocletian's Palace (Split). Evening orientation walk in Split. Tvrdoš Monastery Visit and Wine Tasting. Trebinje orientation walk. Explore the Pocitelj Fortress and art colony. Visit Kravica Waterfall. Take a sunset jeep safari in search of wild horses. BBQ dinner and bonfire in Livno. See the Dervish Monastery and explore Blagaj. Guided walking tour of Mostar. Whitewater rafting on the Neretva River with bbq lunch. Orientation walk of Kotor. Hike to Kotor Fortress. Boat tour on the Bay of Kotor. See Nevidio Canyon. Hike to Crno Jezero (Black Lake) in Durmitor National Park. Visit the Ostrog Monastery. Orientation walk of Budva's old town. Orientation walk of Tirana. Explore Kruje on foot. Walking tour of Berat including the castle. Visit the coastal wetlands of the Vjosë-Nartë Delta Protected Area. Walking tour of Himarë. Corfu Trail hike across the island to Benitses. Meteora Monasteries hike from Kalabaka. Orientation walk of Athens. Transport to/from all included activities and between all destinations.