In this Blue Cave tour from Split guide we are bringing you the latest news from the tour and the administrative changes that were made during the summer of 2017 and which have affected the tour in one way or another. We hope this guide will give you an insight to the tour and prepare you for this unique experience on our Blue Cave and Hvar tour from Split. So be ready for the best day of your vacation!
So what is new on the Blue Cave Tour from Split in 2017?
The main attraction of the tour, the famous Blue Cave is also the first stop of the trip. After we depart from Split early morning it will take us approximately an hour and a half until we reach the distant island of Bisevo, the home of the Blue cave. This stretch is the longest you will be riding the waves or gliding through the calm surface of the sea on our speedboat. From then on, each attraction of this six islands tour is only a short speedboat ride away.
travel time between destinations on the tour
Split to Blue Cave on Bisevo island: 01:35-01:45 min.
Blue Cave to Stiniva cove: 15-20 min.
Stiniva cove to Green cave: 05-10 min.
Green cave to Budikovac Lagoon: 05-10 min.
Budikovac Lagoon to Palmizana (Pakleni islands archipelago): 25-35 min.
Palmizana (Pakleni islands archipelago) to Hvar town: 10-15 min.
Hvar town (island Hvar) to Milna (island Brac): 35-45 min.
Milna (island Brac) to Split: 40-50 min.
What has Changed from 2016. on the tour of Blue Cave on Bisevo island?
The way it worked in 2016. is we would arrive to the Bisevo island, the starting point of the Blue Cave tour, and our crew member would hand out Blue Cave tickets to all the passengers on the speedboat. Our guests would then wait in the line to board the small ship operated by the Blue Cave staff before being taken inside the Blue Cave.
As the popularity of the Blue Cave tour grew, the need to organize the waiting lines brought a new system in place which came into operation on the 2017. season opening.
So, from 2017. once we arrive to Bisevo our crew member takes all the passenger tickets and takes them to the Blue Cave office where each ticket is assigned with a number. Similar to waiting lines in banks, you start the tour once your number is displayed.
This new system made possible to enjoy in island Bisevo a little better than before. Since now you can predict how long it will take for your group to get on the tour based on the number which is displayed and the number on your ticket.
But what can you do in the meantime?
Before we go into that, it is extremely important that you stay in constant communication your crew. Since all the Blue cave tickets we receive are in sequential order, meaning our group enters the cave together, it is of utmost importance that our group stays together during our stay at the Bisevo island. Naturally, that doesn’t mean you have to follow each other footsteps all the time but you must communicate with Sugaman’s crew and anticipate when you are expected to come back to line in order to enter the Blue cave on time.
So what can you do while waiting to enter inside the Blue Cave?
In case you want to sit down, relax, have a bite or sip down a cup of coffee there is a little bar right next to the Blue cave offices. From there you have a clear view on the line and the current number displayed for the tour. This is the perfect option if you have approx. a half an hour to kill.
In case there is a long line which sometimes can last over an hour (and unfortunately that can happen during high season, usually between July 20 and August 15th), you can arrange with our crew to escort you down to the beach so that you can enjoy in the crystal clear sea of Bisevo before you enter. This is only possible if the whole group is accompanied by Sugaman’s crew.
Please keep in mind that between Split (from where we depart at 08 AM) and Palmizana (where we arrive around 01 PM) the restroom facilities on the Bisevo island are the only ones you can use.
Depending on the speedboat, your group can consist of 10 to 14 people. Since the boats operated by the Blue cave staff, which enter inside the Blue cave can accommodate up to 10 people it is not unusual that your group gets separated before starting the tour of the Blue cave. As that happens the group which first entered the cave and returned should stay together and wait together with their crew for the second group to exit the cave. This way we can immediately continue on our journey through breathtaking attractions and destinations on the Blue Cave tour from Split and have enough time to enjoy each one of them.
Stiniva Cove in 2017
As opposed to some previous years the entrance inside the Stiniva cove is completely sealed off to any boats and speedboats that wish to enter. This is not a problem though as the best way to enter Stiniva Cove is by swimming through its towering stone gates.
Depending on the time of the season in which we arrive to the cove, there can be a considerable number of boats moored in front of the Stiniva cove. Even though the bay is relatively wide always keep an eye if there are incoming or departing boats while in the sea. As you pass the protective net before the gates there are no more boats to look out for, just to marvel at the beauty of this extraordinary cove.
Read more about Stiniva cove of island Vis
What is new with the Green Cave in 2017?
All up until July 5th, 2017 the entrance to the Green Cave was open and free to anyone. You could enter inside the cave with your boat, jump into the sea and swim or snorkel inside the cave. As the popularity of the Blue Cave tour from Split grew (and every tour departing from Split, Hvar or Vis included Green Cave as a stop of the tour) so was the number of boats you would encounter each time you enter the cave. Since the space inside the cave is limited and with the growing number of boats inside the cave it was becoming increasingly dangerous to enjoy in swimming and snorkeling inside the Green cave.
That all changed on July 5th when a concession was awarded to a local agency called Gradina Vis d.o.o, that went on and implemented a new system for limiting a number of boats inside the cave. Even though it is a good thought to limit the increasing number of boats inside, the way it has been done in the middle of the season, without a heads up is realy unfortunate.
From now it is not possible to enter inside the cave with a running engine. All boats must use paddles to enter or exit the cave. This by itself has cut the number of boats by large percentile as not many, or if any tour boats are actually equipped with paddles.
The other significant thing that has changed is they have started to charge the entry to the cave. As of before July 5th the entrance to the cave was free but from now an entrance fee of €10 per person is required to enter inside. This has caused a great inconvenience to us, as we were left wit a choice to either charge the guests an additional 10€ or remove the Green Cave from our itinerary. And considering that the company running the cave doesn’t provide us with a boat to enter the green cave and it is not allowed to enter with our boat, and the only way to come inside is to jump from our speedboat and swim inside the cave we have decided to remove this stop from our tour.
Other Destinations of the Blue Cave tour from Split
The next stop is island Budikovac. There are no changes, no surprises inside the Budikovac lagoon as it still represents what it always represented, an escape. Read more about this attraction in our article on Budikovac island and its crystal clear lagoon.
From Budikovac we continue the tour to Palmizana on Pakleni islands before we head to Hvar town on the adjacent Hvar island. The time we spend there and thing you can do there have not changed since 2016 and you can read about it in our articles about Palmizana and town Hvar.
Addition to the Blue Cave tour in 2017
As an addition to our signature Blue Cave tour from Split in 2017. we have added a free wine and olive oil tasting experience inside the traditional tavern on the promenade of town Milna on island Brac.
Just as we head back from Hvar, and pass the Split gates (narrow channel between islands Brac and Solta) we turn right into the deep bay of Milna. This traditional island town will immediately enchant you with its serenity and surrounding scenery. On its promenade we will visit a traditional Dalmatian tavern where you will see how things were being done on islands for centuries and how are they done to this date.
You will be served two local wine varieties straight out of a barrel. You can taste the local olive oil from the old stone container holding over 100 liters of oil.
Of course you will taste some locally made domestic grappa as well, and if you are particularly good, you might be in for a few surprises as well.
This concludes our article about the changes that happened on the Blue cave tour from Split in 2017. Hopefully this will give you a good insight into how to best prepare for the tour. During the tour you will have our crew at hand for any information or assistance you might require.
Remember to bring sun protection, sun glasses, protective sun cream, bottled water, a snack (sandwich or similar) and warm, preferably water proof, clothes in case you are going on the tour in pre or post season (generally May, late September and October).
Have a great holiday and see you on our Sugaman Blue Cave tour from Split!